The Only One

A Matter of Time

-10-

I'm currently reading a book that reminds me of you. It's a Young Adult novel, no surprise there. The main character, who is seventeen, like I was when I met you, has a love interest, and he's just like you. Actually, no, he's this super-tan All-American guy who's like eighteen years old, but as I read the story and the author's description of him, I realized he was describing your type.

See, Kyle, the guy, is not only super attractive, but he's also this incredibly nice guy, like his mission in life is to be nice. He thinks he's this clichéd, boring guy, which he sort of is, but he's also this great human being who has a not-so-secret passion for weird music and biographies. Now, sorry for having calling you boring, but I think you know what I mean by that: like Kyle, you do what is expected of you.

That can translate into you saying hi to me and making small talk even though that was probably the last thing you wanted. You were expected to be nice to students, even if they weren't your students and even if you really didn't like them or know them enough to form an opinion about them.

That's what I think now, about you, about some of the things you said and did, which I interpreted as signals of something else. And I'm not saying I was to blame for thinking you were going to approach me and thank me; yes, I had made an assumption, but it was based on your previous behavior, you know? And by that I don't mean that you were to blame, like you'd led me on or something; I just think it was a situation in which nobody had the fault, but that had left me feeling disappointed nonetheless.

I didn't want to go to school the day that followed Spots Day; I was still upset at you for not thanking me, for not even saying goodbye to me after all I had done. But I had to wake up one hour earlier than usual and get ready. There was still one rehearsal before the play, and I had to get my costume and makeup on. After the play, I would be officially on vacation.

And even if I didn't want to go to school and see you, for some reason leaving for almost two months didn't seem as appealing to me; I had made some progress with you and I didn't want you to end up forgetting me. It's understandable why I was thinking that way, I mean, I was still crushing on you big time.

I got to school at around six thirty in the morning and got to work as soon as I hit the gym, where masses and big school events have always been held. Some girls were putting the final touches to the scenery. Some others were putting on dresses, rehearsing dance steps or the lines they were going to deliver in a matter of hours. We had no time to waste.

The hours started to pass by very quickly, and the moment that for months I had rehearsed for was almost there. Saying that I was excited was an understatement. There was a reason why I'd been on the drama club for three years in high school (yes, one year I got into art and Sandra did nothing to change that). I've always loved performing, I'm great at public speaking, and really, every kind of speaking. I was the queen of every debate held, and I think part of the reason I became a teacher was that I've always loved the sound of my voice.

This play was special to me because I'd often played the role of men, old men, when Sandra was in charge of casting. This play wasn't actually from the drama club but it was the seniors' creation. You know that every year seniors have to perform on Christmas, for the final mass of the year. And that year I was going to be a fairy godmother, like the ones from Sleeping Beauty. I got to wear a pink dress with pink wings, pink shoes, and a pink little hat. Sara covered my eyes in sparkly pink powder. Now I think I could've done my makeup a lot better, but back then I just wore mascara and lip-gloss, so I was grateful for someone who could make my face look nice and glittery.

I was very excited to be a big fat fairy godmother in front of every school member. I wanted to play with my wand and wave it around, because when I did it sprinkled glitter all over the place. Nothing could ruin my mood that day once I was on play mode.