Alriet: When Love Happens

CHAPTER 01

YEAR: 2009

Life surprises us, because when you least expect it, it gives you a gift. A gift you will take with you your entire life: friendship.

Alec

I was born on a summer afternoon in 1992, in Dublin, Ireland. My father was there on business and my mother was with him, after all, her pregnancy was stable and I wasn't due until the following month. My mother missed him and wanted to see him, so she got on the first train, right after work. It wasn't a comfortable ride, and many times, she thought she shouldn't have risked leaving Brussels alone in her state, but she didn't give up.

From what I understood from her story, she felt pregnancy cravings, and believe it or not, she craved my father. She just had to see him. Throughout her pregnancy, she never wanted to know if she was carrying a boy or a girl, she never thought about names or anything, but when she saw me, she knew my name.

- Alecsander. – She whispered while carrying me and my father repeated it, happy and delighted.

It's amazing, but I never get tired of listening to that story. I like my name, like how it came to be, and specially, the place I was born and to where I have not come back yet. That didn't stop me from constantly researching about the city and country I was born. It's an incredible place, except for the Kilt part. I don't really like that.

As I was basically raised only by my mother, and I don't have much contact with my Family, I am a lot like her. After all, what man would admit liking to hear a silly story about how his name was chosen and his premature birth due to his mother's crazy, love actions.

Not all men would admit to that, I know, but that doesn't mean everybody knows it, right? I keep it to myself. It's important.

I was about to complete my seventeenth summer, and my mom was still planning my birthday parties and inviting the same people from the neighborhood. I haven't liked those parties for a while now, just the food, of course. I guess my mother didn't realize I'm not a little kid anymore, because she still tries to treat me like one. I tried complaining this time, but it didn't work.

-Alec, you won't have another chance to celebrate turning 17. – She reprehends me when she sees my discomfort.

My mother repeated that sentence a lot. But, thinking about it, that will happen every year. I will never be that same age again. I'll never be 15 again. Or 17 like that day. It's life. But she had to understand that I'm too old to want a birthday party, When would that happen?

However, I thought it was best not to fight it. She wanted a party. I let her throw a party. The fact we are always alone and my father's absence still prevailed between us, the fact we hadn't overcome his loss yet, that stopped me from fighting her. My mother took care of me, my entire life, by herself. And thinking about her, and her loneliness, I let her do what she wanted for me. She felt happy seeing our house full. I guess I'm like my dad, because from what she told me, he hated talking and having celebrations.

That's why, during my birthday party, I made sure I got my old Discman and listened to some music I really liked, seating on my hideout by the couch, It's not like there wasn't music playing, but none of the music I liked was on.

I put on my headphones and kept only my eyes out, watching people talking excited, until my mother went to the door and opened for someone to come in. Two girls came, and one of them caught my attention. Blonde. I really like blondes, but I never knew why.