One More Time, One More Chance

This is a true sad short love story about my relationship with a girl name
Joan. From where I stay to my secondary school to my favorite hangout spots.
She knew everything about me. Yet, I knew nothing about her.

~ Zero Hikari

I'm a man of a few words. I really detest speaking and most of the time, I like to be alone.
Betrayed by all my past relationships, asking me to love someone again seems so downright
impossible. Yet, she persistently approached me. She knew I love to hang out in the library to
read books about astronomy. Without fail, she appears every day to bug me, and no matter where
I hide in the library, she always seem to be able to catch me. She persistently tried to open a
conversation, and I will just shun her off without fail. This continues for several months - till the
day I get annoyed and decides to confront her.

On that fateful day, as I predicted, she approached me at the library again. I grab her and push
her to the wall, "Listen girl. I won't hesitate to eat you up if you insist on offering your perfect
body to me." I threatened. "Then do it." She retorted. Always wanted to be a chivalrous knight, I
followed a strict code of chivalry and honor. She knew she hit my blind spot when I dare not
make any advances on her. "Happy Birthday, Gary."

I stared at her with a bewildered look. I took a look at my watch. It's my birthday. She
remembers it even when I don't remember. She smile at me and without a word, I was dragged
all the way out of the library and into a white Toyota. "David, if you please, to East Coast Park."
She said. "Understood." Replied the driver dressed in a simple T-shirt and a black pants. I was
too engross in thinking who is this rich pretty girl, thinking about how she knew so much about
me, that I pay no heed to the both of them throughout the trip. We arrived at the park and the
driver left us there. "Here! Your birthday present! Look up!" She pulled me to a spot and point
towards the sky. When I look up, I see the skies blanketed with stars I never thought could be
seen in Singapore. "My name's Joan. And once again, Happy Birthday, Gary!" I don't know...
That day, I open up to her and started talking to her.

We gradually grew closer and closer to each other as day passes. She's always there for me when
I needed someone to talk to. She's a daddy's girl. Her dad gets her what she wants, though she
never did ask for anything. I even met her parents during our first official 'date'. The first date
was a utter failure, which even resulted in a police case. This unfortunate incident, I will not
disclose it, but it's because of this incident, I began to understand what led to my actions that
night when I carried an unconscious Joan home. Not because I wanted to protect the weak. It's
like, I wanted to protect Joan, even if it cost my life. That's how I feel. Ever since then, every
time I see her, my heart will start to beat faster. And I get nervous when I talk to her. I dismiss
those feelings as just simply infatuation and told myself that I wont get cheated a second time.
I'm really sick of being cheated by the girl I love over, and over again.
When I tried to distance myself away from her, I locked myself in my home. I do not want to go
to school, I do not want to go out. I do not wish to see her. And well... I fell ill shortly
afterwards. My mom and dad do not have the time to take care of me as they need to work, and
being from a family with below average income, I don't rely on medication to recover from
fever. I thought about it for a moment and decided to go to school per normal despite this fever
going on. In the end, I got permission to leave the school early because the fever is really
affecting me. I traveled all the way home and yeah, after closing the doors, I collapsed onto the
ground.

A sweet smelling fragrant woke up, and I found myself resting on my bed with an ice-bag on my
forehead. I struggled out of my room and I saw a familiar pair of pink shoes on the shoe rack. I
proceed to the kitchen and to my disbelief, there she is, cooking. I caught her attention when I
fall on my knees due to fatigue. "Hey! You're suppose to rest! You're having such a high fever so
don't you dare move! I'll help you to the bed." That said, Joan supported me all the way back to
the bed. "Hey... How did you get into my house..?" I questioned. She gave me a smirk and
answered "David is so all-knowing. So i figured he knew how to pick-lock and I got him to teach
me!".

"I've prepared some rice gruel for you. Don't worry about anything ok? Shut that mind of your's
for God's sake if there is any! You're thinking too much at the wrong place, at the wrong time!
I'm here to take care of you and you ain't going to chase me away you hear!?" She lectured. I
simply nodded as she quickly goes back to the kitchen and back again with the food. "I'm
feeding you, so open your mouth!" That said, I do as ordered. My heart feels pink. I feel like
crying for trying to distant myself from her, yet she still came back for me and even took care of
me when I'm sick. That day, I fallen in love again. With Joan.

We became a couple. Doing everything a couple does except for you-know-what. But this
relationship hits a wall when her dad found out about it and strictly refuses Joan from dating me
because of my social status - I'm a poor guy and she's a rich girl. Her dad's a traditional man, but
her mom had already accepted me. He had already prepared a match-making session for her.
When she knows of it, she quarreled with her dad. Her dad ain't letting up, and she is getting
desperate. There are times when she ran away from home, there are times when she starts doing
foolish things that bring harm to herself. It was a very depressing time in our relationship. During
this time, I'm always with her. To calm her down, to be with her, and to protect her. Her dad
finally decides to let up, and we thought this became our happy ending.

No. It was not. Two months after...

Her dad decided that the entire family should migrate to Switzerland. Upon hearing that, Joan
cried. Day after day, she cried. Even when I'm with her and even when I tried comforting her,
she cried on and on. I'm getting desperate once more. I approach her dad to try to talk things out.
But to no avail. I spend my entire time to her during her remaining days left here in Singapore. I
even slept at her house. I wanted her to stay with me, but I hesitated. When I woke up on the day
of her flight, I saw a note left on the bed we slept. Written on it was the time of the flight and a
farewell note to me.
One more time... I wanted to see her... I wanted to tell her to stay with me.

One more chance... I pray to whoever's up there watching this episode of my life.

I hurried to the airport but she was not there. I really wanted to tell her to stay with me. I will do
anything and everything just to make her stay! I hurried to the customer service and they told me
that their flight departed just an hour ago. I cried. I cried and cried. I soon fell into a depression
and my grades in school took a heavy blow. She was my life. She was my everything. Yet, Joan
refused me one last time to say what I want, and she refused me one last chance to say goodbye.

......

It's been a few years now. I have a girlfriend and we both love each other very much. Don't get
me wrong. I just wanted to share this story on how a perfect relationship is ruined because of our
social status. I have gotten over it. So please, people out there who is reading this... If you ever
get into such a situation, don't hesitate. Hesitate like I do, and the sands of time will swallow up
your Love.

Source: yourlifehappiness.com