by Tracee Sioux

Someone handed my daughter a religious tract with $20 in it.

I took her to Walmart and she chose the Hairspray DVD.

This, this is what I want.

Hairspray? Okay. $20 is a lot for a DVD, are you sure you don't want to wait till I find it at a garage sale?

No. I want it now. You know why? It has my favorite in it.

I'm hoping she just loves Tracy Turnblad.

Zac Efron, he's my favorite. I just love him.

There is a part of me that is just surprisingly Puritan which wants to shout, But, you're only 6 - what do you know of crushes? You shouldn't feel this way yet! You're not ready! Put that movie back! You'll never see another movie again!

Except that I am still hopelessly devoted to John Travolta, which dates back to me watching Grease when I was her age. The love is unchanged. My cousin shared my attraction to him and playing John and Sandy was our favorite game. We wanted to BE Olivia Newton-John. I listened to the Grease album over and over. I bought it on tape and CD.

My love transended Grease and progressed to all things John and Olivia. Olivia's albums including the old 70's folk music, the 80's pop Let's Get Physical album, and Xanadu. Let's not forget their encore movie together, Two Of A Kind. Then John's work Saturday Night Fever and Staying Alive - ooh la la. Urban Cowboy, American Gigolo and Pulp Fiction. I even watched those stupid 80s films with Kirsty Alley and the talking babies. I loved him, even when no one else did.

I passed my love on to my younger sister and she flew in for an Olivia concert in the 90s. When they remade and rereleased Grease we paid full price. I have the video. My husband got me an Olivia t-shirt for Christmas a few years back - I specifically asked for it.

My dancing shoes, which eventually met a tragic end, were based on the shoes Olivia Newton-John wore in the last scene of the movie. I haven't replaced them because I haven't found a pair exactly alike. I probably smoked for 20 years because of that last scene. And only this Saturday night I looked in the mirror and realized I was wearing something disturbingly similar to Sandy's bad-girl-sexy-outfit and I had to force myself to change.

Evidently, it's genetic. I recently learned my crush was shared by my 84-year-old grandmother.

I want to see Hairspray with you, I have always liked that John Travolta, she told me.

I had a crush on John Travolta when I was your age, I shared with Ainsley.

Who's John Travolta?

You know, from Grease?

Oh, yeah. I think I've got a crush on him too!

See? It's genetic.

Hmmm. Don't you think John and Zac look alike?