Gappie Love.
I hope my story reads as well as everyone else's!!!
WARNING: It's very long. Sorry.
***
I was in my finishing year of high school in 2008. In Australia, our school year ends in December. I had always intended to take a year off between finishing school and starting university, where I could work in a school in England, and just travel. I had a boyfriend, Chris, from July of 2008. I cared for him a lot. But our relationship wasn't great. I always thought he was more interested in his ex-girlfriend Gabby, who was also going to take a year off. Now, I stayed with him in the summer holidays before I left for England. In this time, I wanted to spend as much time with him as possible, because we were good friends. For Christmas, he sent me into a jewellery store, (a mass-produced one, so it wasn't decent jewellery) told me I had a $50 limit and to choose something for myself. Well, I chose a pretty bracelet that was on sale. Now this bracelet was too big for my wrist. It hung from the knuckle of my thumb to the knuckle of my pinky. He denied it was too small and got his friend, that had only worked there for two weeks, to tell me that it fit perfectly. Mainly because he refused to pay for the links to be removed. So I took it home and got my local jeweller to remove them. At a personal cost of $20. I had made Chris a collage of photos of us and our friends from the year with a message on the back. I don't know if he still has it. Contact stopped from when I left for England until I received an email from him halfway through 2009. He's now with his ex-girlfriend, Gabby, and has been for a while. My suspicions may have been right, who knows?
Anyway, that was my longest "relationship" at the time. Six months. I thought it was so long! All the other times I had dated someone, it lasted a couple of weeks, or maybe up to two months. Nothing more. But they had all been silly little romances. I had always dated someone older than me, and came out disappointed and embarrassed when I realised all they wanted was sex. When I said no, they dumped me. One had even tried to tell me how to dress and that I should straighten my hair and wear make up when I was going to see him.
When I left for England, I was so excited. I had the world ahead of me. It was wonderful. I flew out and got to the school I was working at on 3 January 2009. I first met Alex, a 20-year-old English guy that went to the senior school of the school we worked at. Then came Michelle, a Zambian girl who had just turned 19. We got along really well from the beginning. I felt like I belonged for the first time in a long time.
At the start of term, I met so many people: other gappies, teachers, dinner ladies, students, parents... It was crazy! But people that stood out were Liz (who worked in learning support) and Mandy (a dinner lady). I would talk to Mandy while on break patrol. That was when the kids would have a fifteen minute break and we would watch them to make sure they didn't hurt each other, or themselves. Who would have known that those chats during break would keep me sane, and grounded. Alex knew Liz because she was the mother of Matt, another English boy who he went to school with. She was lovely right from the start - very good to us gappers. Another girl came during the day, Sophia. She went to school with Alex and Matt, as well.
Alex had told us, only a day or two in, that his friend, Matt, was going to come and work with us. He mentioned that he was meant to be at university, but had fallen ill and had to defer. Anyway, I was excited to meet new people. Alex had told us a little about Matt, but I was being a girl and thinking about what he looked like. I mean, I was in England - meeting English boys was exciting!!! So... When Matt's first day came, we were never formally introduced. I saw him walking around and thought he was cute. We all met up for lunch and I introduced myself to Matt, joking that Alex was rude to not introduce us. Well, I thought he was so good looking.
I turned all my attention to Matt. Which is a little embarrassing, really. I guess it was 'cause I wasn't attracted to Alex, and he had a girlfriend. I made the effort to talk to Matt often. A few weeks in, one of the boys boarding houses invited all the gappers around for a dinner. Well, the other gappers (Alex, Michelle and Sophie) as well as the gap co-ordinators thought it would be hilarious to sit us opposite each other. I didn't think much of it then, but they also sat Michelle and Alex at the opposite end of the table, across from each other. Sophia sat next to Matt. It was this night where I first thought I had a chance with Matt. I lived in a boarding house apart from the rest of the school, so at night it was a bit scary to walk through alone. So, the other gappers walked me back after dinner. They lagged behind, and then ran ahead. Always leaving Matt and I alone. I can't even remember if we held hands or not. ...I think we did. Anyway, when we came closer to my door, I assumed Matt was walking behind me and just kept going to the door. Then, I heard him call out, "Goodnight." from a distance away. I was so upset. I had hoped he would kiss me goodnight. But, no. That was it. And I didn't see him for the next four days. Which was agony, 'cause I couldn't stop thinking about it.
