What we had was unbelievable, it was worth being grateful for. It was a realm of happiness ever to be imagined, a love so ocean deep. A love just as delicate as roses. Stronger and stronger we grew to be, and we survived for years. “Slavithi, girlfriend” is what he called me during our talks.

“But my children’s children, that’s not how it all started,” I said looking at each one of them as they looked at me with enthusiasm before I continued.

“It started years back when we were both in grade 12 and I decided to be his desk mate.”

“I was very beautiful and more attractive.”

As I said those words I could see their eyes searching for the beauty which was all covered up by old age.

“Yes my children’s children, I used to be very beautiful and whenever I passed by a group of boys the spotlight for many aimed for me.”

I smiled and spoke of how he would constantly steal glances at my scrumptious lips, beautiful eyes, brows so soft and elegant, my slim figure and voluptuous assets as I always walked in serenity with a zealous face and a beaming smile that tinted the glow. And him on the other hand, he glided with pride, spreading charms as he walked, and I swear many girls would stop to shoot their shot. I knew then that my hand had a duty of forklifting my jaw, as his appearance always introduced his jaw to my chest.

I remember one afternoon when most of the teachers left early to attend a memorial service of a teacher from another school, one of his friends came to sit with the girls who shared a desk in front of us. To my surprise, they all decided to tag us in their topic, so we both stopped what we were doing and we all gregariously became a bunch of amigos with laugh lines.

At that moment my life was filled with pure joy. Happiness reigned, joy that can never be commodified. But then talking of me, I was lost in a different world. With every split second I grew to like him even more and I knew without a doubt the feelings to be true because it was my heart that told me so.

Surprisingly I’d hear everybody laughing over a joke that I didn’t even hear of. In the clichéd word play, he asked why I was quiet and before I could answer him one of the girls who happened to be my friend back then said that I was shy. They all laughed over that comment. Little did they know that my heart was in exile and I was afraid of displaying my emotions. I guess I was only quiet because I was busy brewing ecstasies within my mind, the ones that I never had the courage to serve with my lips. Truth be confronted, I enjoyed the company and I made sure that I spoke to him more often. Amongst the circle, it was him that my eyes were always fixed on.

Engulfed by the wonders of love with feelings that even my mind couldn’t hide, I wished to pour him thoughts in the glass of wine and sip them slowly. The collisions of our gazes stole the moments and our eyes talked of the magnetic chemistry, filling the distance between us.

It was on a Friday afternoon when we got a chance to be alone without the company of his friend and my friend, we talked for hours about almost everything: how he started smoking, why he dated so many girls and the more we spoke instead of losing interest, I actually grew fond of him.

I guess he trusted me so much more because he could talk about his problems with me. He told me about the troubles he often found himself in because of immediate gratifications. It hurt me but there was nothing I could do at that moment to undo all of it. But I promised myself that I was going to be there for him.

We talked and at the end, he told me of how he felt about me only to find that I was never surprised. I have been waiting at the door of his soul, knocking and hoping to be let in and finally he did. My smile widened as I swallowed the good news and to the city of my mind happiness travelled with the swift uplifting rush. What a great epiphany to ever experience. Before we knew it, sunny hours flitted by and he accompanied me home. It felt like the warmth of the sun had just made its way inside for a while. I knew then that I had been taken to a place where only few had been. Trees also helped us celebrate a union we both craved as they swayed. The wind whispering a beautiful song, it was the best day of my life although we both had to depart and go home. Until the sleepy yawns paid their visits, we talked day and night over the phone, we called and sent text messages everyday with every ding signalling his messages. We spent most of our spared days together.

Yes, spared days until I was warned about him now and then by girls who couldn’t stand to see the beauty of our auspicious love; sometimes I would be shut by awful remarks by bitter ex-girlfriends. I got tired and left without even saying a word to him, I even stopped sharing a desk with him. Most painfully I went back to my ex. We stopped talking for days, then weeks and later it was months until we both completed our matric and went to different institutions.

Tell us: Do you think she should’ve spoken to him one last time?