'Wake up, sleepy head!' My phone vibrated on the pillow, startling me and causing me to arise from my slumber. 'Are you doing alright?'
Rays of sunlight filtered through the curtains, making the small black letters on the screen harder to see. 'Good morning Stella,' I typed back in reply. 'I just feel a bit under the weather. It feels like the flu.'
'Sorry. I just wanted to check up on you since we didn't talk last night.'
'Thanks Stella. I feel better though, last night was awful. My sinuses were blocked, I had a fever and I couldn't even eat anything. Not even pancakes.'
'Are your parents home, Ron?'
'Why?' I smirked mischievously as I typed. 'Do you want to come over?'
'Maybe.... I recently just moved to The Magenta so if you'll have me over, I'll gladly oblige.'
Sounds of the city life had already begun to fill the air, living in a posh urban area did little to shield us from the noise. Cars sped down the tarred roads of our street, leaving clouds of poisonous fumes trailing in their wake. Thousands of those cars navigate the city daily, they have since become a necessity for the frenetic metropolitan life, gone are the days when they were a luxury.
A chorus of car horns disrupted the stillness of the day as workers, eager to get to their offices in time, battled each other on the cold, black tarmac. The early morning rush, a test of patience and endurance, is exactly why my parents are almost never home whenever I wake up.
'Hahaha.They've gone to work.'
'Cool, mine too. At times it sucks that I never get to see them.'
'I feel you, Stella. But, we live on comfortable houses, attend private schools so maybe it's worth it. At least we know why they work so hard.'
'I guess so. By the way, what happened last night? I sent you a message and never got a reply.'
Small colonies of clouds obscured the sun from view but that didn't stop the neighbours from going out in full force. An early morning hike, in the Magenta, is a serene- almost religious- experience. The delectable scent of fresh dew dripping off leaves can be exhilarating, enthralling even. Seeing smiling faces wave at you as you jog by completes the heavenly experience, at times, it feels as close to heaven as one could get.
'I'm so sorry. I wasn't feeling too well and I slept off.'
"Oh!" Although I couldn't hear her voice, her words spoke of disappointment, a disappointment that I easily deciphered. "That's cool. I thought you were ignoring me or something?"
'Of course not. I like you too much to do that.' My fingers lingered on the send button for a long time, debating the merits of the message. Just do it. I shut my eyes and said a silent prayer before bringing my thumb down on the phone screen.
"Ron!" Tony's voice bellowed from the kitchen. "Do you want some of these pancakes?"
"You bet!" I shouted in return, licking my lips at the prospect of sitting to some of my brother's delicious pancakes. "Will there be orange juice, syrup, and bacon?"
"Of course. Isn't that how you taught me? They'll be ready by the time you finish your morning jog. That is, of course, if you're still going."
"Yes.I'm not going to get any fitter by laying in bed and gorging on pancakes all day, am I?"
"You don't know that," he replied, cheekily. "You certainly haven't tried it yet, have you?"
"No, and I'm not about to start now." I slowly dragged my shorts off my body, revealing a pair of near- perfect thigh muscles. "Have you seen my running shoes anywhere?"
"Downstairs, by the table."
"Thanks." I hurriedly pulled on a fresh pair of jogging shorts and descended the stairs. "Don't burn the house while I'm away."
"I'll try not to." He replied, winking, and flashing his white set of teeth. His smile, although it's a thing of beauty, is one of the few things that Tony is insecure about. I patted his head briefly before bolting out the door, into the great outdoors.
One of the beautiful things about our neighborhood is that, despite the modern setting, it's possible to feel at one with nature. A stroll on the paved pavements of the streets, while surrounded by relaxing sights, is rather salubrious- indeed it does wonders for the mind. However, as I jogged down the streets, my thoughts became hazy and entangled. My mind, so young and inexperienced, struggled to process the feelings that surged through it.
What could this be?
The wireless headphones on my head blasted music on its loudest volume, drowning out the sounds of the outside world but the music wasn't loud enough to drown out the thoughts of my mind.