I can't remember when it was, but we did spend a night in the school's pool drinking and swimming and messing about, and I remember that Matt held on to my leg so that I wouldn't float away. To be fair, I was drinking a lot and only asked him to hold on to me. The next night, we had all planned to go to the pub, but Matt couldn't as he'd gotten so ill the night before that he had to go home...
I was a bit sad.
Anyway, Alex, Matt and I had Thursdays off. Since Alex had a car, we would often drive off and just hang out. It would be great.
The first half-term came just before Valentine's Day. I was leaving to go to my Great Aunt's place on the Saturday. He left for home at 4pm on the Friday. We had just started to become really close , and we weren't going to see each other for two weeks. I don't think either of us liked that idea. When saying goodbye, we were just chatting, and suddenly he leaned in and kissed me. A nice little peck on the lips. It was the sweetest first kiss I've ever had. Afterwards, we pulled away and just smiled and kept on talking, like it was the most normal thing in the world.
The best thing was, he did it again before he left.
During the break, I bought him a fake rose for a pound. It was really sweet. When we got back to school, I didn't see him until the Tuesday. We exchanged gifts that day. He had bought me a plush puppy and a necklace, while I had bought him just the rose and made him a card. To this day, I still sleep with that puppy. I find it difficult to sleep without it! And I've made it a tradition to buy him a false rose for Valentine's Day since then.
Anyway, we would often go to the pub with the others, but leave early because Matt wasn't fussed on drinking too much. Also, at the time Alex was having troubles with his girlfriend because photos of him and Michelle on Facebook made them look very close.
One night when Matt and I had left at around 1:30am, we held hands the entire way back. We were very close that night. When we got back, we set up the mattresses. That was the first night we had slept together. And it was lovely.
Later on, Alex and I went to Matt's for dinner. Now, I was really worried, 'cause Matt had warned me about his dad, who was supposed to be this big scary guy that's mean to girlfriends. But... I knew Liz, and so knew I at least had one friend there! Matt's dad turned out to be lovely, and teased Alex more than me. These dinners became a regular occurrence. And, one night, we were watching TV afterwards, and I was resting my head in Matt's lap and had fallen asleep. That ended up being the first night I stayed over at his house... Liz lent me a pair of pyjamas and even got me a toothbrush. From that night on, I always had a toothbrush at Matt's house.
For my birthday in March, Matt, Alex, Michelle and I decided to spend a long weekend in Dublin. Alex and his girlfriend had broken up a few days beforehand, and so he and Michelle had begun to spend more time together. Matt and I spent the weekend mainly apart from Alex and Michelle. But not by choice. They were frisky. We weren't that bad. After that weekend, Alex and Michelle spent more time together and less time with me. Since Matt was a day-gapper, so he only came in on certain days of the week, I didn't have many options of who to spend my time with. I could hang out with Sophia, but she was also a day-gapper. So... I was mainly alone.
For the Easter holiday, Matt decided that we should go away somewhere. So, he booked us a week's stay in Spain. That was our first holiday away together alone. And it was amazing!
From then on, we didn't spend much time apart. And the times we were together, we avoided talking about December. When I had to leave to come back home to Australia.
Throughout the year, I had my ups and downs with Michelle and Alex, which really tested my relationship with Matt. He was always there for me. As was his mum. And his dad, and brother. I couldn't have asked for more. Matt and I went to Spain together, around Scotland, to Chester, and to London.
London was our last little holiday together before I left for Australia.
When I got back, the first months were hard. Now, with university taking up my time, it's been easier to be distracted.
Matt's coming over here for Christmas, and hopefully I'll be in England for Christmas in 2011. Who knows?
