Suddenly

Suddenly Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

One for the money...

The Y2K had begun and days were passing by quick, January was already a distant memory and cupid had dropped by to pay a visit once again. It was Valentine's Day, the color red was everywhere. The school Valentine's committee had outdone themselves with the elaborate décor and music around the school. The atmosphere was electric and romantic. I had saved up some of my money from my summer job. I had worked during the December holiday for some extra cash so I was hoping to be able to afford a little gift for BE.

Years ago I had remembered Vince grasping on to a bunch of roses for a special someone and I laughed at the sight of him that rainy Valentines morning. He was going to give the roses to BE, My BE, she wasn't my BE at the time and I couldn't understand what the fuss was then. Four years had passed since that moment and it was my turn to be victim to the charms of BE. She hadn't accepted Vinnys' advances on that day and that made me anxious, would she accept a token of my affection if I were to get her something.

My savings wasn't much but it would afford me at least four roses. I placed my order with the Valentine's committee and waited for the delivery. I was so nervous and scared about what and how I was going to give her those four roses. I doubt she expected anything from me though, I was always the underdog in everything and I had never gotten things easy.

The roses clinched in my palm, I walked over to her and wished her a happy Valentine's Day. One after the other I gave her the roses and said "one for the money, two for the show, three to get ready and four I'm never going to go". She smiled from ear to ear as she accepted them and appeared chuffed, I was too, I was just glad that she hadn't rejected me like she had all the other guys.

Of course I hadn't received anything from her or anyone else but that didn't bother me in the least bit. It felt better to give and to have someone receive something from me rather than me get anything in return. BE was falling for me secretly, thinking about me when she would lay on her bed in solitude, at least I hoped she was. One thing I was sure of is that these little sweetened moments were paving a way for bigger things.

It was evident that we were getting closer to each other than we were before, we weren't dating but there was always that chemistry between us, the intensity between us never faded. She tried to treat me like the other guys tactically, she had a plan with them in the past and it had worked, she would deploy her tactical rejection towards them as a repulsion mechanism and they would give up and eventually move on to other girls.

Human beings are habitual and we develop a certain manner in which we do things out of our past experiences. My past experiences had absolutely nothing to do with the matters of love. I was accustomed to solving my issues on the sports field or the sprint track. Most matters were simple and plain to me, I hadn't been exposed to insecurities of the heart, my feelings and emotions made me feel naked and vulnerable.

Five months had gone by since I had told BE that I loved her. I had never used those words before or ever again. I said those three words to her because I meant them and I didn't want to take them back. My heart and soul was hers to keep, that decision was made up. My head had nothing to contribute to this, BE was different, she wasn't the type of girl my head would have chosen me to love, this executive command came from management and higher authorities, it came from the depths of my heart and I couldn't argue that I was in love with her.

I had so many questions, I wondered if she had actually taken those roses home or had she thrown them into the garbage before entering her home. I knew her parents were old fashioned and if they had seen her with roses she would have some explaining to do.

A few weeks later I fell terribly ill and I couldn't attend school for a few days. I heard the phone ring and my mum had answered. "A girl from school wants to talk to you" mum said. My mum had never allowed girls to call me in the past. I was surprised that she was so cool about this. I jumped out of bed to pick up the phone."Hello" I said with some distress, to my delightful surprise the voice on the other end was BE's. I couldn't stop smiling, my hands began to shake as if I was playing the tambourine, I took a deep breath and calmed myself. Slowly I gathered myself and I started to speak to her.

She told me that the class misses me and she asked me if I was okay and when I'd return to school. The call didn't last more than five minutes but those five minutes remained with me forever. Mum was curious and began her interrogation. I could swear she was a detective in her past life. Mums always know things, things that we think we can hide from them. "You care about her, don't you?" mum inquired. "Yes mum, I do" I hesitantly replied.

Mum sat on my bed that afternoon and we spoke about BE, it was a mum and son moment that we shared and I was glad I told her how I felt about BE. I wondered if BE had told her mum anything about me. How did she get my number? Why would her mum let her call me? Nevertheless, it felt so good knowing that she cared about me enough to call me.

That call made me feel a lot better, it workedway better than the medication prescribed by the doctor did. I was on the mendand hoping to return to school the next day