Now let’s take a trip down memory lane.
It was a warm summer’s day probably four and a half years ago. Andre sat with some-guy-called-Ken and another friend called Yvette in the computer labs. He was in his final year of high school. As usual, Yvette prowled through Myspace (Facebook was yet to make its mark on the virtual world) like a lioness desperate for meat in a famine while Andre and Ken slouched back in their chairs, waiting for the bell to ring.
As Andre turned to pick up his school bag, his eyes met another pair on the computer screen. It was the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen in his life, so full of life and energy, so commanding yet gentle, so experienced yet so young and intense.
‘Hey Yvette who was that?’ Andre asked abruptly, startling Ken, who was drifting in and out of sleep with a consistent supply of saliva hanging from the far most left corner of his mouth.
‘Who?’
‘That girl who was wearing that bright blue dress with her hair tied back in a bun.’
‘Oh you mean her,’ as Yvette enlarged the photo which had Andre on the edge of his seat. ‘Her name is Delilah Tequila, a close high school friend of mine. She’s a Filipina (a girl from the Philippines), and currently studies in Singapore.’
The world went silent for a moment as Andre frantically tried to remember that particular name. It was beautiful, and it wouldn’t be too hard to keep in mind. Delilah Tequila, Delilah Tequila. She had tan, radiant skin, and stood at 5’4 thereabouts. Her smile spoke to his soul and Andre felt a warmth like never before flow through him. Her eyes, you already know. Maybe this was what people called ‘love at first sight’.
As Andre turned to pick up his school bag, his eyes met another pair on the computer screen. It was the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen in his life, so full of life and energy, so commanding yet gentle, so experienced yet so young and intense.
‘Hey Yvette who was that?’ Andre asked abruptly, startling Ken, who was drifting in and out of sleep with a consistent supply of saliva hanging from the far most left corner of his mouth.
‘Who?’
‘That girl who was wearing that bright blue dress with her hair tied back in a bun.’
‘Oh you mean her,’ as Yvette enlarged the photo which had Andre on the edge of his seat. ‘Her name is Delilah Tequila, a close high school friend of mine. She’s a Filipina (a girl from the Philippines), and currently studies in Singapore.’
The world went silent for a moment as Andre frantically tried to remember that particular name. It was beautiful, and it wouldn’t be too hard to keep in mind. Delilah Tequila, Delilah Tequila. She had tan, radiant skin, and stood at 5’4 thereabouts. Her smile spoke to his soul and Andre felt a warmth like never before flow through him. Her eyes, you already know. Maybe this was what people called ‘love at first sight’.
~~~~~~~~~
The minute school ended that day, Andre raced home without first claiming his books from his locker. What was education when something as significant as love hits you anyway? Andre had heard from the more mature figures in his life (namely, his parents) that your true love only comes by once in your life, and he was not about to miss this opportunity for the world. He got home, pulled out his laptop from his bag, placed it gently onto the study table, and turned it on. Just as stalkers do, Andre searched up ‘Delilah Tequila’ in Google search, hoping against hope that he would be to dig up some information on her. Don’t be mistaken, Andre wasn’t a stalker. He was, in his own true words (to another unknown source), ‘under the influence of love’. All mistakes should be pardoned in such a circumstance shouldn’t it?
Bingo. She had her very own website, composing songs and writing poems. At least she has the brains to go with her looks. Very impressive, Andre thought to himself. His eyes widened. There it was at the bottom right hand corner of her gorgeous little website in italic: her email address. Andre suddenly felt a sudden tang of appreciation for the technology human beings possess. Before he knew it, this mysterious girl who he only just laid eyes on that very morning was in his MSN messenger list.
~~~~~~~~~
Several months after of communication through virtual space came the hugely unexpected news: Delilah was moving to Melbourne. Andre’s heart skipped a beat. Two beats to be exact. She had been accepted into Monash College, a gateway to a prestigious Australian university (Monash University) located within the outer eastern regions of Melbourne.
What comes next was the usual story of boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, girl takes a while (2 years in this case) and eventually falls in love with boy (who could resist Andre- That bad memory, that ridiculous tardiness, those bad habits?). It became a daily routine to attend classes until 3 in the afternoon, maybe skip a couple of classes here and there, and then travel an hour and a half by train to get to Clayton just to have mid-day tea with Delilah.
‘I was in the vicinity’ was Andre’s most uttered phrase of the month.
It's been 4 years and til this very day, Delilah still holds Andre's heart.
What comes next was the usual story of boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, girl takes a while (2 years in this case) and eventually falls in love with boy (who could resist Andre- That bad memory, that ridiculous tardiness, those bad habits?). It became a daily routine to attend classes until 3 in the afternoon, maybe skip a couple of classes here and there, and then travel an hour and a half by train to get to Clayton just to have mid-day tea with Delilah.
‘I was in the vicinity’ was Andre’s most uttered phrase of the month.
It's been 4 years and til this very day, Delilah still holds Andre's heart.
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