WARNING: It's very long. Sorry.
***
I was in my finishing year of high school in 2008. In Australia, our school year ends in December. I had always intended to take a year off between finishing school and starting university, where I could work in a school in England, and just travel. I had a boyfriend, Chris, from July of 2008. I cared for him a lot. But our relationship wasn't great. I always thought he was more interested in his ex-girlfriend Gabby, who was also going to take a year off. Now, I stayed with him in the summer holidays before I left for England. In this time, I wanted to spend as much time with him as possible, because we were good friends. For Christmas, he sent me into a jewellery store, (a mass-produced one, so it wasn't decent jewellery) told me I had a $50 limit and to choose something for myself. Well, I chose a pretty bracelet that was on sale. Now this bracelet was too big for my wrist. It hung from the knuckle of my thumb to the knuckle of my pinky. He denied it was too small and got his friend, that had only worked there for two weeks, to tell me that it fit perfectly. Mainly because he refused to pay for the links to be removed. So I took it home and got my local jeweller to remove them. At a personal cost of $20. I had made Chris a collage of photos of us and our friends from the year with a message on the back. I don't know if he still has it. Contact stopped from when I left for England until I received an email from him halfway through 2009. He's now with his ex-girlfriend, Gabby, and has been for a while. My suspicions may have been right, who knows?
Anyway, that was my longest "relationship" at the time. Six months. I thought it was so long! All the other times I had dated someone, it lasted a couple of weeks, or maybe up to two months. Nothing more. But they had all been silly little romances. I had always dated someone older than me, and came out disappointed and embarrassed when I realised all they wanted was sex. When I said no, they dumped me. One had even tried to tell me how to dress and that I should straighten my hair and wear make up when I was going to see him.
When I left for England, I was so excited. I had the world ahead of me. It was wonderful. I flew out and got to the school I was working at on 3 January 2009. I first met Alex, a 20-year-old English guy that went to the senior school of the school we worked at. Then came Michelle, a Zambian girl who had just turned 19. We got along really well from the beginning. I felt like I belonged for the first time in a long time.
At the start of term, I met so many people: other gappies, teachers, dinner ladies, students, parents... It was crazy! But people that stood out were Liz (who worked in learning support) and Mandy (a dinner lady). I would talk to Mandy while on break patrol. That was when the kids would have a fifteen minute break and we would watch them to make sure they didn't hurt each other, or themselves. Who would have known that those chats during break would keep me sane, and grounded. Alex knew Liz because she was the mother of Matt, another English boy who he went to school with. She was lovely right from the start - very good to us gappers. Another girl came during the day, Sophia. She went to school with Alex and Matt, as well.
Alex had told us, only a day or two in, that his friend, Matt, was going to come and work with us. He mentioned that he was meant to be at university, but had fallen ill and had to defer. Anyway, I was excited to meet new people. Alex had told us a little about Matt, but I was being a girl and thinking about what he looked like. I mean, I was in England - meeting English boys was exciting!!! So... When Matt's first day came, we were never formally introduced. I saw him walking around and thought he was cute. We all met up for lunch and I introduced myself to Matt, joking that Alex was rude to not introduce us. Well, I thought he was so good looking.
I turned all my attention to Matt. Which is a little embarrassing, really. I guess it was 'cause I wasn't attracted to Alex, and he had a girlfriend. I made the effort to talk to Matt often. A few weeks in, one of the boys boarding houses invited all the gappers around for a dinner. Well, the other gappers (Alex, Michelle and Sophie) as well as the gap co-ordinators thought it would be hilarious to sit us opposite each other. I didn't think much of it then, but they also sat Michelle and Alex at the opposite end of the table, across from each other. Sophia sat next to Matt. It was this night where I first thought I had a chance with Matt. I lived in a boarding house apart from the rest of the school, so at night it was a bit scary to walk through alone. So, the other gappers walked me back after dinner. They lagged behind, and then ran ahead. Always leaving Matt and I alone. I can't even remember if we held hands or not. ...I think we did. Anyway, when we came closer to my door, I assumed Matt was walking behind me and just kept going to the door. Then, I heard him call out, "Goodnight." from a distance away. I was so upset. I had hoped he would kiss me goodnight. But, no. That was it. And I didn't see him for the next four days. Which was agony, 'cause I couldn't stop thinking about it.
