Response to these stories in about 150 words
Just to See Him Smile
For the past eight years now, he has woken up every single morning and held me close. The world is dull, uneventful and out of reach until he finds me and picks me up. Our relationship is simple. He is the one that fulfills my one need, the reason I was created in the first place and my sole purpose in this life is to help him see the world clearly. He is my best friend and I love him
Before we met, he was a six-year-old boy who could never find his way around the world. He was very energetic and mobile but fell often and ran into things as if he did not know they were there. Rather, he could not properly gauge how close he was to an object or obstacle. He ran head first into everything and never cared if he received injuries in the process. Everytime he fell, he simply took a second while holding his bruised area then would immediately run to his mother for help- all without shedding a single tear.
Hours before we met, I gained consciousness in a room that refused to let any light in. The room held each part of my body close. I knew the person who created this room knew my exact proportions and dimensions. They cared for me. They wanted me to feel at home. While in this room, I had no worries, no woes and no way to cause stress to my newborn life. I was warm and then I was not. Strangely, my room was open for everyone to see. The room outside mine was infinitely larger. This room was the complete opposite of what mine felt like: it had the ambience of a hospital morgue. I scanned through the room for a few seconds , finally noticing David and his mother, Teresa. David and his mother shared many of the same features. They both had big puffy afros that complimented their brown eyes and dark brown skin. They had big lips that hid their teeth when they smiled showing only gums. They were both beautiful.
An old man in a lab coat walked into our room, exchanged pleasantries with them and picked me up as gently as he could. He was a short, brown-skinned man with a gray beard as long as his face. He introduced himself as Dr. Oman to Teresa and said he was here to give David a pair of glasses. “Hi David,” said Dr. Oman, “are you ready to have your mind blown?” There was a loud pause. He took no offense to David’s silence because he knew how children could behave in an unfamiliar environment. He asked David, “have you ever had trouble seeing when you were playing outside?” David responded saying, “Yes, I always run into stuff and fall.” Dr. Oman assured David that it would not happen again after today because he had a solution. He bent down and placed me in between the bridge of David’s nose.
David looked around the room for a few seconds, noticing that every color was distinct and popped more than usual. The white on the walls looked pure and holy, the pictures and diagrams of eyes, glasses and medical instruments were now clear, and the two chairs he and his mother sat on were oak brown with green cushions. He noticed all of these. He immediately looked to mother, almost tearing up at the sight of the worry in the lines of her face. He noticed what he thought was gray in the eyes of his mother to be a brown that he never even knew existed. David smiled. His first words, with a smile that pleased his mother more than the day she gave birth to him were, “mommy your eyes are so pretty.” For the first time in his life he could understand what he was seeing. His eyes worked perfectly and normally. The way it was meant to. I did that.
Over the years I was always adjusted to suit David as he grew. It was my assumption that I would remain with him for the rest of his life but one day I realized my love for David was no longer reciprocated. As he grew older, he started to hate needing glasses, hate needing me, more and more. He grew tired of barely being able to see without me, always having to pick me up whenever I fell from his face during physical activities and the name calling that came with wearing glasses. On his twelfth birthday, Teresa gifted David contact lenses. After he put them on, he smiled the same way he did when he first had me on. Teresa smiled back, knowing that she once again made her child happy but in my eyes this was the greatest betrayal of all. I was being replaced and there was nothing I could do about it. I realized I would always be the second option in his life, I would never be able to give him that same happiness I once did and worst of all, I would lose my best friend and have no duty to fulfill.
The first few days after I was replaced were filled with absolute darkness. The room that I loved almost as much as I loved David became my very own prison. The features I loved about the room now started to haunt me. The curves and grooves that once held my body close now and fit my proportions exactly now became chains that hindered my movement. The warmth I loved while in my room became excruciating heat because of my nervousness and sorrow. The darkness that once put me into deep slumber now fueled my unhealthy thoughts, emotions and started an accumulation of dust that grew across my body. Eventually, this darkness was all I knew.
After ten days of uselessness, David finally picked me up and used me again. It wasn’t quite the same as before but it helped to minimize my sorrow. The thirty minutes that I sat on his face gave me a mix of satisfaction and melancholy because I could help him see but he found someone who helps him see better. For those thirty minutes, I simply looked at his face. “He has grown up so much,” I thought to myself. For thirty minutes I admired that same afro and big lips; The same gummy smile and that voice that puts my mind at ease. Those thirty minutes would eventually start an unhealthy addiction to the hope that he would pick me up again. I waited for another ten days for him to pick me up and use me again but sadly he didn’t. This time thirteen days passed until he used me again. I accepted it because it was better than being given to someone else or being stuck inside my room for the rest of my life. I knew I could never have the same relationship I once had with David but I came to terms with being the second option in his life on the slight chance that I could be with him again. I did it just to see him smile. When will I be used again? I will never know. I saw him smile again and my worries were put to rest
2.
