Flower day

The Story of Jack

It was all started in the 'flower day', the day when all popular girls gt all the flower while the nerd, like me, would better stay outside the class unless those popular girls would say to you with a phony anguished face "I'm sorry you don't get any flower again, wanna take mine?". 

I had never known people would get so crap like that. When I was thinking about those popular girls, a boy, a messenger came with colourous blossom flowers on his hand, and asked me: 

"Are you Anna Watson?"

"Yeah" I said.

"This is for you, from Jack Downing" he said, and gave me letter "and please sign here"

"Wait.. wait it must be wrong. I don't even know this Jack whatsoever" I inquired.

"You're Anna Watson, aren't you? So that's for you" and he left.

I was wondering who this Jack Downing was, looking at the every inch of the blossoming flowers I had never got. It was like a dream. I found a memo on it, it was written: For you with love, By Jack Downing. Then I said to myself "Be calm Ann, this must be a joke, and he's laughing at my stupid face now"

When I got into the class, I found some girls staring at me with a frowning face, and then came. "Whom is that from Ann? I don't know you have a boyfriend. Let me see", they took it from me and read the memo aloud. I was waiting for the laughter, what I heard was nothing, but a silent. They were just staring at each other, in agape, until one of them inquired "Are you with Jack Downing?"

"I don't even know this Jack Downing. Who's he anyway?" I frowned. They started talking about him, some of them said that he was a son of the richest family in that town, some said he was a biggest playboy dated so many girls.

That was all I know about him, my first impression, and I should get away from this guy. In the evening, I slept over at Patsy's house to do some trigonometry assignments, because during her illness, she could not attend the class. After working out the assignments, everything got so bored, anyway, what did you expect when you were sticking around with a nerd with three-inch-thick glasses?. It was so bored, we were silent for almost half an hour, but it was almost like this ever since I slept over at her house, last week I tried to break the ice by asking her stuff concerning algebra, but things got more and more tedious because she explained it for ages, so I would not do the same mistake asking about math. So without any serious purposes, I inquired "Pat, do you know Jack Downing?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, and she said "I've told you all about him last week. Didn't you listen to me?"

"Did you? I thought you were talking about Algebra" I shrugged.

"Yeah, and then I talked about him" she retorted. A few minutes later she spoke "He is the reason why I learn so hard. He motivated me when I was down, depressed, at the lowest point of myself", her eyes moisten. Then I stood up, took some sheet of tissues, and handed it over to her. She stared at me, her eyes rained me suspiciously with thousands of questions that transfixed me. 

Nervously I clarified "Well, some of my classmates talked about him this afternoon. I just wondered who this guy is". Then she continued talking about that Jack.

From that, I was sure that this guy was some kind of teaser, moving on from one girl to another girl as he wanted without thinking a bit about what they felt. He was a fish that never satisfied and kept swallowing the water of life in his pond. I did not know why, but my hatred grew bigger and bigger toward him. Sometimes, I felt stupid, hating someone I did not even know, but I am a woman, I could and should think about other women's feeling.

The next Friday in flower day, I got another delivery, a red rose this time, and a memo written: There should not be a reason to love somebody, like I love you" but this time, he put his phone number. I tried to hide both the rose and the memo, for it was too dangerous if someone read it aloud, and Patsy would know.

In the evening, I tried to find out what his intention in giving me these things, so I called the phone number he left on the memo. "I've been waiting for your call" I heard a man's voice.

Nervously I inquired "Am I speaking to Jack Downing?"

"Yes" he said, "I am--"

But I interrupted "Would you stop doing all these jokes?"

"I am not joking" He said calmly "I mean it, all I ever said"

"Oh, please just stop it. I know you are good at flirting girls with your flowery words, but it won't work in me anyway" and I added "You're just wasting your time; you can do this with many girls, but not to me"

Then he answered "That's why I love you, I---"

I interrupted "I know you guys just love the skinny and sexy girls. You just make us as a stepping stone to gain popularity"

"No, I'm not. I mean, what's the point?" he paused, and continued "beauty is only temporarily. I don't count on that"

"Are you saying that love is blind, hah?" I retorted.

"No, love's not blind; it just doesn't need to see" he explained, and said  "Love is eternity, it won't seek beauty, beauty is perishable, it won't last"

"Whatever, and how about Patsy and anther girls you dumped?"

"I like Patsy as a friend. I just can't stand seeing someone depressed, so I raised her up. I motivated her"

"And how about the other girls?" I asked.

"Who do you mean? I just tried being friendly" and then he said "Well, it's nearly midnight, I'll call you tomorrow. Good night"

We had a talk on a phone every night, night over night and we got closer and closer. He was a nice person by the way, I had misjudged him all the time and I felt sorry for myself. 

One day, when I was learning prose, I realized that in characterization, we could get to know someone simply by hearing what another characters said about him, or by finding it out by ourselves, and now I know the right way. I felt in love with him for his sincerity, maybe some people would think that I was stupid or something, but I did not care, I am the one who know my own feeling, and what I wanted.

I had to do some math assignments, so I slept over at Patsy's house. I could not imagine how it would be if she knew. She kept telling me her feeling to Jack, how she loved him. I eager to say that Jack liked her as a friend, and we had been dating with me several times, but I just could not do it. I could not send her to her lowest point anymore.

These feeling of regret and repent attacked me on my heart. I just could not stand these burdens. One night I called Jack and said that our secret relationship would not work, and it had to be ended. He said without anger that the choice is mine, but I knew I broke his heart.

"Well, you are afraid of upsetting your friend, but you are upsetting yourself instead, upsetting us if I may say" He said.

But I had come up with that idea, I was born as a woman, I had to think about other women's feeling.

I don't know where he is now, what he is doing, but I am sure that he think about me, and although he looked strong, I know quite well that he is not stronger than I am. He just does not show it, does not want to talk about it with others, and just keep it with him.

Well that's my love story, a story of Jack.