The Sacred Memoirs of A Young Adult: I Will Always Love You

The First Stage

He called me beautiful. He called me beautiful. I know what you're probably thinking. You probably think that I don't hear that word often. On the contrary, I hear that word too often. Or maybe a version of it. But I hear it from people who I don't want to hear it from. People who are looking to take me for granted or people who I expect it from. Like my family and my friends. My friends are my hype squad, so hearing them say that on a particular day I looked pretty or nice or cute was normal.

That's why hearing it from him awakened something in me. It was also his choice of word. Beautiful. I'm used to hearing hot, sexy, pretty and every other word to describe a person who is attractive. But he called me beautiful. He called me beautiful. Him of all people.

And it's not like we knew each other like that. I'd seen him around in the school corridors and at registration but I never really cared about his existence because it didn't really matter to me. And I assumed that is how it was for him too. But that was all before I came back from my two day excursion. The day I went back to school was the most beautiful day, even though my voice was gone because I was sick.

It was so easy to smile that day. It was as if it was a foreshadowing of what would happen at the end of it. And during the course of the day, events led up to the highlight of it all. Before, I would only notice him once a week, at the most. But that day, I saw him every hour. When I looked up, he was there. When I turned around, he was there. When walked I by, he was there. When I bumped into someone, it was him. He was there again. And always ready with a smile.

And one I returned without hesitation. Involuntarily. The most genuine smile I had ever returned. Because it was from a genuine person. I knew he was genuine, I didn't have to wait to find out. His aura told me that. His aura. Something that told me he was near me before I saw it with my eyes.

And that afternoon, the afternoon that was the climax of my day, was the first time I would learn to sense it. I had learnt something else too. That I was beautiful. But perhaps that on it's own is another lesson... or an understanding, rather...