It was a beautiful summer Monday. The sun shined so bright and it wasn't hot at all. The sky was cloudless like a sight of an undisturbed swimming pool. The cool breeze caressed my cheeks as I ran towards the swing set. I stayed in the playground for what seemed like hours; I had no company, I liked to be alone.
"What time is it?" I was startled as I heard a boy's voice from behind me. I turned my swing to look at him. He was a boy around my age; he had fair skin, brown eyes and brown hair. He was wearing a grey Batman shirt with denim shorts and he was carrying a box of crayons and a notebook, or was it a drawing book? I wasn't pretty sure. I was guessing that he must be new in the neighborhood.
"It's almost five." I replied hesitantly as I checked my pink Hello Kitty watch.
"Can I swing with you?" He asked as he smiled and sat on the swing beside me. He didn't even wait for me to respond.
"Do you like to watch the sunset?" He started to converse while he begins to push himself with his feet for force to swing.
"Yes. That's why I'm here." I replied and joined him. We were swinging together throughout the sunset as it goes down between the mountain ranges. We talked and I've never enjoyed having a conversation with a stranger until I met him. He explained that he went to the playground because he heard that it gave the best view of a sunset. He wanted to make a drawing of one, which was the reason why he brought art materials, though he didn't use them that much at that time. He made me laugh and he was also very kind. He told me how the sunset was the most beautiful canvas painted on the sky. I didn't understand why, I didn't even know what a canvas was.
He stood up once the sun has completely gone down and when the stars were starting to gleam like silver glitter. "You're leaving already?" I asked feeling worried, I can't remember why I was worried.
"It's getting dark out." He told me with a straight face. "I need to go home."
"Can I at least see your drawing?" I pleaded as I pouted like a begging puppy.
"I'm not finished yet. I'll give it to you as soon as I'm done." He waved his hands good bye and clumsily ran home. I don't know where his home was but I really wanted to see his face again. And I did.
***
I live in Cagayan de Oro, a small city in Misamis Oriental, and I learned that he and his family were here for the week for vacation. I didn't even know that people still come here for vacation because CDO isn't really an ideal place to have a fun getaway, but I'm glad his family did. We see each other every afternoon at the playground where we first met and it had been the best six days of my summer. I've never expected to know someone so well in less than a week, as if we were best friends for years. He told me about his dreams of becoming an artist and I told him that I wasn't yet sure of my future plans. Because I couldn't imagine what I'd be like fifteen years from now, I saw him being a famous artist instead. From the look of his drawings, I was sure that he will be able to fulfill his dreams. Every time we meet, he brought one or two of his drawings and I would be so excited to see them. Also, he would bring his drawing materials to make new art. A drawing of an animal, or a tree or anything, but he doesn't show his work at the end of the day because he tells me that it will not be finished till on the next day, I will then be able to see it by then.
We were playing in the swing set on another sunny day, waiting to watch the sunset like always. I watched him while he was drawing an orange kitten; he told me that he loves cats. He stopped and returned his orange crayon inside the Crayola box. He turned to me and said, "I feel sad." I asked why and he replied, "I'm leaving tomorrow, back to Cebu. I don't want to leave." I asked him why again. He sighed, "I don't want to leave you, Alex." And in that moment, I was sure I was blushing, flustered at what he said. I meant to ask him why he was leaving tomorrow; not why he doesn't want to leave.
"I've never had a close friend who is a girl before. I think you're really cool and I'm gonna miss you." He continued. "Are you going to miss me too?"
"Of course I will. I will miss you forever." I replied, not looking into his eyes.
"It's my last day here. Can I do something for you before I leave?" He asked me and I blushed even more. I didn't even respond. "Can I draw you?"
Of course I said yes. Why wouldn't I? He sat on the end of the slide as he started to draw me in his drawing book. I was sitting on the swing in front of him, I tried not to move. The sunset was already starting and he didn't mind to look at it unlike what he always does. He focused on his drawing instead and continued to look at the paper, look at me and look at the paper again. The sun was down and it was already dark out. We both know that we need to go back to our parents.
He stood up and said, "We should both go home now." I asked, "But the drawing... Can I at least see it?" And for the first time, he lets me see his unfinished drawing before I go home. In the drawing, I saw a girl, who looks just like me, smiling on a swing, wearing a pink blouse and white shorts. She has black hair tied in pig tails. I knew it wasn't finished but I saw that it was already beautiful.
"I'll give it to you as soon as I'm finished tomorrow afternoon." He tells me.
"But your trip?" I asked with my worried tone again.
"I'll give it to you before we leave." He then hugged me. I didn't expect he would, I blushed again. "Good bye, Alex. See you tomorrow." He said and waved his hand and ran back fast to where he stayed for the week, I didn't even had the chance to say good bye back.
***
I waited while playing on the swing set like I always do and I was more excited to see him than I usually am. While I was waiting for him, I wondered if I could ever see him in the future again or will he ever think of me when he's gone. I wondered if we could still keep in touch with each other and that we will make plans to meet again soon. I wondered if he will ever come back here next summer for another vacation or come back for me. I looked at the clouds as they slowly pass by while I was daydreaming about him then I snapped back to reality. I looked around the playground but there was still no sign of him. Maybe he's still packing his things or maybe he's still finishing the drawing, I thought.
The sunset has already started and he hasn't arrived yet. I still waited patiently. I started losing hope. He might not have enough time to see me today. He might've forgotten to give or finish the drawing. He might've been already on a ship to Cebu City. Yesterday might've been the last day I get to see him and his art.
The sun has completely gone down and the stars were starting to gleam like silver glitter. I stopped waiting and I started to sob like the cry-baby I always am, realizing the fact that he was already gone. Then I thought, I didn't even get the chance to say good bye to him, I didn't get the chance to see his finished drawing of me, I didn't get the chance to hug him back, I didn't get the chance to say that I love him. I wiped my tears, caught my breath, stood up, and started to head home.
I know what you're thinking. It is absolutely absurd to fall in love with someone you met in a week, just like how a princess wants to marry a man he met in a day. Not only that, I should also consider the fact that I was still eight years old then. I was still young and naive. I was infatuated with a boy I met in a playground who I knew for a short time. I was just a little foolish girl who thought she was in love.
I will never forget the memory I had in the playground with that boy though. I seldom think about him now but I will never forget about him. There is just one thing I did that I can never forgive myself for doing.
I forgot the name of the boy.
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A/N: Hi, I'm back! After a year, I finally have the time to re-edit the whole story and finish it. Thank you for those who left comments, it means so much to me. Tell me what you think of the edited chapter. Comment, vote, follow.
