My First Love
So who was your first love?
It was back in grade school, I was about to be five years old. I remember my mom asking me to come home quickly because she had a surprise for me. But when I went home, it was silent. I had no one waiting for me but the static of the TV. We didn’t have much back then, not even cable, so I lied on our bed that I shared with my parents.
I realized that something new was added to our bedroom, before I could process what it was, my father came home and he took me out of the house. Everything else was a blur and I remember us running very fast, faster than I ever ran before. Then I saw her, the most beautiful creature I had ever laid eyes on. It felt like a dream.
Do you want to hold her?
I touched her arm and her whole fist held onto my index finger. I cried. Or at least, I remember crying. What is this feeling? Warm, cold, joy, confusion, determination, all emotions swirled up inside of me. I felt my chest expand as if I was capable of feeling more than what I thought possible.
I held her in my arms and caressed her head. She closed her eyes and felt comforted. I looked at my mom who had a mixture of concern and joy on her face, she was afraid that I wouldn’t be strong enough to keep her in my arms. But of course, I would never let her fall, I would protect her with everything I got. A sense of renewed responsibility came over me, then I heard her breathe. A little purr. Is this love?
What I felt was unconditional and it was sealed by fate. Nothing else mattered, only her, in my arms. I was not even five years old but I knew that I wanted to do everything with her, to teach her everything I knew, to forgive and forget, to love and protect for the rest of our lives till death do us part.
My first love. The very first. I will love you forever, even when are apart, even when we fight, even when you don’t love me back. I love you.
“My First Love” won Third Place on the ARMY Writer’s Club April Writing Competition.
About the author:
Twitter ID: @urgeekypoet
Bita is a poet and a writer from Jakarta, Indonesia. Bita believes that the best way to tackle the world is to do things out of love and sincerity, a value she puts in every one of her creations. You can find her @urgeekypoet on Twitter and Medium.