We are who we are, yet our true selves are only revealed every once in a blue moon. Those lucky enough to witness the unveiling of our inner-selve are blessed. Unfortunately, society is shallow and ridiculously vain. We tend to judge a book by its cover, but what happens when that cover is buried?

It was my school’s yearly Valentines Ball and this girl was compelled to go, due to her “lack in femininity” – basically my mother from of torture towards me. Putting obedience over the urge to slit my wrists, I got dolled up and headed for the mascaraed theme dance.

Like a deer in the headlights, I sat in the corner of the room like a true wallflower should. Until I spotted him in the crowed. Until I spotted him in the crowd. A pair of hazel, brown eyes behind a black mask. I was caught in a momentary gaze (and by momentary I mean around five whole minutes) with a face I couldn’t recognize, and then his hand reached out at me as he said, “May I?” with a deep, raspy voice.

At that moment my face was about the color of my dress and I had a goofy grin plastered on my face. I had taken his hand as he led me to the dancefloor. We slow-danced to some cheesy song by Celine Dion and I was captivated by his memorizing aroma. We swayed to the music for a while with my head on his shoulder and his arms around me. And just as I was about to look up and meet the eyes of my mystery man, some idiots bumped into me. I turned around to scold the bum who ruined the moment and in the blink of an eye, but he had dis appeared and so had my mystery man; vanished into the sea of faces and masks all around me.

The search for “Mr. Mystery” didn’t last very long, so I decided to go home, where I actually wanted to be. Away from thumping music, and noisy people. In the silence of my bedroom all I could think about was him as I slowly dozed off.

The next day at school I was approached by a tall and scrawny looking nerd with microscopes as spectacles. He reached out toward me and said,” May I?” Only then did I notice his eyes behind the glasses and the strong smell of his cologne. Mr. Mystery!

I was dumbfounded, he was not at all who I had expected him to be. I had judged him and boy was I wrong about him and my feelings among other things. Yes, I am a part of the shallow and vain society that judge people by what they choose to show me. Yet, I was one of the lucky ones who witnessed the unveiling of a person’s true, pure and inner self.