I can't remember when it was, but we did spend a night in the school's pool drinking and swimming and messing about, and I remember that Matt held on to my leg so that I wouldn't float away. To be fair, I was drinking a lot and only asked him to hold on to me. The next night, we had all planned to go to the pub, but Matt couldn't as he'd gotten so ill the night before that he had to go home...
I was a bit sad.Anyway, Alex, Matt and I had Thursdays off. Since Alex had a car, we would often drive off and just hang out. It would be great.
The first half-term came just before Valentine's Day. I was leaving to go to my Great Aunt's place on the Saturday. He left for home at 4pm on the Friday. We had just started to become really close , and we weren't going to see each other for two weeks. I don't think either of us liked that idea. When saying goodbye, we were just chatting, and suddenly he leaned in and kissed me. A nice little peck on the lips. It was the sweetest first kiss I've ever had. Afterwards, we pulled away and just smiled and kept on talking, like it was the most normal thing in the world.
The best thing was, he did it again before he left.During the break, I bought him a fake rose for a pound. It was really sweet. When we got back to school, I didn't see him until the Tuesday. We exchanged gifts that day. He had bought me a plush puppy and a necklace, while I had bought him just the rose and made him a card. To this day, I still sleep with that puppy. I find it difficult to sleep without it! And I've made it a tradition to buy him a false rose for Valentine's Day since then.
Anyway, we would often go to the pub with the others, but leave early because Matt wasn't fussed on drinking too much. Also, at the time Alex was having troubles with his girlfriend because photos of him and Michelle on Facebook made them look very close.
One night when Matt and I had left at around 1:30am, we held hands the entire way back. We were very close that night. When we got back, we set up the mattresses. That was the first night we had slept together. And it was lovely.
Later on, Alex and I went to Matt's for dinner. Now, I was really worried, 'cause Matt had warned me about his dad, who was supposed to be this big scary guy that's mean to girlfriends. But... I knew Liz, and so knew I at least had one friend there! Matt's dad turned out to be lovely, and teased Alex more than me. These dinners became a regular occurrence. And, one night, we were watching TV afterwards, and I was resting my head in Matt's lap and had fallen asleep. That ended up being the first night I stayed over at his house... Liz lent me a pair of pyjamas and even got me a toothbrush. From that night on, I always had a toothbrush at Matt's house.
For my birthday in March, Matt, Alex, Michelle and I decided to spend a long weekend in Dublin. Alex and his girlfriend had broken up a few days beforehand, and so he and Michelle had begun to spend more time together. Matt and I spent the weekend mainly apart from Alex and Michelle. But not by choice. They were frisky. We weren't that bad. After that weekend, Alex and Michelle spent more time together and less time with me. Since Matt was a day-gapper, so he only came in on certain days of the week, I didn't have many options of who to spend my time with. I could hang out with Sophia, but she was also a day-gapper. So... I was mainly alone.
For the Easter holiday, Matt decided that we should go away somewhere. So, he booked us a week's stay in Spain. That was our first holiday away together alone. And it was amazing!
From then on, we didn't spend much time apart. And the times we were together, we avoided talking about December. When I had to leave to come back home to Australia.
Throughout the year, I had my ups and downs with Michelle and Alex, which really tested my relationship with Matt. He was always there for me. As was his mum. And his dad, and brother. I couldn't have asked for more. Matt and I went to Spain together, around Scotland, to Chester, and to London.
London was our last little holiday together before I left for Australia.
When I got back, the first months were hard. Now, with university taking up my time, it's been easier to be distracted.
Matt's coming over here for Christmas, and hopefully I'll be in England for Christmas in 2011. Who knows?
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