Never in my many years of teaching did I expect to have a student quite like Deborah (she went by 'Dabbs' for short). She came through the school during the early part of my career as a high school history teacher, and over the years I saw her grow up from a cute girl into a beautiful young lady.

Dabbs was always a good student. She loved history and was very attentive in class. She was also a lot of fun. Spontaneous, flirty, and a bit of a thrill seeker, you never knew quite what to expect from her.

Dabbs had gorgeous blue-gray eyes, long light brown hair, and a slightly naughty smile. She was never shy, and always spoke her mind in the most matter-of-fact way possible. Her voice was very cute, authoritative, sometimes sassy, and she had a slight southern accent that was incredibly endearing.

After Dabbs graduated, she fell off my radar for a while. In fact, it was her that made contact again many years later. Now in her mid-20s, Dabbs had gotten her education degree and was teaching at a nearby high school. Over the span of the next several months, we met for lunch or coffee and got to know each other really well as adults. We talked about everything from family and career to philosophy and experiences.

To be more specific, sexual experiences.

Apparently, Dabbs had been rather physical in high school, something I suspected at the time but didn't know for sure. She was always careful and safe, but had a very open mind about having sexual experiences and didn't have any issues with casual hookups.