How love in high school was brewed in the 90s

A young couple in love. (Courtesy/iStock)

A few years ago, Millennials say, they had wonderful times during secondary music festivals. Aside from stage performances, it was also the time to search for love for both boys and girls.

They would arrive early at the venues and after warming up in readiness for stage duels, they would often set out to mingle. Some would be looking for those they had met during previous festivals while some were hoping to meet someone new.

And the perfect meeting place, after locating someone, was behind those Isuzu trucks that had been converted into school buses. In most cases, they would be packed at the far end of the fields, providing a perfect opportunity for 'lovers' away from the glaring eyes.

One would always carry a book to help camouflage. For boys, begging for a hug or kiss was like a full-time job. This mainly happened after they had won over the girls using well-rehearsed and poetic love phrases.

One of the ways a boy knew they had succeeded was if the girl began drawing on the ground with her foot or plucking leaves of the nearby shrubs and, throwing them to the ground. All this was done away from the eyes of the music trainers and nosy school prefects.

At times, the girls would agree to hugs which, at times, would invite kisses. But were they even kisses? It was more of sharing saliva. They didn't even close their eyes while kissing, as would be expected, perhaps for fear of being caught. The kissing had to be quick.

It was always an exhilarating feeling, even when it wasn't one's first kiss. We would not even sleep as the image of us kissing replayed in our minds all night long. And everyone who had had an experience would want to tell their dorm mates about their new catch. This would be followed by lots of letter,done in collaboration to come up with the best lines.

I ran like a headless chicken the first time my high school girlfriend accepted a kiss from me. It was a moment like no other, an unforgettable experience it was.

"I love you with the whole of my heart. I will keep in touch. I will write you letters, and please reply whenever you receive my letters,” I said to her, to which replied; "Thanks, George. I love you too, but you must promise I will never see you with other girls. If you do that, you will break my heart into pieces.”

After the event, what would follow was an exchange of love letters. This could be the reason music festivals were loved more than any other school activity. Every effort was made to ensure the letters got to those intended — through the defunct Posta or by way of hand delivery.

Notably, almost all the letters would start with almost similar lines; “Many greetings like the sand of the sea or the leaves in the forest or the stars of the sky. I am still stuck in your heart. I can't move out, I am a prisoner.”

The dictionary was always close by when writing these letters because we wanted to impress by using new vocabulary.