Beyond Words - Jacob Diaries

5th JUNE, 2011 : INTRIGUED

It was the first week of June, year 2011. My dad suggested we should go around for an evening stroll. I knew he definitely planned on talking about my school performances, my career, my goals in life. I agreed to it reluctantly. The atmosphere was really nice outside, perfect for a heart to heart talk between a father and son.

There was a beautiful park near my home that was surrounded by tall trees, with many birds chirping and dumping on the passerbies. So we had to be careful not to walk too close to the trees, in order to enjoy the scenery.

As we were walking my dad asked, "How're your studies going? How much have you progressed?"

"I am trying my best, although I can't answer how much I have covered so far." I replied earnestly.

He gave a sigh, and went on about how I should be preparing my notes and giving tests in order to crack the entrance. How I should never give up on the struggle until the end, then he suddenly stopped and looked at me.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" He asked.

God knows what happened to him, that he abruptly changed the topic.

I was flustered.

I, for once, had never been liked by someone my whole life. Having a girlfriend seemed like a distant forgotten dream.

"No"

"Do you have someone you like?"

"No, no one like that."

"I thought guys your age talk about girls?" He persisted.

"They do, but I don't much."

That's when I noticed her...
I wonder, if it had been the content of this conversation or the ambiance of park, that she grabbed my attention that day.

She stood nearby one of those trees with another girl, and was talking to an elderly woman. Her name was at my tongue's tip. She was my junior at my middle school, and also shared the same class with me in Sunday school. Each time that I had seen her, she had a super nerdy look.

But that day, she looked different...
Her long smooth hair flowed up to her waist, and she wore a black skirt which swayed along the breeze in rhythm with her hair.

I couldn't remember if she always had such long hair, she usually would have just tied it. The breeze caused her hair to fall on her face and she brushed it away with her fingers, exposing her pale face which was half hidden with glasses.
She was smiling at the elderly woman and while she did so, her cheeks flushed red. She had these braces, but that didn't make her look less pleasing...
That's when I thought to myself,

Has she always been so beautiful?

As I listened to my dad, I was having trouble deciding on whether I should say 'hi', wave, or smile in case our eyes met. But then my dad was talking about something already so embarrassing, I decided to avoid her gaze. I walked lowering my head while passing by, pretending that I didn't see her in the first place.

Did she actually live here? If so, how come I have never seen her before?

Then I gave up on these thoughts as she might not even remember me, just the way I didn't recollect her name.

I wonder if she had noticed me back then?

What did she think of me then?

I'll never know...