DEAR DIARY
5:35 PM
A frail little child sits despondently on the swing. Rocking herself gently back and forth, head hanging low, short unkempt hair shrouding her face from the rest of the world. She stares at the sand beneath her converse-clad feet unseeingly, as the dull autumn leaves fall gently around her.
A single drop of cold on the back of her hand wakes her from her dazed stupor. As she looks up, freezing drops of rain fall one by one onto her cheeks. Her cheeks, once rosy, now as pale as death. She slowly rolls her eyes back and lets her heavy eyelids close, relishing the sensation of ice on her bare skin. She lets out a sigh. One of relief, or resignation she herself knows not. The tempest in her mind finally clears and she focuses only on the rain. She feels each distinct drop on her soft skin as the low wind tenderly caresses her face, just as he always would while he tucked her unruly hair behind her ears and stared into her eyes.
She pulls away sharply from the thought and throws it into the Pandora's box of her mind. Not now, she thinks. She wants to have a moment away from it all. Just soaking up the atmosphere. And soak she does, as Mother Nature becomes more relentless.
Soon, sheets of ice-cold water fall upon her tiny frame as she shakes and quivers under their weight. The stinging chill, the brute force of the rain, the terrifying din of the thunder, the smell of rain and fresh earth intertwined, the pitter-patter on the hard concrete ground, the glow behind her eyelids as lighting dances across the darkened sky. Her senses are awakened. She feels alive, for the first time in forever. The lonely, abandoned girl, has become one with the rain. She sits there, unthinking, as seconds stretch into minutes.
Suddenly, a wry bemused smile plays upon her face as she tastes the salt on her chapped lips. No one will ever know, she muses. Another sigh. This time undoubtedly of resignation. If only time could just freeze; capture this perfect moment in its entirety for all eternity. Nothing lasts forever though, and she knows that. She'll have to go back. Back into the pain-riddled drama her life has become. She'll worry about it later though. I'm not going to waste away this precious moment thinking about the inevitable, she rightly decides. The only opportunity for absolute calm and solitude in this mad world. What a queer sight, she concludes, imagining herself a third person looking in onto her life at this very instant. A queer sight indeed.
It feels like hours before the torrential rain finally subsides to a light drizzle. Suddenly awakened from her hypnotic state, her eyes flutter open and her hearts sinks as she realises her time is up. The calm and tranquil so effortlessly shattered. Oh take me away, she pleads half-heartedly, a sarcastic smile upon her lips for she knows full well the torture and agony that will ensue her return to reality.
Reluctantly, she lifts herself off the old black tire and struggles to balance herself, her entire body numb. She begrudgingly trudges back up the way she came, fighting with herself not to look back, knowing it would only make her strong facade that much harder to keep up. She knows she'd give in though and does exactly that. Turning around, she looks back one last time at the swing that gently rocks in the cool breeze. She'd forever remember this rare autumn rain.
♥nan
11:54 PM
Absolutely tired now after frisbee with PA comm!
It was super fun though, despite hurting my ankle a little. Couldn't stop laughing during the warm ups and drills haha. Didn't realise how fun frisbee would be!
Finally reached enlightenment...for pH and buffers at least. Prof Too is a pretty good lecturer. I like his lessons, even though I usually feel lethargic during lectures after having lunch ><
Want to review tutorial 1 now but I'm so freaking tired, I don't know if I can stay awake to finish it ):
On the bright side, 1101 lab report is almost done! About 15% left to go and we'll probably finish and submit it tomorrow afternoon itself!
AND another long weekend this week because I don't have lab this Friday and Cindy Ng cancelled UTU lecture for some reason! Wheee~
I'm a happy girl! Tired, but definitely happy ^^
2:09 PM
Blogging in between lessons.
Going to school after a long weekend is such a drag ):
♥nan
1:37 AM
Saw this
story on Facebook ♥
A LETTER IN THE LOST WALLET
As I walked home one freezing day, I stumbled on a wallet someone had lost in the street. I picked it up and looked inside to find some identification so I could call the owner. But the wallet contained only three dollars and a crumpled letter that looked as if it had been in there for years.
The envelope was worn and the only thing that was legible on it was the return address. I started to open the letter, hoping to find some clue. Then I saw the dateline--1924. The letter had been written almost sixty years ago.
It was written in a beautiful feminine handwriting on powder blue stationery with a little flower in the left-hand corner. It was a "Dear John"
letter that told the recipient, whose name appeared to be Michael, that the writer could not see him any more because her mother forbade it. Even so, she wrote that she would always love him.
It was signed, Hannah.
It was a beautiful letter, but there was no way except for the name Michael, that the owner could be identified. Maybe if I called information,
the operator could find a phone listing for the address on the envelope.
"Operator," I began, "this is an unusual request. I'm trying to find the owner of a wallet that I found. Is there anyway you can tell me if there is a phone number for an address that was on an envelope in the wallet?"
She suggested I speak with her supervisor, who hesitated for a moment then said, "Well, there is a phone listing at that address, but I can't give you the number." She said, as a courtesy, she would call that number, explain my story and would ask them if they wanted her to connect me. I waited a few minutes and then she was back on the line. "I have a party who will speak with you."
I asked the woman on the other end of the line if she knew anyone by the name of Hannah. She gasped, "Oh! We bought this house from a family who had a daughter named Hannah. But that was 30 years ago!"
"Would you know where that family could be located now?" I asked.
