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Counting kisses: Couple shares a special bond
Feb 14, 2012 (The News & Advance - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
It was the kiss that did him in.
She walked right up to him one night, kissed him on the lips and he was a goner.
Each time their lips touch softly, Nathan Overstreet mentally adds to the day's tally and hopes Christy Little will kiss him more -- 15 times more to be precise.
Christy, 39, loves Nathan's sky blue eyes.
Nathan, 31, loves Christy's thick brown hair.
It's Sunday afternoon and the two wander past a photo booth in the mall near the movie theater, one of their favorite places for a date.
Cameras always call for a show of affection. Nathan leads Christy into the booth and she settles awkwardly on his lap.
She leans close and places her head on his shoulder.
He turns and lightly presses his lips against her forehead.
Moments later two slim photo strips, besotted with red hearts, slide from the photo booth and into their hands.
"This is different than other relationships," said Debbie Overstreet, Nathan's mom. "Dating never came up until Christy. He had friends but he's never had a best friend like Christy before.
"We're happy that he found someone and that she found him."
Debbie and Ron Overstreet didn't exactly plan for Nathan to fall in love. Then again they didn't know what to expect with Nathan, only what to hope for.
"I think Down syndrome individuals have a great propensity to be very introspective and so it takes a lot out of them to break out of their shell. It's challenging to get them to break out of their comfort zone," said Mark Little, Christy's twin brother, as he described Nathan and Christy's kind of innate, unspoken bond.
"There's a connection there that we don't understand and we are not meant to. I think they definitely affect one another."
Said Debbie Overstreet: "It's just changed him. It's added another dimension to his life."
It's a Friday night.
Date night.
Christy settles into one of the big chairs in her family's living room and listens as Mark recommends a last-minute fashion change-up. She agrees and wriggles from one sweater into another, then goes about delicately wrapping pearls around her wrist.
Christy doesn't like to talk about Nathan when he is not at her side. But, prodded to reveal just a bit about her boyfriend, she admits he is special, nice and friendly.
"I love him," says Christy as she withdraws a pale pink lip gloss from her blue purse.
She smiles the kind of smile every teen in love is all too familiar with and starts to talk about how much Nathan loves her kisses.
Mark laughs and covers his face. His sister has changed his perspective and seeing her in love -- well, that has brought him happiness.
"It's very genuine, it's very innocent, their love. They don't get bogged down in the minutiae that the rest of us do," he says as Christy finishes getting ready for the dance.
"When Christy met Nathan and I asked her, 'Why did you pick Nathan?' she said, 'He's so cute.'"
He clearly recalls Nathan starting to count the kisses and the crestfallen look upon his face when one of them is sick and he says kisses are verboten.
Christy, says Mark, has taught him about unconditional love. She expects nothing in return for the love she gives.
"If she loves you, she loves you hell or high water."
It's dark in the bingo hall and love drizzles from the ceiling in the form of paper hearts and tinsel as bodies pulse up and down in time with the music.
"I think he's happier; he has things to look forward to," says Debbie.
"Every week he's asking, 'Do I have another date?'" says Ron.
"It just makes you feel better; he's happy" said Debbie, "and that's the important thing," adds Ron.
Michael Jackson's "Pretty Young Thing" bursts from the speakers as Nathan and Christy settle onto a black bench side-by-side to take a Valentine's Day photo.
The camera flashes and Christy pats Nathan's knee to let him know they are done. He rises and follows her to long tables lined with their favorites -- sweets.
Parting ways like strangers, they peruse the table on their own, grabbing potato chips, cookies, cupcakes and soda.
All around them colored lights blink and swirl. A new song starts and the whole dance floor begins to move as one, clapping, dipping and spinning in time.
The music is faster than Nathan likes. He doesn't get as many hugs if he's not slow dancing.
Sometimes the M word comes up. Neither family knows exactly what to do with that.
"I wanna get married," said Nathan one night as he packed Christy's Valentine's Day gift. "I dream about her."
But they cherish, and need, personal space as well. Couples like Nathan and Christy do marry and, with the right support systems in place, lead fulfilling lives. But issues like insurance and health care seem to keep everyone content with maintaining the relationship just as is.
"They just seem to care about each other," says Debbie.
"It's very sweet to see her; she is a very caring person and she is very protective of Nathan," said Mark.
The world seems to fall away as Nathan finally rises, ready to dance with his girl.
But instead of leading her to the heart of the dance floor, he leads her to the far side of the room and drops his hands softly onto her shoulders. Christy puts her hands on his waist and they begin to move to a slow song only they can hear.
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SLIDESHOW: Love is Love
___ (c)2012 The News & Advance (Lynchburg, Va.) Visit The News & Advance
(Lynchburg, Va.) at www.newsadvance.com Distributed by MCT Information Services
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