Mary had Heterochromia - one
eye blue the other eye green.
I think it was those eyes
that awakened the juvenile
butterflies in my belly  
every time she got on the bus
on the way to our college.

Anyway, my attraction grew
as the months went past
until one Winter's day
with snow a foot thick

and the bus creeping along,
she ended up sitting down
next to me for the journey.
Inwardly I rejoiced that
the only spare seat was
beside me when she got on.

Because I was so shy
we didn't speak at all,
but the thing I will always
remember is, as the bus
emptied a little, she stayed.
And the following day
she came and sat next to me
even though there were
other empty seats available.

So started this strange
silent displaying of our
attraction. That was the day,
fighting my shy paralysis,
I finally ventured, 'my name is Rick'
and she, 'Mine is Mary',
With that she slipped off
her woolen glove and moved
to hold my frozen hand.

I can't tell you the feeling
to have her hold my hand,
because it was like loads 
of nice things all at once:
Excitement, pleasure, warmth,
tingling, and yes, lust I guess.
I turned and for the first time
really locked eyes with lovely Mary.

So started a week's phase to our
strange affair. Words were few,
holding hands a daily custom -
so welcomed that without it,
as on a day she missed the bus,
I fretted that something was wrong
and felt so very much alone.

The bad weather continuing, and
just before Christmas holiday,
she,  always the initiator,
leaned across and our lips
met and melted both our hearts.
We planned a meeting three days
hence, at her friend's party.
She gave me a small note
with the address of the party

just before she left the bus
on that last day of college.

It was on the outskirts of 

The coastal town I lived in.


It was snowing when I left
home for our party date.
Real heavy flakes of white
that were refusing to melt,
instead building a silent
landscape all around our town.
As I reached the half-way point
The wind was blowing the snow
into a huge sloping bank of white
up the front of the Royal Hotel.


A little further, with snow
up to my knees, and legs
filled with the pain of effort
of stomping through the snow,
I had to make the decision
to turn back for my home.
It was the safest choice
because there wasn't a single
soul around, and the town
was slowly being buried. Soon
I wouldn't know where I was.
I had thoughts of being found
frozen and dead after the thaw.

We didn't have mobile phones
in those days, and there was
no way I could let Mary know
my plight. With tears of real
disappointment pouring down
my cheeks, I let myself in
the back door to hide my
crying. 'We were worried about
you! Your dad was just about
to go on a search for you! ...
Oh... no need for tears,
we were just worried that's all.'
Mother caught me taking off
my frozen shoes and trousers.

(As I recount this tale I can't
help thinking what a dork I was
in those days: Blighted with
shyness for the opposite sex.
Being an only child didn't help.)

When the new term started 
and the bus pulled in at her stop
there was no Mary to be seen.
Days went by before a blonde girl
slipped a note to me as she
walked past with a group of friends.
'This is for you, from Mary' she said.
It was a tightly folded piece
of light blue paper.

Mary wrote that her dad died
in a car crash right in the middle
of that snow storm, and she
and her mum were moving away.
There was a big kiss at the end,
drawn in blue fountain pen ink
about ten times the size 
of the other letters she'd written. 
Tears filled my eyes, my belly
flipped and flopped, but I retained
my composure for all that journey, 
slipping the note inside my
glove to keep her close to me.

A juvenile love that never
really got off the ground,

but Mary's eyes have never been forgotten.

-----------

Now I have Bliss's deep dark eyes
staring at me from off her pillow.
She smiles, comes over my side
of the bed, and plants a big kiss
on the tip of my nose, then lets
her lips slide onto mine, and,
all of a sudden loads of nice things
happen inside me all at once
and I become consumed by Bliss.

"I'm really sorry 'bout the confusion
with my brother, Wrick' she whispers,

and all is suddenly right with my world.

© Griffonner 2026