ATale of a Boy and a Girl ~by Dawn Gutek~

(take a look at the link below)
l_001.jpg (JPEG Image, 1600x1200 pixels) - Scaled (44%)


Interesting little picture from the link above, wouldn't you agree? And to the average person happening upon said picture, one would assume it to be of some quaint little foot bridge, perhaps found on some nature hike or camping trip. I assure you friends, it is a picture of much more than that, at least to me and those involved in the following tale I shall tell to you now...

Once upon a time there was a boy and a girl. A young man and a young woman to be more precise as they had each just celebrated their 18th birthdays just a few months prior to the beginning of their yet to become relationship. Both attended a small but Biblically sound Bible College near the quiet fishing town of Nipawin in the province of Saskatchewan.

As was tradition at the College, there was planned an event. This event was to be held away from the college campus at the towns forested, very natural regional park. The purpose of the event was to aid students in meeting their peers, becoming friends with one another, forming friendships. Little did they know.

At this event, as sometimes young adults do, there was much playful banter amongst the students. After appetites had been satiated with roast burgers and such, some chose to simply sit and enjoy their surroundings. Others thought it a good idea to stretch their legs by becoming more familiar with their surroundings at the park. Others had taken quite a liking to doing both, stretching their legs and getting to know the others, but in doing so had become an unmitigated nuisance. A nuisance by making ill mannered fun of those around them, a nuisance by retelling off coloured jokes, a nuisance by simply talking too much. Far too much.

The girl and a new found friend had decided to walk a bit, enjoying each others company. The two ladies were unwantingly joined by the nuisance shortly after striking out, but not wanting to venture away from their Christian virtue by telling him to leave, allowed him to tag along. There were many things of interest there at the park, the most of which was the suspended foot bridge hung above a steep , almost waterless ravine. That is where the threesome stopped their journey for a brief moment to take in the excitement of the movement of the bridge. It felt really rather exhilarating to run across the aged boards and feel the sway of wood and metal beneath ones feet.

Not long after their arrival at the bridge, the three adventurers were unknowingly joined by another group of young adults, only far below them, traversing along the ravine. The leech that had attached himself to their two some proudly spouted on to the ladies about how if one was to engage in the grotesque act of spewing ones spittle over the chain link side of the bridge, how it would splatter down below and how wouldn't it be so funny to give those down below a good scare. In an instant of sheer immaturity, the young lady, whom this story quite involves, spat. She spat intending not to hit anyone but as was ill advised, to merely startle the group of young men down below. Not taking into account the trajectory of the spit or the speed of the wind, she simply spat, realizing in the briefest of minuscule of time, that the very small amount of saliva that had flown from her mouth was indeed going to hit the head of the young man down below.

The young men down below the bridge very soon became aware of their situation and of course needed to see whom their attackers were. But upon seeing who it was, they , instead of laughing at the joke it was intended to be, became enraged. Enraged for they thought it was indeed the nuisance who'd relentlessly been bothering them the past few days. Enraged and now given the excuse for revenge, that being "the killer wedgie".

Needless to say, the threesome up above began to run as soon as their targets below them exploded in fury. Across the bridge, down the path and into a playground full of young children they ran. They hid amongst the young ones, who no doubt wondered what these fiends could be up to, and waited for the angry, charging group to pass. After several minutes of peeking over the play apparatus between gasps of breath, the threesome emerged from their hide out. Things would calm down soon after, thought the tension between the angry mob and the nuisance remained for the rest of the evening.

Seeing that things could become quite grave for the nuisance, the young lady took pity on him and took action to try to correct things. She devised a plan of apology involving the young man's (whom her saliva landed on) cousin whom was attending the college at the same time as well and lived only several doors down from the young lady's room. She had the cousin tell the young man she was terribly sorry for the mishap, that it was really she who'd spat. She herself offered a formal apology as well. Or several rather. It was an embarrassing thing to have to do, but the young lady hardly minded as it was also an excuse to speak to this very handsome and becoming young man.

After having awkwardly forged through the elementary stages of becoming acquainted, the two seemed to often end up standing in waiting lines together or enjoying the company of the same group of friends. With the help and encouragement of said friends, the two soon became what was known as an exclusive "couple" there at the college. The very bridge where the adventure began was also the very place where he asked her to become his wife. And unbeknown st to them, the boy and the girl would 13 years later, with three children in tow, and half a lifetime worth of fond memories and blessings, would look back with a smile and a chuckle and recall the dear swinging bridge in the regional park in Nipawin Saskatchewan.