Pseudonym

Hello, Stranger

Chapter 10: Hello, Stranger

"I think it's going to rain." Leon and I were talking and I was seated near the classroom window.

"Yes, I think it will. Won't that be wonderful?" he said. He always said the queerest things.

"I hope no one has a hard time travelling. Or that everyone saw it coming and has prepared for it."

"I like the rain. It understands me. No one understands me like the rain does. Maybe only you and my mother come close."

We were so different, yet so much alike, Leon and I. We loved writing. We loved music. We loved books. We had rather complicated lives at home (though compared to his, my situation was actually lucky). He barely knew his father. I knew mine, but I was often not fond of him. I feared inheriting all the traits I didn't like in my parents. It is said that the traits a person dislikes in others, can often be found in himself.

I have always hated liars, perverts, hypocrites, bullies and judgmental people. It is not for me to say if I am any of those kinds of people.

Leon was a good actor, I believe. He could charm people with his easy-going nature, his quick smile, and his being approachable. I wonder if anyone else has ever looked to see if his smile ever reached his eyes. They always looked beautifully brown and shockingly blank whenever I got a chance to look into them.

My friend was a stranger to me in so many ways.

He was there when I wanted him to be there. Sometimes I would go out of my way to spend time with him, being careful, though, not to force him into doing it. Whenever I needed him so direly, though, he was never there.

It hurt so much, especially during those times that I really needed to talk to him. None of my other friends could have had the comforting conversations that I wanted to have with him. Yes, I had a best friend. Yes, I had confidantes. But, yes, each friendship is special and different, and the connection I had with Leon I could share with no one else.

Maybe that was one of the reasons why we never became the couple I wished we would become, back in sophomore year. God is amazing when it comes to writing down our destinations and letting us get to them by ourselves.

How do I begin to describe Leon Aguilar, anyway? I am running out of words, and that is unusual for someone like me. How do you catch the essence of a person in sentences and pages? As it was once sung, "How do you hold a moonbeam in your hands?", I cannot divine how to do it. Writing my own story is easy enough. Perhaps writing about a person for others to get to know him is just incredibly difficult.

Carlo believes I can do anything, though. So loyal, so faithful, so encouraging – the love of my life. He never doubted my fidelity. He is always caring and loving towards our brood of three, so respectful towards everyone. How many people can say all of that about the person they married?

Maybe I will find a sign, something that will help me write more about Leon. Didn't he deserve to have his words and deeds justified? He was a good but misunderstood person, as is often the case. Maybe the reason I want to write for and about him so much, showing the world who he was and what he did, is so that one day, when I am gone, I will leave behind people who know that one cannot judge a person too late. There are so many hidden stories. So many chapters. So much to learn about a person that you cannot possibly call that person 'stupid' or 'dramatic' or 'useless' without trying to get to know that person.

So, for anyone out there who thinks he knows me? Well, you are quite mistaken, my friend.