1. Back in high school I had the honor of making the acquaintance of a young lady who had a very big affect on my life. For the sake of maintaining her anonymity I'll refer to her as Nancy. I first met her at the high school orientation for the International Baccalaureate (IB) ceremony. That was the first year the IB program was offered in that high school. Though very difficult, the program offered near guaranteed admittance into any state college in the country and a large scholarship to those who could complete it. Being naturally shy, I was a little nervous during the orientation. Nancy walked right up and introduced herself to me, smiling all the while. She told me how excited she was entering the program and asked me questions about where I came from and what I thought of the high school we would be attending. We became immediate friends.
From that point we worked together all the time in class and extracurricular activities. She was always the more brilliant of the two of us. Though some people considered her a geek for it, I was always amazed at her intellectual abilities. She was first in the class for every math and science related subject, she even went so far as to tutor our physics teacher. She made it the national level science fair for her project in astrophysics, which elaborated on Hawking's theory of how the universe existed in a cycle of expansion and contraction.
I always envied her a little for how the subjects we studied seemed to come to her so naturally. But she never held it over any of her classmates; she always took time to help those who had trouble grasping a subject. Without her help I never would've made it through the program, and never received the scholarships that allow me to attend UCF now. That's why it allows pains me to remember the manner in which we parted ways.
It was our senior year, and though we spent a lot of time together in class or in required extracurricular functions, I had never really seen her away from the school. One Saturday I was bored and called her up, wanting to know if she would go with me to a movie. Her response dumbfounded me. She said, "I really don't want to pursue a relationship right now, we're almost ready to graduate. That's just not important to me right now".
Then she hung up the phone. After then she would never come near me or even look in my direction. At the time I didn't understand what was wrong. We graduated shortly afterward and I didn't see her for a couple of years. In that time it dawned on me that I had crossed a line that I couldn't uncross. She thought I was asking her out on a date, when that was not my intention at all. No matter how I could try to explain the mistake, the fact is she no longer thought of me as a friend, but as something entirely different. There was no going back, even though it had been a simple misunderstanding. I lost the best friend I ever had.
PS. Though this has nothing to do with the topic, I can't help but adding that I saw her once a few years later. I was working in retail for a summer job between semesters and she walked by. She saw me and, smiling, she came over to me and said hi. We exchanged a few pleasantries before she introduced me to her fiance. Since I never thought of her that way I wasn't hurt. But I was confused, she seemed so different. The energy she had that was her driving force and such an integral part of her personality was gone.
I asked her how she was doing in college, assuming that she was doing quite well being immersed in an environment she seemed so well matched for. I was stunned to hear that she had not gone to college at all. I didn't ask her why, as it seemed too impolite, but it's always stumped me since then. She had no less than six scholarships lined up, as well as an invitation to MIT. What on earth could've made her back down from what she wanted so badly in high school? I guess I'll never see her again, or find out what happened. I can't help but wonder, if only I had been there, she might've decided to do things differently.
2. In a perfect world I would've been more perceptive, and realized how easily my offer could've been misconstrued. She would've understood that, like her, I had no interest in romantic involvement. There would've been no miscommunication and I would still be proud to consider her a friend to this very day.
3. I learned how easily men and women can miscommunicate. Though it is nobody's fault, when certain things are said they can never be changed or forgotten. For example, that the mere suggestion of wanting to be more than just friends can destroy such an important relationship. I can count the number of friends I've had in my life on the hand of a near-sighted lumberjack. And I lament the fact that the price of my lesson was Nancy's friendship.
Occupation: Freelance Writer
I am a twenty three year old partially disabled man who is desperately looking for a way to earn a living without having to leave the house. I currently live with my disabled mother and step-father; partly from my inability to afford my own home, partly from my great fear of abandonment, and partly because I am required to help care for my mother.
I have loved to read since I was little, mainly as an escape from the reality that seemed to deal my family and I one blow after another. My mother became disabled nearly fifteen years ago, my brother and I following about one year later. We grew up in an old haunted house on land that was originally claimed as belonging to the Seminole tribe. My entire family encountered old cold spots, irrational feelings of anger or terror, and glimpses of a goblin-like creature running down the hall on a daily basis. Though it may seem petty or farfetched, I truly do believe that whatever entity resided in that house harmed us in some way, cursing us with poor health.
As a result of that curse, my family and I have been hard put to keep a roof over our heads, though I was grateful for the fact that my father, possibly the most oblivious man I've ever met, never once succumbed to illness and was able to provide for his wife and children... Up until he decided he was tired of caring for a sick woman and divorced her. I was beginning my first year in college by then. He drained my college funds and used them to pay for a lawyer to take my mother to court to protest against paying child support for my sickly younger brother.
Luckily I had worked my tail off in high school, despite being too ill to attend a year and a half and teaching myself algebra and trigonometry, and landed several scholarships that floated me through. I first majored in English as I wished to become a writer from a very young age. By the beginning of my second year I realized that a writer needed no accreditation, so I switched to a personal fascination of mine, psychology.
I never really understood the human mind and its thought processes, though I was good at empathizing with people and providing counseling. I thought that my major would enable me to become a therapist. I'd spent enough time one the couch and knew the routine well enough that I thought I could do the other guy's job too. I studied hard and graduated magna cum laude of a class of nearly 5,000.
Unfortunately my guidance counselors never mentioned that a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology is virtually useless. One needs a Master's at the least to be qualified to practice. Compounding insult to injury, I was the victim of an attempted carjacking while on my way to take the examinations I would need to get into graduate school. The man who attacked me died of his injuries and I never did get the opportunity to get to the testing facility. Because of this I was unable to apply for grad school or obtain any scholarships and was forced to move back home.
I've been working as a sales associate in a department store for the last year and half as my health has allowed. Though I am currently unemployed as my sales numbers were too low as a result of the failing economy and I was forced to either tender my resignation or be fired.
I've excelled as a creative writer very early on, and fantasized about being a published author since I was in middle school. It occurred to me that I might be able to make a meager living by writing articles online, as I am relatively skilled in creative and analytical writing.
The biggest problem I face when writing is my difficulty in coming up with believable dialog. This has stemmed from my inability to understand other people; for some reason their thoughts and actions are totally alien to me, though my reclusive nature has probably added to this shortcoming.
For all those who've had the strength of will or lack of apathy to read this tale of pathetic woe I thank you. Should you read any of my articles and rate them, I thank you further. Should you have any constructive criticism to offer, or simply wish to talk, it would be more than welcome.
PS. Try to guess how much of this story is true! (Maniacal Laughter)
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