Re: I have to give 2 'first' crushes...

Unfortunately, after about 9 months, her parents decided that our relationship wasn't acceptable, and banned us from seeing each other again.

If I had a nickel for every time this happened to someone...

...I would sponsor some research that would eventually make parents stop crushing their childrens' relationships out of fear of the unknown.

Better yet, I wish I could cash those nickels directly in for trust-tokens, which I would give to everyone to combat all the cynicism and suspicion that have become planted about the world. You just put your token in the meter, and the bad stuff goes away for a while :)

These kinds of memories, of wonderful first crushes and whatnot, can be powerful fuel in times of doubt... reminders of the love/trust/optimism that will always exist, if you're patient and know where to look.