Our Essay.

Well today we had a small activity to do in class: a narrative, of all things. *rolls eyes*

This is what we came up with.

After my graduation, I took a clerical job with an insurance company. The job was extremely unpleasant and I found myself among some annoying people with whom I had nothing in common. However, things changed when ‘she’ came in.

Initially, I was under a lot of pressure from my supervisor. He expected top notch work and I was but a beginner in this field of work. I made mistakes, a lot of them, and always ended up being shouted at and blamed for the shoddy work. My colleagues stayed away from me because they did not want any ‘screw-ups’, as they put it, in their work. I found myself sitting alone for lunch and being sort of a bell-boy for the office workers.

Then ‘she’ came. I had not met her in many years. We were friends in primary school, but she move to boarding school after Primary 6, and I had not met her since. In school we did not talk much to each other; just a little nod of acquaintance to each other as our eyes met.

She recognized me the moment she laid eyes on me. I, however, was taken aback when she approached me because I have come a long way since Primary 6. I’ve grown taller, thinner, and ganglier. I kept my hair long and dyed it brown. If my own grandmother could not recognize me, I did not see how she could, but she did.

She said “Hi” in a less than formal fashion and introduced herself, thinking I did not remember her. I told her of course I knew her and she was glad. We started talking and she told me about her life after Primary 6. There was something about her that captured me, something that made me want to listen, to listen more as she spoke. Was it her smile, her smile that made me feel like I was floating on the clouds of heaven?

We started talking everyday and became closer as each day passed. Life at the office was not as dull as before, in fact I was better at my job. Everyone stopped avoiding me and became friendlier towards me. Even my temperamental supervisor congratulated me for a job well done after I successfully completed two projects. It was like the “Productive” switch in me was flicked on and my attitude towards work completely changed. I was more willing to learn and always checked my work trice before finalizing them. I always believed that it was with her presence that I was able to do better; without her I was nothing.

Without doubt I started t develop feelings for her. We became very close and I hoped she was feeling the same way for me. I decided to open up and express my feelings to her, to let her know that I have been slowly falling for her. What would she say? I needed to know. I invited her to lunch one day at and exquisite restaurant. She was surprised with my invitation, but accepted nonetheless.

I pictured the scenario of how I was going to break it to her, imagining her saying “Yes, I feel the same way.” That blissful thought was punctured by the phone call I received from her the next morning. She told me that she knew of my feelings towards her, suspected many times as we had those wonderful lunchtime chats. When I invited her to lunch her suspicions were confirmed and she told me she could not let me fall for her. She wanted to end our friendship, which she treasure so deeply, lest it grew into something more. Before I could answer, to defend my standing, she hung up the phone.

Since then, I have not received any news from her, nothing at all. Funnily enough, my job performance was not affected in the least, though I thought it would have dropped if she was not there with me. I did my job just as well, as if she was there beside me, giving me the power, the confidence, the poise one needs in the corporate world. I will not forget how she changed me, helped me to become a better person, from a depressed newbie, to a dynamic and fruitful worker.

I constantly asked myself, what happened? What was all that about? Why did she come into my life, full of laughter and gaiety, and then leave so abruptly? Our time together was so short, perhaps I acted too impulsively. Was it too quick a decision to make about a person who I knew so little about? Questions after questions formed in my mind and no answer could satisfy them. However, I was always sure of one thing: how I felt about her to moment I saw her.

She was a phantom delight,

When she gleamed upon my sight,

A lovely apparition sent,

To be a moment’s ornament.

Too bland? Thank you very much. :)