Thanks for the memories: Beginning

“...Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end...”

-Third Eye Blind, in their hit track 'Closing time'.

The journey of life as we know it has never been short of unforgettable experiences. Some for good reason, and some not for the best reasons. Its what memories are made of. I, like most other people my age, have lots of these. One of my fondest of them all, which I unravel in the lines that follow, was during the twilight years of my teenage-hood.

It was back in 2010 when I was seeing this girl, whom here I shall refer to as Hailey. She was special.. I know because I've not yet met any girl quite like her ever since, then again, I guess everyone is somehow. So, just to be clear, I’ll put it this way, I haven't met another lass that made me feel half what she'd make me feel. I don't suppose you still want me to spell out what or how it is I felt? Your guess is as good as mine. That must have been love. In retrospect however, I sometimes doubt that!

Its 2013 now.. yeah, turns out the purported 2012 Armageddon was all a hoax! God of mercy,that would have been terrible for me! Let alone the high likelihood that I was bound for heaven's opposite number, I had only blown 20 candles, fallen in love(or was it?) only once, I hadn't yet met my soul-mate ! Never watched Arsenal play live from the Emirates stadium, never had.. Oh am sure you get the picture! Just a constellation of things on my to-do list. 
 

Anyway, I digressed.. getting back to it, 2013. So its been a little over a couple of years down the line. Yes, two years and in all that time..,wait for it...; I haven't gone out with any other girl! Hey, hold it right there.. don't rush into conclusions! I know what it looks like; All 'evidence' incriminates my poor heart.. that I haven't been able to move on huh? No. Trust me, it's quite the contrary. I like to believe that I made closure, and moved on, as many years ago as I've been single. But wait, is two years that long a duration really? Am not so certain of it, time really seems to have flown by! So sometimes it doesn't seem to alarm me that much. Anyway, long time or short time, however you take it. 

Now, for those who that length of time strikes as alarming, I think I just might have another surprise for you; Hailey and I only met once in person! Just once. Again, hold it.. am not talking about a love-at-first-sight thing here(if that even exists!)! No, we had actually been dating a few months before our meet. Yes, online obviously.. technically though; not exactly, because we'd actually text and call for the most part, besides, we didn't meet on a social network or an internet dating site or something like that! We made acquaintance through a high school buddy of mine who happened to be a cousin of hers. So we 'met' over a phone call, after which we started to chat a lot, and the rest you can figure out. 

I liked her a lot, still do as a matter of fact- but that's a story for a later time. I bet you're wondering what transpired on this one and only meeting we had. The much I can tell you for now is that, it went down almost as ordinarily as any of its kind.

Plenty of nervous moments, some awkward silences, coy smiles and all that. We both did have a nice time, and to top it all up, we made out, and seemed to cling onto each other when time came to bid each other goodbye. 

That said, I know how perplexing it may sound to tell you that, that day we met up marked the beginning of our ending. There sadly was to be no other such meeting ever again. No, she didn't zoom out of the country soon afterward if that's what you're thinking! I do wish that is what would've rather happened than what actually did though. “So what was it?” you wonder. I'll tell you what. But first, before I get onto that, maybe I'll let you in on a rather solemn confession, just so you have a hint.