My Elusive Mychele: An Emotionally Driven Tale of First Love

By Bob List, Ken Strong and Tim Stiffler

Motivated by multiple jobs, extensive commitments, and huge ambitions, Ken Strong had little time for anything else. But when by chance he met a beautiful stranger, she was soon all he could think about. She was unlike any girl hed ever met with eyes that radiated her inner beauty as much as her outer beauty. His first love soon blossomed into something beyond his wildest dreams. But the busyness of life caught up and reality struck. Could his first love withstand the test of time and distance? Could this love be his forever love?

My Elusive Mychele is an emotionally driven tale of first love that asks the question, "If it is true love and if that person is your soul-mate, then is it possible to move on and to find that kind of love ever again?" It is a powerful and sometimes painfully honest memoir that delves deep into that feeling of first love and just how elusive it can be.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jun 9, 2011
• ISBN: 9781456756949

Bob List

Ken Strong is a Harvey Award winning journalist better known for his endeavors as a grand-scale illusionist, actor, and vocalist. He has also reached the top of his field as an emergency responder, still working as a helicopter flight-paramedic for a regional trauma center near his home in Northern Indiana.

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© 2011 Ken Strong. All rights reserved.

Original cover design and illustration - Bethany Huffman

Cover photo - Bob List

Author photo - Tim Stiffler

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 6/1/2011

ISBN: 978-1-4567-5696-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4567-5694-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011908091

Printed in the United States of America

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Dedication

This memoir is dedicated to the three most important women in my life:

To my Mother, Terri, for giving me life at a time and age when it might have appeared easier or more popular to turn the other way…for not killing me when I was a mouthy, know it all, teenager…and for being an inspiring example of what the unconditional love and compassion of being a parent is all about.

To Michele, for showing me how powerful love can be. Though we’re not together anymore, you’ll always be a special part of me. I hope that when you think of me, you remember me as I remember you ~ with love. Signal 3, Always and Forever.

And to my future wife, God is too good to show me the kind of love written about in this memoir and not allow me to experience it again. Though we have yet to meet, I have faith that someday, in a timing greater than my own, you will be revealed. I anxiously await that day and look forward to the many memories yet to be created.

~ Ken

Contents

Nice Skates

Life as we knew it

Through the Fire

Senior Prom

The Breaking Point

King’s Island

Short Notice

The Reconciliation

The Re-union

The Final Chapter

The Aftermath

P.S.-

First love. I’ve been told that you never forget it. I guess my question is can you ever get past it? If it is true love and if that person is your soul-mate then is it possible to move on and to find that kind of love ever again? For many years now I have shared random stories about one relationship that changed my life forever. Now, I find myself at the edge of forgetting the fine details of the many moments that we shared. I thought it might be best to chronicle them here, before they left me completely. The truth is I used to consider myself a hopeless romantic. Now, I am wondering if the romantic part has faded, leaving me helplessly hopeless. Nonetheless, the love that I write about here was, and is, more true than any emotion that I have ever experienced. The details of our stories may fade with time but the impression that this one relationship left on my heart is timeless. I’m not even sure it’s as much about Michele, the girl, as it is about the power of that first love. Regardless, this is the true story of Michele and I. It was a whirlwind romance that spanned less than a year of actual dating. However, it undoubtedly left a lifelong impression on me.

Nice Skates

TO PAINT THE OPENING PICTURE, I guess I must do a bit of explaining as to who I was at the age of twenty-one. I had always been a creative kid and growing up I plugged that creativity into performance art as an illusionist. I had experienced great success in performing since the age of eight and I had just landed my third consecutive summer contract for my own show at an amusement park in central Indiana. I always kept myself busy and during the winter months, where our story begins, I found myself prepping for the upcoming show season while working two jobs and remaining very active as a volunteer EMT/Firefighter for the rapidly growing community that I lived in. My full-time job had me working the night shift as a security officer for the formerly known Indianapolis Hoosier Dome. But before I would begin my 11:00 p.m. shift as a security guard I would spend four to six hours on the ice across the street, at the Pan American Plaza ice rinks. I was head of first aid and safety at the rinks, which typically just meant I got to wear one of those cool red skate guard jackets. Most evenings were pretty uneventful; yelling at the guys in the hockey skates to slow down, helping up those people that they had knocked down, and treating the occasional bruised knee or sprained ankle. However, it was there, on that very rink that my life would change forever. You know