As the sun set, bathing the streets in a warm orange glow, Rachel watched the world below. It was a Friday night, and everyone was rushing home, excited for the upcoming weekend. But Rachel was in no rush.
Rachel was sitting in the park near her house. It was her favourite park, located on a hill, so she always saw amazing sunsets. She was there just before sunset. It was the time of day she had always liked, when everything seemed to settle down and the sky turned into an explosion of colours. But today, Jason was the only person on her mind. She was worried about him.
She met Jason in Grade 1, and they were best friends until they got together in college. However, there has been a shift lately. Something was off with Jason, and Rachel couldn’t put her finger on it, which drove her crazy.
“Hey, what are you doing up here all alone?” A familiar voice asked. Rachel turned around and faced a smiling Jason. That’s one thing she loved about him. He was always smiling. Her heart skipped at the sight of him.
Alex sat down next to her, his gaze fixed on the horizon. “It’s beautiful,” he said in a soft voice, breaking the silence.
“Yeah,” she answered back matter-of-factly, but smiling. Looking at him, she wanted to voice her concerns, but pushed it away, not wanting to ruin the moment.
They sat in silence for a while, until Jason finally spoke up. “Rachel, we need to talk.”’
“What is it?” she asked, feigning indifference, her heart sinking. What if she’s right, and something is wrong? Her mind began to wander.
‘I’ve been offered a job in Switzerland”’ he said, his eyes never leaving the horizon. ‘It’s a very prestigious position, and it will set me up in my career, but it means I’ll have to move.’
She had always known that Jason was ambitious and driven, never did she imagine that he would want to leave the city though. “Congratulations!” she managed to get out, hoping her smile would hide her heart breaking into pieces.
‘Tuesday’ he replied, finally turning to look at her. Four days. “’It’s kind of sudden I know, but I really want to do this.”
Jason’s expression softened into sorrow as he looked at her. He reached for her hand. “That’s why I wanted to talk to you,” he said, his voice tone growing restrained. “I think we should break up”. His eyes turned glossy.
His words washed over her, the lump in her throat growing the more it sunk in. She wanted to spend forever with him. She did not know what to say.
He pulled her closer to him, his gaze never leaving hers. “I’ll come back for you, I promise. I want to make this work trust me, but I have to do this.” Somehow, Rachel heard the tears in his eyes in his voice. It was devastating.
Deep down, she knew he was right. She had to let him go. They spent the rest of the evening at the park, watching the sun disappear and the twinkling dots in the sky appear. Nobody moved. Otherwise, it was too real. Their story is really over.
That night, Rachel spent it crying. She still held out some hope that this was all a sick and twisted dream, an alternate universe that she could get out of. She thought that their love was strong enough for anything. The reality was too cruel.
The next week was a blur for Rachel. Although they were done, Jason was her best friend. That couldn’t change. Holding back her tears, she mustered up the courage to help him pack up his stuff and drive him to the airport. She was desperate to see him until she physically couldn’t. Unsurprisingly, saying goodbye was just as hard the second time around, if not harder. After this, he was gone for good. Gone from her city, and her life.
Over the next few months, Rachel was a mess. Her main goal was to hold it together for work, and then unfold at 5:01 pm. She tried to stay in touch at first, FaceTiming Jason and keeping him company in a new country where he was alone. They gave each other updates on their lives, and laughed and joked on call. It almost felt like old times.
As the months passed, Rachel began to process the breakup better, and began to heal. She also noticed a change in Jason too. He seemed happier and more comfortable in his new environment. Even though she loved so much it almost hurt, she found solace and pride that he was thriving.
As she was in a coffee shop, she received a call from him. “Guess what?” He exclaims immediately, barely giving her a chance to put the phone to her ear.
“What’s up?” Rachel laughed.
“I’m moving back!” Alex announces, barely able to control his excitement. “I’ve been offered a job in our city, and I accepted it. I’ll be back for good.”
She couldn’t contain her smile. “I’m so happy. I cannot wait to see you! When do you come back?” “Next week. It suddenly opened up and I had to jump at the chance. I miss home.” He explained softly.
She blushed. He missed home. He missed her.
He returned a week later, and everything was perfect. They fell into their own little routine, this time their love even stronger. They had both changed and grown during their time apart, but their love remained constant.
As they sat on the rooftop, their rooftop once again, watching the sunset, Rachel couldn’t help but feel appreciative. She had never thought they could survive the distance, but the distance was what actually made their connection deeper and stronger.
‘I never want to let you go again,’ Jason said, breaking the silence.
‘I don’t ever want you to leave again,’ Rachel replied, leaning her head on his shoulder.
As the sun disappeared behind the horizon, they both excitedly talked about their future together. They overcame the long distance. She could not help but think that their love was like the shifting stars in the sky – always beautiful, always moving, never static.
