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Monday 10 August 2020

For The Boy Who Tried But Couldn't Stay

 


Like a Prince, he rode in, but not in the similitude of royals and princes.

His arrival though sudden, wasn’t greeted with pomp and pageantry.

It was quiet, hushed, muffled, and characterized by every trait that describes the word silent.

Yet it was filled with verve and gusto, marked with certitude and assuredness.

He made it clear that he had one purpose, one well-thought out and calculated mission.

To win your heart, to soften all the parts toughened and hardened by life – this was all he wanted.

Ici pour rester! This would have been the chant were it in the words of a French man.

His raison d’agir was you. It is what a thorough bred Spaniard would call ‘el premio’.

And he tried. Consistently, committedly, unashamedly he pressed and pumped.

Freely he gave of his time, holding nothing back in the contention for you, for your love.

His demeanour though calm, adopted a humourous face and softer exterior.

He stayed up till late, sharing stories, telling jokes your laughter his inspiration.

He pushed and pursued, chasing as he treaded a path he never had dared.

He didn’t sweep you off your feet, neither did he make your head spin or heart stop.

He simply made you feel secure and safe, fear seemed to evaporate upon every encounter with him.

Relinquishing the familiar, he pressed on in a previously uncharted territory.

He seemed scared but never unsure. Made little promises in simple words that connoted calm assurance.

He wasn’t thoroughly smooth even though you knew that wasn’t what he was trying to be.

Like Saul the persecutor, he was willing to take on a new name and identity.

Like Paul the Apostle, he pressed on towards the prize, a higher calling.

And while many had promised to take you to the world, he wanted to bring the world to you.

Through busy days and tight schedules, he pressed. Through tough conversations he plunged deeper.

The calls stayed consistent and the trips across the ocean only seemed to make it solid.

Then abruptly like an aircraft that developed mechanical faults mid-air, it nose-dived and crashed.

Just when you decided to participate fully in the play, and the drama seemed to be taking an intriguing turn, he drew the curtains on it.

Your heart was no longer the prize, his raison d’agir had changed unexpectedly and without warning signs.

It all began with a call and in the most dramatic fashion, ended with a call. It was a bow taken too soon.

Stricken and confused you sought answers. Why? What? When? Where? How? Haba!

Why had breathing become so difficult? What did you do or didn’t do? When did everything change?

Where did it all go? The love, the laughter, and the friendship? How did you not see it coming?

You wore the pain like a pair of heels that were too high and too tight, yet you walked on.

You forged and trudged on, hoping to find healing on the wings of the morning. The sun rose and set, and many moons passed. Slowly but surely, Winter, Autumn and Fall passed, then Summer came, leading you to Springtime.

Your breathing normalized, the questions stopped, the glow returned, and the world became alright again. The flowers had begun to bloom and so did your heart.

Through it all, you learned that the worse isn’t always what you think and that bad decisions can also come from good hearts.

This is the story of the boy who opened up a different world to you and even though he couldn’t stay, he did his best to make you fly without wings.

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