The smile of a lifetime

 Like every other kid he was never so concerned when it came to the concept of love. To him love meant liking a girl, holding hands and kisses.  Such a simple and innocent grasp of the emotion that is love. But little did he know how much the emotion love would affect his life. But the first time he actually fell in love was in primary 3.

 It was a newly built school so it was everybody’s first day at school in the new school. He gave his father a and his mother a big hug before leaving them at the entrance of the school. He loved school. Comparing to who his now he would rather have stayed home than go to school his younger self was far from it and he accepted it. He walked in with a smile on his face and an eagerness to hopefully see his friends from his previous school. A huge new school and it had 8 floors of mysteries awaiting him. He was directed by a teacher to head up the staircase and to make his way the school hall on level three and as made his way he did. He started seeing other students making friends even before reaching the hall. But he still hadn’t seen any one he knew. The hall. A huge two floored hall with dark shiny wooden floors and a massive stage for performances to be held and a second floor with a gallery that showed the whole grandeur of the hall. He was impressed and in awe of the size. He saw a board with the class he was assigned to and he took a seat on the floor behind another kid who was too busy talking to another kid in front of him. He took his bag off and placed it in front of him and just started gazing at the beauty of the massive hall. And then looked to his right to see and everything froze in that moment . He saw a girl with a tan skin tone ,hair tied in a ponytail and a smile that would make the angels in heaven envious of. She was looking directly at him and it took him a good twenty seconds before realising how awkward that was. He looked at the ground smiling and it was a new feeling to him. He felt immense happiness and yet he was still in awe at how one person made him feel this happiness without saying a word and with just a smile. She made him smile and be it for a good reason or bad, that smiled stayed with him from that day on. But being the timid and coward he was for years in school he never spoke to her because they were in different classes but of the same year. When he did speak to her though,it was the last year of primary school for them and he had only 3 months left to speak to a girl whom he loved from the moment he saw her. It was one of those cliché things to do. At almost every table he sat at every year and every lesson he’d use a marker and scribble her name on the table. She was a reason he looked forward to going to school every day. So at this point he realised that the upcoming inter house games were coming.  Like phaeton the son of helios who dared to dream he took the chance and played at every event he could take part in to have her notice him. And then came his time. A simple game of handball but this one was so different than any other game as he was in the mixed gender team with her. Every chance he got he gave the ball to her and even saying her name out before passing the ball to her and she’d do the same. Hearing her say his name gave his so much happiness and made him be more determined to win the event. And win the event was what he did. Their house placed first and he was given the award of most valuable player but all that didn’t matter as now she looked at him and applauded his victory. After years they finally got to speak. He was so nervous yet he kept his calm and was so direct and clear in his conversation with her. But the end of the year came and even though all those years he never told her how he felt he still felt content that he was able to feel that emotion and he left it all in those years. Fast forward to a time where he was a man and he is broken emotionally and love is an emotion he hold so dear to his heart. He wants nothing more than to be able to look at another person in their eyes and see their love reflected back the way he does.

 He stands tall and even has the nickname gentle giant from his mother but all he yearns for is to be loved by another person who isn’t connected to him by blood but by the emotion love was created for. He had been through the most purest form of love to the most twisted type of love. But he withstood so much heartbreak and yet he lives another day hoping that his time will come. Around him in his life he sees his friends falling in love and getting married and he prays to god each night that he will be blessed enough to find that kind of love. He has gone through so much that he isn’t afraid anymore of being heartbroken as he only knows that failure is just an early attempt at success. Faith as his shield and love as his sword in life he carries on with the pain in hopes he will one day be truly complete. But till that day comes, he will always be himself and he will always stay true to his beliefs. She made him find his smile ,a smile he’d wear for the rest of his life.