Hello Hivers!
When I saw the topic for Day 16 of 30-Day Blogging Challenge by 
Girl meets boy.
Oh cr*p, why does this feel like a nagging urge to return a missed call.
Let's start over again.
One Summer Day In My Grandparents' Neighborhood
The smell of fried chicken from our neighbor's house wafted through the alley where my grandparents used to live. It was narrow. Just wide enough for two people to pass side by side, because the rest of it was occupied by plants in recycled milk tins. There was barely any sun. It was blocked by medium-rise row apartments on either side. This was where I spent my summer vacations. There were puddles. I skipped to avoid them on my way to my friend's house.
I glanced at my 7 year-old reflection on the glass window. Short dark brown hair, large eyes with pale skin.
Shameless, I pulled their screen door open and invited myself in. Their unit was two doors down from where my grandparents lived. I was hoping to play Barbie dolls with my friend, Jo, who was then 9 years-old.
My First Crush: A Boy Named Nathan
There he was, comfortably settled in a lounge chair at the corner. He glanced up from a book he was reading, somewhat annoyed. He shouted, "Jo, your friend is here."
"Hi, " I said to him breaking into my friendliest smile.
He looked at me blankly and continued reading.
I sat in front of him while waiting for his younger sister. His name is Nathan. He was around 4 years older than I was, which made him 11 years old.
He had tanned sculpted features, with dark hair, deep dimples on his cheeks when he smiles, and long dark lashes that cast shadows on his face while he read.
I knew that Michael Jackson songs were his favorite and that he could do the moonwalk effortlessly. I watched him a few times shooting hoops with his friends at the basketball court.
He was from an exclusive all boys' school. His parents were both teachers and they worked hard to provide him with good education. He took pride in being a consistent class valedictorian. Sometimes, he would pop by to visit my grandfather, whenever he needed help to proof read his book reports, essays and speeches. I was intimidated by him and he knew I had a crush on him.
Jo descended the stairs a few moments later.
I stayed and played dolls with her in the same room. Nathan continued reading in his corner while Michael Jackson's song, "Beat It" played in the radio.
Their mom served fried chicken with rice and asked me to stay and have lunch with them. I sat next to him. I wanted to capture his attention so I kept talking, but he remained silent.
There was a knock on the door. It was Jen, one of our female friends around the same age as Nathan. He got up from his seat with a quick switch in his demeanor. He was suddenly next to her. They shared a joke and laughed.
I whispered loudly in Jo's ear being cheeky and funny like most kids do.
"What's up with you whispering," he snapped at me. "How annoying.."
I didn't hear the rest of his words. I was out of the door when the tears fell.
Epilogue : Well at least I had fried chicken. :) Seriously though, we remained friends, not so close but someone well enough to be added and un-restricted in social media. However, he and his family still refers to me as the girl who had a major crush on him. According to my sisters, this came up at a funeral not so long ago. One that I didn't even attend. I don't know what to think of it. I am starting to question myself --what have I done to merit such indelible reputation? Oh, I forgot to put my heart away from my sleeve. 😜
Thank you for reading. With all of my recent challenge entries, I didn't mean to sound like a cry baby.😄 Oh boy.. haha
Check out previous posts if you haven't read them yet and please join us in the 30 Day Blogging Challenge by
Day 1 / Day 2 / Day 3 / Day 4 / Day 5 / Day 6 / Day 7 / Day 8 / Day 9 / Day 10 / Day 11 / Day 12 / Day 13 / Day 14 / Day 15