I was running through the crowd, feeling the eyes of everyone digging under my skin. My three-inch black stilettos injected venom to my feet; 9 inches of skin and muscles paralyzed. The clock was ticking: I was late! The sweet early summer breeze whispered to my red satin dress as I dashed from the cluster of eager people.
"Oh my gosh it's Kim! Look at her! She's so beautiful," some of my classmates countered when I passed by them. I couldn’t help myself but give them a genuine smile. It was one of the nights I felt so beautiful in my entire life.
Every participant of the Variety Show was rushing like they were chased by tigers of the savannah. I gasped for air when I arrived inside the massive Coliseum I once knew was green. The sea of colours captivated me. Seniors were covered in silver dust and silver tulles patterned their dazzling haute couture dresses. Juniors were dressed in black and blue; like they were sailors and shipmen. Sophomores looked like native Hawaiians. I blended like a red chameleon with my musical ensemble. We're called the "G - Clefs"; the Musical Orchestra of the university. I stared at each and every performer wondering if we'd kill the show for that night.
I was searching for my friend in the ocean of heads. I did not expect him to be surprised when he looked at me. He paused for a moment and examined my appearance "Kim looks so different," I easily read his expression. Then a curve on his lips appeared on his face. I smiled back at him too.
The Coliseum was packed with hungry people wanting to be fed with entertainment and enthusiasm. My palms were sweating and my two layers of make-up began to vanish into thin air. An ebullient band fed the people's ears hors d'oeuvres of the show. They set them exuberant and vivacious. Alas, the time had arrived and we sent ourselves climbing the staircase to the show, gripping the balustrade tightly.
The vibrant colours of the lights shun on us as we performed our very first song, Amazing Grace. We felt the song and moved to the rhythm of the beautiful piece of loveliness. The dancers were like paper dancing in the wind. Like elastic bands improbable in breaking apart. The meek sound of our violins took the noise out of the people, revelling them with melodic music from the heart. Every single person of the audience turned peaceful and serene. As we took our graceful exit, the agile dance troupe members, paragons of dancing, stole the stage. They tiptoed like cats and bent their bodies like flexible rulers, enthralling the audience more and more. The sound of applause filled the enormous Coliseum.
A variety of performances followed, making the crowd go more and more boisterous. A group of college students were yelling out words like: “Siddique! Marry me!” and “Oh my gosh he just stole my heart.” But the funniest was from this homosexual college student: “Oh my gosh it’s JJ! Love me!” I couldn’t stop laughing until my jaw ached. Tears of laughter flowed out from my eyes. It was that hilarious.
The G - Clefs returned to the stage once more and performed Moon River, Downtown and of course, nobody wants to miss the cherry on top of the sundae, River Flows in You. The audience was in deep serenity as they listened to the awesome pieces. I was really nervous, since I was in the front line and my red dress captured the attention of the people toward me. My legs couldn’t stop shaking. I was really conscious of what I looked like. How can you survive performing in front of a gazillion strangers and friends? In the end, I followed what my mom and sister always told me before, "Just do what you're performing and later on the audience will disappear from your sight." I suddenly felt lightweight. It felt like I was the only one on stage playing the violin with no one listening. The audience didn’t matter anymore; what I was doing was the only thing important to me at that moment. After the last piece, we bowed in unison and a thunderous applause broke throughout the whole place. We walked down the stage feeling free like birds flying out from their cages. What we've been practicing for weeks was finally over. Done. Finished. Most of all, accomplished. We took our seats on a wooden maroon bench and morphed into spectators of the show.
I was patiently waiting for the juniors to present on stage. It was what I was waiting for the whole show. After a while, "Candy Man" by Christina Aguilera blasted to my ears. I jerked my head towards the stage and then I saw him or shall we nickname him “Owl”. My heart was racing and my face felt hot; I was blushing! I was smiling at that one particular boy I've always loved since day one of Intramurals 2011. I couldn’t help but sigh at the sight of him. The way his hair made him look so incredible. I couldn’t get enough of the way he makes his lopsided grins. He was such a charming and chivalrous guy. My G-Clef mates were all looking at me, raised their eyebrows and playfully teased me to him.
The Glee members did their number and their presentation was so lovely. Their mellifluous voices amazed the crowd. The spectacular red dresses and black tuxedos made them look like they were queens and kings of Senior Prom.
Time was running and never took a break. The next thing I knew, the finale came up. It was grand! Every performer was on stage. The colours, the lights, the music! It was marvellous. Everyone seemed so happy and ecstatic. The positive energy added gaiety and life of the Coliseum. The moment should never be ruined. We were all dancing, singing and laughing our hearts out. We took pictures like it was the last time we would all see each other again. As I was laughing with the G-Clefs, my friends Erin and Miguel were shoving me towards him, my crush. The one who gave me butterflies whenever he passed by.I was laughing hysterically as I kept on making them stop pulling me to Owl. Then what I least expected Miguel to do happened. He walked towards him and tiptoed since he was so tall. He whispered to his ear something and smirked at me. Owl looked at him, grinned and nodded. Miguel strutted towards me and said, “Kim, I told him that you want to have a picture with him.”
My stomach churned. The butterflies were swarming in every direction. I have never thought this would be real. Am I dreaming? Is this really happening? I couldn’t believe my dream was coming true. Every step I took made my heart beat faster and faster. Then my “friends” pushed me and I stumbled beside him. With the help of my shiny stilettos, I managed to be in line with this chest. Yes, he is that tall. Reality took me back as he helped me regain my balance. His touch sent electricity through my veins. The cameras were clicking. We were both smiling happily. His friends were teasing him and joined the picture. In result to our shyness, we both walked off in different directions but this very, very tall guy, Charles Alfeche grabbed my shoulders and pushed me back towards him for one last picture. My red satin dress shimmered in the light. My curls were hanging from my shoulders. Then the sound of the camera clicked. The butterflies could no longer fit inside my tummy. So I gave a deep sigh, grinned and said thanks to Owl. That was the first memory I had with him.
We took the last remains of the evening for taking images of ourselves. I bid goodbye to everyone I knew. This was the night I was waiting forever and now, it’s over.
I couldn’t stop replaying the scene with Owl in my head. His brown eyes were shining when he looked at me. The butterflies were flying away from me. It was such an amazing night. Feelings were poured out and dreams came true. It was a night of eternal happiness; a night of euphoria.
