It was more than a decade ago that Peter received the book; brown coloured and in an undesirable state – a birthday present from his father. Still, he was touched. Once he was in his handkerchief-sized room; only furnished with a wooden table, and a two-inch thick bed. He pondered what to do with the heart-warming present from his beloved father, only falling asleep in the wee hours. The next morning, he carefully placed the book into his personal drawer and headed for school.
In the class of merely one more than a dozen, he was seated beside a girl of the same height. She was from a wealthy family, the complete opposite of his. Peter was shy by nature, so unsurprisingly, the first year ended in a flash. Zoom. However, by year two, he began teasing her but he was always given a cold shoulder. It did not make things better that he had a ‘love rival’ vying for her love. Unfortunately, both of them did not win the beauty over as the third year passed. They were all separated into different classes the very next year. Three years had gone by, and he vividly remembered all those efforts trying to get the attention of his ‘first love’; even picking up fights with the other party. He wanted to remember all of those who have crossed his love life so he withdrew the book and began jotting down his experience. From then on, the old brown coloured, and torn book was just not ordinary anymore – it had its significance.
“Carrying a torch for her”
She sat there with her hand holding onto a pen and scribbling answers on the paper. Somehow, I felt she was special; with a unique aura. It was not love at first sight. In fact, it was months before I convinced my crush for her was real. I tried to get her attention by hitting her lightly with books of all subjects; I suppose there were five or so. However, she seemed more annoyed than what I had expected. I was not getting the attention I wanted. Anyway, the whole class found out about my little humble secret – my crush for her. Perhaps my actions were too showy. There was this guy, Alves, who craved for her love too. All three of us were about the same height then, and naturally we would find a partner like her. Occasionally, we would fight against each other; neither benefited. One day, the unexpected happened. She could not tolerate my actions anymore. The class was unusually quiet that very day, signalling a rather ominous sign. Then, the shadow of a lady, probably in her forties emerged from the corner; she stepped into the class. To my horror, she was her mom. She confronted the teacher, and I was made to stand in the middle of the class afterwards – that was the most humiliating days in my life. From then on, I was moved to another seat, a distance away from her. Of course, I did not have the guts to get near her anymore – I could only see her from afar. The third year passed and we were all separated into different classes. I never heard from her again, ever.
In his final two years in the school before graduating, he met another girl. Like the previous one, she was loaded. However, the only difference was that Peter had become a ‘prey’. She was wooing him instead, albeit both carrying a torch for each other. It was not a one-sided love this time round. Still, their relationship did not progress for them to become more than friends. Perhaps it did, with their 'relationship' lasting for the time needed for an eclipse to finish.
“It was not meant to be”
In grade five, another girl came into my life. This time round, we had mutual feelings for each other. And again, the whole class knew about it then. I should really change my tactics, shouldn’t I? Oh well. I was restricted to answering her calls, but we were seeing each other in school. Nothing much happened until the final year in the school. She initiated the move by asking me if we could be more than friends. Of course, I agreed without hesitating. However, my joy was shortened when she changed her mind just after the clock struck twelve. “Hey, I think we should just remain as friends. We are living too far away from each other. I’m sorry.” I was devastated upon receiving the message. After we graduated, we still kept in contact during the first year in the new college. Refusing to give up, I tested her feelings, to no avail. It was not meant to be. She was the first girl I had cried over for.
Over a couple of years in the new college, Peter was leading a singlehood life all along. As such, he did well enough to get into top five in the class in the second year. His reward will be nothing more he could have asked for – posted to a class whom he met his real true love eventually. She was new to the school and Peter had never seen her before, until the first day of the third year.
“First Love”
Jane was statuesque; gorgeous. The pre-relationship affair was rather tedious, yet so sweet and unforgettable. She was princess-like, for which I did not understand why she had fallen in love with a person like me. What was I good at? – A mystery that still remains to be solved even till today. Eventually, we were together. Well, something was not right about me then, and so causing the relationship to end abruptly. I still keep with me the present she gave on V'day. Sadly, it did not last as long as she claimed it will – Stories always have an ending; happy or sad. In this case, it was the latter. Perhaps it was the best that it ended; it might have hurt even more if it had dragged. The aftermath was a painful process for me to go through and while a barrier has formed between us since then, it would take the Earth to break it.
Can anyone show Peter the way?
*Based on a true story.
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