Summer Snow ~First Love~ (DROPPED)

Christmas Eve together

That was the first time I acted egoistically. I knew he wouldn't look at me as a romantic interest. And he would disappear if I passed my admission exams. That's why I wanted to create memories with him until I could. I tried to turn into a lady even if it wasn't like me. In order to do that, I secretly bought magazines to learn how to become more attractive.

"It's hard to hand with Rosalinda lately, she became more uptight." I knew that my classmates didn't like me and were thinking those things about me.

I didn't plan to become uptight, but it was true that I couldn't talk with girls my age. I felt uneasy at school. Surely it would be fun to join the other girls to talk about the boys in our class, or talk bad of our seniors in the clubs. But I didn't have nor the courage nor the spirit to join them. I couldn't be honest with the teachers as well as I was suspicious of them. Probably I was hard to handle. I'm sure even my parents were worried deep inside of them. That's why they were happy when I asked if I could go for a drive with Ryan. They were probably happy that the gloomy daughter without friends was finally opening up.

Ryan was a fine young gentleman. I couldn't even imagine how he would treat me. The truth was he loved me like a sister. And the evening of Christmas Eve, he treated me the same.

"Was it really ok to meet today?"

Sitting on the passenger seat of my beloved Ryan's car. Just staying there made my heart beat fast.

"If I couldn't, I would have told you so. Don't worry." He smiled with his unique gentleness.

He usually wore rough jeans and a linen shirt, but that day he wore a velvet jacket and chino pants. He was handsome dressed like a prince.

Outside, the Christmas illuminations passed on us the joy of the quiet eve. Ryan brought me to a shopping mall with a big Christmas tree.

"I searched around, but I felt this was the most Christmas-like place." He said under the big decoration hanging down.

"It's huge!!!" The place he chose.

I was happy of being there, a place with few couples and many families. Once I grew older, I realized it wasn't a place to spend some time alone. The fact I didn't notice it back then, is the proof I was still a kid.

"Should we eat some ice cream?"

Benches went all around the tree, and everyone was eating sitting there. Thanks to the heaters it was warm inside, and I felt it was a luxury to be able to eat ice cream in that cold day.

"Sure. I'll get strawberry flavor."

"I see. I'll get normal vanilla."

Chatting like that we took the cups in our hands and talked about Christmas.

"There is a story about Christmas I like"

"What is it?"

It was rare for him to start a conversation, so I stared at him filled with expectations.

"The Gift of Magi."

"Ah, I think I heard about it." I replied.

"It's a short story by O. Henry."

I only flipped through the book in the library. I didn't remember the details so I asked Ryan to fill me in.

"It's the story of a couple who really loved each other. To buy her husband a chain for his clock, the wife cut and sold here beautiful hair."

The image of a couple in their fifties formed inside my head. It was in watercolors similar to the one I saw in the picture book.

"And the husband, in order to buy his wife a comb he sold his pocket watch."

"So they both wasted their money?" Ryan laughed at my simple words.

"That's what you think at first, right? But the story concludes 'The two did the wisest gift'."

According to Ryan's interpretation, her hair would grow again. And the watch could be bought again by selling her hair again.