Narrative Essay - A Lesson Learnt

Why is this mathematics exercise tougher than usual? It is

taking me forever to finish it even though I started at eight o' clock.
Now it is already 10 o’clock and I am not even halfway through. I
kept glancing at my computer at the corner of my room. It looked
so inviting, making me unsure whether to continue with my
homework or to just stop and go online. It took me exactly two
seconds to make up my mind. I am going online!

Obviously from my decision, you know that I am an internet

freak. I am willing to do anything including delaying my
mathematics homework, even though I know very well my teacher,
Mr. Ismail would scream murder. May God help those who dare to
mess up with him! Well, I may be a self-confessed internet addict
but at least I am computer literate! I absolutely adore computers
and my greatest love has got to be the Internet Relay Chat (IRC).
This is because it gives me a sense of freedom and exhilaration,
unlike anything I have experienced before. You can be a
supermodel an astronaut or the local zookeeper and no one would
even know the difference.

When I sat in front of the monitor and clicked on the IRC

programme, a short but unique name caught my eye,'Neo'. I said
“hi” and introduced myself. I was ecstatic when Neo answered and
turned out to be a great conversationalist and we hit off
immediately. We chatted about everything and I felt as though I
had known him since the dawn of time. It never occurred to me to
ch get back to my homework and by the time I did, it was already
too late. Realizing this, I dreaded the next day because that was
when I had to brace myself for the impact of Mr. Ismail's bashing. I
could picture him now, nostrils flared, sweat trickling down his
forehead, the gestures of his hand animating his words and eyes
that shone with a wild, black fire. God, please help me!

The next day was a living hell. Everybody was mad at me and I
was mad at myself. I just wanted to shout it out to the world. "I am
a victim of modern civilization!" Later at home, to relieve my stress,
I went online and Neo was there. He asked me about my day. I
recounted to him how I had overslept and was late for school, how
Mr. Ismail punished me in front of the whole class and how my class
shunned and threw a cold, glaring look at me because they had to
complete ten exercises which were due the following day just
because I failed to complete my work. He just listened to me and
was very understanding and supportive. He even sent me a
bouquet of virtual flowers to cheer me up and I was touched. It was
the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

We continued to be friends for a whole month without even

knowing how the other looked like but this teeny- weeny fact did
not bother me at all. However, one day Neo told me he would really
like to meet me because he felt as if we were friends with faceless
voices. I tried every trick in the book but I could not dodge his
request. He noticed my effort and he demanded why I was acting
that way. I could not explain why and so I finally gave in. Our
meeting was set; he was supposed to wear a navy blue shirt, khakis
and brown leather shoes. When he described what he was going to
wear, I realized that he must be quite rich to dress so elegantly. As
for me, I was just going to settle on a red blouse and my faded blue
jeans. We agreed to meet in front of Starbuck's coffee house at two
o'clock, two days from now.

Surely you must be wondering why I did not want to meet

him. I was afraid that if he knew how I looked, he would not have
any interest in being my friend anymore because I was not like
other normal teenagers, so vibrant and full of life. When others ran,
I lagged behind because my artificial leg could not withstand the
pressure. The truth was, I was not born handicapped but I lost my
leg during a mountain expedition last year. I was helping my friend
up the ravine but I slipped and fell. I was alive but my right leg was
severely injured and had to be amputated. That was why I now had
a prosthetic leg. I realized how wonderful it was to be normal and it
made the pain much harder to bear. My old life which was full of
physical activities, seemed like a passing wind, never to come again.
I was not fit anymore to Join my friends and that threw my
confidence out of the window. I was afraid Neo would not accept
me.

The next day, my mind was occupied with thoughts of him

and his reaction. So, to ease my mind, I made him promise not to
judge me by my appearance but by was inside me. I did not tell him
the truth because I wanted to know if he was sincere in his
friendship.

The moment of truth finally came and I was read anything.

When I arrived, I noticed a fine looking young man that fits Neo's
description. When I said "fine looking”, I was not kidding. He came
with his friend, so before I approached him, I studied him first. He
was athletically built and tall with mocha-coloured skin His hair was
neat and it looked as though it was woven from the hues of the
midnight sky. His eyes were brown and alert but with a certain
mysterious glint. It made him look arrogant and egoistical. I could
see that he was so anxious and restless that even his friend's
comforting words could not help to soothe him.

Slowly, I walked up to him and introduced myself. I smiled at

him but I could see that he was shocked to see my condition and he
failed to hide it. He babbled something indecipherable. He asked
how I was and we chatted a little but he seemed restless. I looked
at him knowingly and then he glanced at his wristwatch He excused
himself and said that he had to go. Neo's friend looked at him in
disbelief but Neo ignored his lance. Neo promised to call me later
and then he hurriedly left. It happened so fast and before I realized
it, he was gone.

Neo had failed the test. He could not handle the truth, so it
was better to let him go. There was no sense in postponing the
inevitable. I knew he would never call me again. I knew that our
first meeting was also our last. There would be no next time. He
had broken his promise and maybe it was true that broken
promises lead to broken hearts. Even though I have been through
similar situations before, it still hurts. But I will still keep trying
because I believe that even when the darkest moment dawns, it
comes with the promise of a new day. I just have to move on and
live with the fact that sometimes, people are not what they seem to
be. Thanks to Neo. I know that now.

So, as I sat at the corner table at Starbuck's, looking out of the

window, I saw a group of teenage girls giggling as if laughing at a
secret joke. How I envy them! I looked at them as they passed by
and then I reflected on what had happened. I looked down at my
coffee and saw my reflection. Then suddenly a tear trickled down
my cheek and fell into the coffee, obscuring my reflection.