Shirtless men, L-shaped blankets, and banana bread...

I remember being attracted to members of the opposite sex at a very early age. In my preschool years, I had what I can only describe as a ‘crush’ on my babysitter’s daughter who was eleven or twelve years older than I. In the time that I stayed at my babysitter’s home, in between play I would sometimes see clips of the daytime soap operas on her television. In the soap operas, a shirtless man would often be depicted laying in bed with a woman in his arms. I do not believe I knew at this point why he was shirtless and a convenient L-shaped blanket covered her to her bare shoulders, but it was behavior that I would attempt to repeat with my babysitter’s niece.

While playing in the bedroom of the niece, we somehow found ourselves sitting on her bed. I suggested we lie down, and when we did I put my arm around her as I had seen the man on the television do. How long we lay there, I do not know, but my attempt at being a leading man in a soap opera lasted only until my babysitter happened to walk by and witness our rest. I was swiftly and forcefully told that my behavior was both inappropriate and unwelcome in this particular home. Years later I would again attempt this embrace, conscious of this memory and vowing that it would be allowed in my new home with my new wife. However, in the four and a half years we have been married, I have yet to find one of those L-shaped blankets.