Part 2

Remember That Girl?

11.14.12

Remember that girl, and also that boy?

This is now not the start, nor the end.

She mastered the art of winning her heart

And then let the boy in as a friend.

Fast-forward a while, a year if you will

To the lives of our fickle young teens

So much has occurred, so much growth has been spurred.

Lots more have they both thought and seen.

The girl wasn’t scared, the control was all hers,

So friendship was casual and nice.

She wasn’t quite sure if the boy’s feelings endured,

But testing it was not worth the price.

His clearance was low, she kept to herself

As one would expect from the past.

He still liked her a lot, and never forgot

How she’d caught him so hard and so fast.

For months upon months, he tried rather hard,

Though she felt and expressed nothing new.

She liked other guys and didn’t disguise

That she and the boy were all through.

The boy kept his space, he respect her there

Though he obviously hated her crushes.

It made her feel nice that she’d gotten him twice,

But her heart was unmoved by his pushes.

The girl had no time nor romantic desire;

She was happier just as she was.

She worked on her writing and found life exciting.

That’s what winning one’s heart often does.

Being free now from fear, her mind and soul grew—

A process the boy often helped.

He still stuck around, which was nice, the girl found.

She was surprised at how little she felt.

She made it quite plain that she felt not a thing,

Which the boy said was true for him too,

But she still felt the scope of the boy’s patient hope

And she struggled with just what to do.

She told him her thoughts, that there wasn’t a chance

And the boy let that be for a bit,

But as more time went by, the girl wondered why

They still seemed such a strange perfect fit.

After telling him no, one late winter night,

The girl started to feel something wrong.

The confusion inside built up til she cried.

She was mad; she’d stayed strong for so long.

What the hell did this mean? She demanded to know.

Why the hell did the boy even matter?

She confided at last to her best girl friend Cass

How her honestly-hard heart was shattered.

The boy was still there, she still spoke with him lots.

Three years had seen them stay friends.

They’d gone up and down and both gotten around.

The means could not explain this strange end.

The girl barely slept, her heart kept her up.

She struggled both in church and school.

Her feelings would pass, like they had at long last.

She refused to be seen as a fool.

Nightmares plagued her when she shut her eyes.

Was it wrong not to let her thoughts out?

What if he died with her thought still inside?

All her actions just filled her with doubt.

This went on for weeks, life was hard all around,

But the girl soon made up her mind.

If after trying her best, her thoughts wouldn’t rest

Then there was something in a “Them” to find.

She plotted to tell him how she really felt.

For the right time she waited weeks more.

When she told him at last, the relief followed fast,

Though she felt more reserved than before.

The boy proved himself soon, by asking her dad,

The step that had stalled him in past.

The girl heard with delight through the closed door that night.

She was worth the boy’s effort at last.

Dating was crazy and perfect and weird.

It took them a while to believe.

After years of just gray, dusk had given to day

Each other’s love they could freely perceive.

                               

What made this time different, you might want to know,

Since they’d never worked well in the past.

Their love story shows that with time you grow,

And ultimatums should seldom be cast.

The boy grew up loyal; the girl became strong.

They both became more of themselves.

The girl spoke without fear and the boy came to hear.

They took down their emotions from shelves.

The girl was still wary for months at the start,

Defenses and guards were still up.

But he loved her a lot, and he gave things a shot

And she told him at last that she loved him.

Months went by fast as summer and college flew by.

They kept close even though they were far.

They argued for fun, and over who won

And had fun even just in the car.

I guess time will tell if they make it forever

Forever’s a long time, you see.

But one thing’s for sure:  inner strength is the cure

For heartache and loving happily.

~Stephanie