"I remember that Hannah had to place her mother in a nursing home some years ago," the woman said. "Maybe if you got in touch with them they might be able to track down the daughter."
She gave me the name of the nursing home and I called the number. They told me the old lady had passed away some years ago but they did have a phone number for where they thought the daughter might be living.
I thanked them and phoned. The woman who answered explained that Hannah herself was now living in a nursing home.
This whole thing was stupid, I thought to myself. Why was I making such a big deal over finding the owner of a wallet that had only three dollars and a letter that was almost 60 years old?
Nevertheless, I called the nursing home in which Hannah was supposed to be living and the man who answered the phone told me, "Yes, Hannah is staying with us. "
Even though it was already 10 p.m., I asked if I could come by to see her. "Well," he said hesitatingly, "if you want to take a chance, she might be in the day room watching television."
I thanked him and drove over to the nursing home. The night nurse and a guard greeted me at the door. We went up to the third floor of the large building. In the day room, the nurse introduced me to Hannah.
She was a sweet, silver-haired old timer with a warm smile and a twinkle in her eye.
I told her about finding the wallet and showed her the letter. The second she saw the powder blue envelope with that little flower on the left, she took a deep breath and said, "Young man, this letter was the last contact I ever had with Michael."
She looked away for a moment deep in thought and then said Softly, "I loved him very much. But I was only 16 at the time and my mother felt I was too young. Oh, he was so handsome. He looked like Sean Connery, the actor."
"Yes," she continued. "Michael Goldstein was a wonderful person. If you should find him, tell him I think of him often. And," she hesitated for a moment, almost biting her lip, "tell him I still love him. You know," she said smiling as tears began to well up in her eyes, "I never did marry. I guess no one ever matched up to Michael..."
I thanked Hannah and said goodbye. I took the elevator to the first floor and as I stood by the door, the guard there asked, "Was the old lady able to help you?"
I told him she had given me a lead. "At least I have a last name. But I think I'll let it go for a while. I spent almost the whole day trying to find
the owner of this wallet."
I had taken out the wallet, which was a simple brown leather case with red lacing on the side. When the guard saw it, he said, "Hey, wait a minute! That's Mr. Goldstein's wallet. I'd know it anywhere with that bright red lacing. He's always losing that wallet. I must have found it in the halls at least three times."
"Who's Mr. Goldstein?" I asked as my hand began to shake.
"He's one of the old timers on the 8th floor. That's Mike Goldstein's wallet for sure. He must have lost it on one of his walks."
I thanked the guard and quickly ran back to the nurse's office. I told her what the guard had said. We went back to the elevator and got on. I prayed that Mr. Goldstein would be up.
On the eighth floor, the floor nurse said, "I think he's still in the day room. He likes to read at night. He's a darling old man."
We went to the only room that had any lights on and there was a man reading a book. The nurse went over to him and asked if he had lost his wallet. Mr. Goldstein looked up with surprise, put his hand in his back pocket and said, "Oh, it is missing!"
"This kind gentleman found a wallet and we wondered if it could be yours?"
I handed Mr. Goldstein the wallet and the second he saw it, he smiled with relief and said, "Yes, that's it! It must have dropped out of my pocket this afternoon. I want to give you a reward."
"No, thank you," I said. "But I have to tell you something. I read the letter in the hope of finding out who owned the wallet."
The smile on his face suddenly disappeared. "You read that letter?"
"Not only did I read it, I think I know where Hannah is."
He suddenly grew pale. "Hannah? You know where she is? How is she? Is she still as pretty as she was? Please, please tell me," he begged.
"She's fine...just as pretty as when you knew her." I said softly.
The old man smiled with anticipation and asked, "Could you tell me where she is? I want to call her tomorrow." He grabbed my hand and said, "You know something, mister, I was so in love with that girl that when that letter came, my life literally ended. I never married. I guess I've always loved her. "
"Mr. Goldstein," I said, "Come with me."
We took the elevator down to the third floor. The hallways were darkened and only one or two little night-lights lit our way to the day room where Hannah was sitting alone watching the television. The nurse walked over to her.
"Hannah," she said softly, pointing to Michael, who was waiting with me in the doorway. "Do you know this man?"
She adjusted her glasses, looked for a moment, but didn't say a word. Michael said softly, almost in a whisper, "Hannah, it's Michael. Do you
remember me?"
She gasped, "Michael! I don't believe it! Michael! It's you! My Michael!" He walked slowly towards her and they embraced. The nurse and I left with tears streaming down our faces.
"See," I said. "See how the Good Lord works! If it's meant to be, it will be."
About three weeks later I got a call at my office from the nursing home. "Can you break away on Sunday to attend a wedding? Michael and Hannah are going to tie the knot!"
It was a beautiful wedding with all the people at the nursing home dressed up to join in the celebration. Hannah wore a light beige dress and looked beautiful. Michael wore a dark blue suit and stood tall. They made me their best man.
The hospital gave them their own room and if you ever wanted to see a 76-year-old bride and a 79-year-old groom acting like two teenagers, you had to see this couple.
A perfect ending for a love affair that had lasted nearly 60 years.
(':
♥nan 1:06 AM
Totally forgot about 1101 tutorial!
-And-, theres 6-7pm 1101 lesson later. Looks like I've got to miss a bit of training ><
1101 tutorial! Why are you so confusing?!
Come on. I need to finish this by 2am.
Life of a uni student.
♥nan
