Opening The Vault: Part Twenty One

There’s nothing quite like falling in love for the first time. Every cheesy song suddenly has great personal resonance and yet, you feel paradoxically like no one has ever felt the same way.

For me, that intensity was heightened considerably by the fact that my first love was 3,000 miles away. California native Mark (a.k.a Sparky) swept into my life during a chance encounter at an “NYPD Blue” shoot and continued to sweep me off my feet when I finally made my first trip out West.

Behind The Scenes: My first visit to see Sparky included a stop at Universal Studios, where he worked as a sound editor for “Law & Order,” August 1994

Sparky once said he was in a magical funk thinking of us. During our first night together in California, I felt exactly the same way. I now Open The Vault and take you back to the summer of ‘94...

Granada Hills, CA
August 26th, 1994

Dear Diary,

You’d think that all of the unbridled passion and ecstasy of being in Sparky’s arms again would have been enough to stave any estrogen-induced moodiness. No such luck last night.

PMS kicked in and I began to worry that I’d made a mistake in deciding to stay with Sparky. I was afraid that seeing me day and night would make him tired of me. Some of my anxiety stemmed from residual guilt, of course, about going against Mom’s advice.

I admitted my concern. Pulling me close to him, Sparky took my hand and looked right at me as he said--

“You’re just not used to someone wanting you as much as I want you.”

He was right. Not only did he understand perfectly the daunting newness of our intensifying closeness, but he managed to sweep me off my feet in the same breath.

I called my friend Li-Shean and the sound of her voice calmed me considerably. She made me laugh about overreacting to Sparky’s furnishings when she guessed right off the bat that he has black leather couches! My insecurities faded and I concentrated on savoring my first night with the man I adore.

Not surprisingly, we got little sleep.

“I want to make you my wife,” Sparky murmured in my ear before kissing my cheek.

Later, after we managed to briefly doze off, I woke up to feel his arms holding me tightly, and to the sound of Sparky whispering --

“I love you.”

“I love you too,” I said, feeling like the words couldn’t come out quickly enough.

We kissed yet again, but this time it felt different. This time, we were affirming both those three little words and our mutual desire. And I knew it was only the beginning.

* * *

Passion wasn’t the only thing on the itinerary during my first trip to Sparky’s neck of the woods. We ended up taking in some of California’s top sights -- and along the way, I discovered how hard it was to hold back, despite the very real obstacles facing us.

Coming up…a look at two of Broadway’s hottest departing shows and the Australia countdown continues.