A gust of wind breezed by, ruffling my hair and kissing my lips, yet, I longed for a different type of kiss.
Pull yourself together, Ronald. Too much, way too soon.
The stunning beauty of the buildings around seemed to trigger the very thoughts I sought to avoid. Truly, she was beautiful, more beautiful than the buildings. In fact, if one of the stars descended to earth and assumed human form, it would look a lot like her.
The problem, however, was not her. The very thought of me and her made me guffaw, scorn, laugh and cringe all at once, for while she looks like she walked off a fashion runway, my appearance, most of the time, is largely unremarkable.
There was a magnetism about her, something that kept drawing me in, defying my logic and reasoning and each time I tried to detach myself, it sucked me back in- leaving me wanting more. Is this love?
The way she laughed, the warmth in her voice, the way she managed to infuse her persona into everything she typed, something about her stood out. It captivated me, held me spell-bound until the reality dawned, just like the breaking of a new day. Ronald, you're falling in love, one letter at a time.
Love. What had prior been a figment of the imagination, something that only existed in the books of the library, became real to me. So real, in fact, that it frightened me. After all, people are terrified by things that are alien to them. The very concept of accepting someone, for who they are and all their imperfections when I had yet to come to grips with my own, baffled me, but whoever said emotions were meant to be understood?
Indeed, love is a light. It blinds us to the fault of our beloved, while highlighting all that is good about them. Anyone, when looked at in love, will appear perfect, spotless and without blemish, but the moment the light of love fades into darkness, the ugly flaws, that were hitherto hidden, appear from nowhere. In reality, they were always there.
The streets became quieter and quieter still as the early-morning joggers concluded their routines and left to go about their other business. I sat on one of the public benches, a keen spectator. My eyes scanned the terrain, taking in the sights of the neighborhood, watching as pensioners, and their dogs, sauntered towards their homes. At times, life is best enjoyed by sitting in the corner, away from the action.
I remained on the bench for a long time, still feeling the Stella-effect. Only the thought of my specially prepared breakfast growing cold could move me from my spot on the bench.
The sweat trickled down my back as I powered homewards, pushing every muscle in my leg to its limit. Each step seemed more painful than the last but I battled on until the black gate of our house was in sight.
"It took you long enough. I was about to assemble a search party." Tony handed me a glass of orange juice and a towel as soon as I walked through the door. "Did you enjoy your jog? Your pancakes are almost cold, by the way."
"Yes. It was fun. Could you please bring the pancakes for me?" He nodded and went to the kitchen to retrieve a stack of pancakes. The pancakes were drenched in syrup, with a topping of whipped creams and strawberries along with a side of delicious looking sausages. "These taste awesome. Well done."
"I try." He smirked before disappearing into the background, leaving me in peace to enjoy my breakfast. "Ron." He peeked at me from the door. "Sorry to disturb, but you left your phone and it's been ringing endlessly since you left."
"Did you answer it, or go through any messages?" He looked at me with a sly grin on his face and I felt my stomach flush. If my skin possessed less melanin, I would have turned as red as a tomato.
"No, I didn't. I considered doing it, but you'd have pommeled me if I did."
"Smart boy." He handed the phone to me, beaming at my remark, before disappearing once more.
'Hey Stella. Sorry, I had to go out on my morning jog.'
'I thought you were tired of talking to me.'
'Why would you think that?' I furrowed my brows in confusion. 'I just forgot to take my phone out with me.'
'It's cool.'
'Since we live in the same neighborhood, we should meet up sometime.'
'I'll like that. That is if you don't forget to show up.'
'Of course I won't.' I chuckled to myself as my fingers tapped the phone screen furiously. 'I like you too much to do that.'
'Awwwwn. I like you too, Ron.'' My eyes stared down at the screen for a while, savouring the moment and allowing the magnitude of her words to sink in. 'Now, tell me. Which do you prefer? Coke or Sprite?'
'Sprite, everyday.'
'Sweet. Me too. This could be the start of something beautiful, Ron.'
ns 15.158.61.20da2
