I remember him (of course!)

He was my object of (positive) obsession in College.

That one guy who could easily cause me to stop breathing with a mere hello. He was my idol. In my world dominated by hunky celebrities excelling in basketball, I rarely have eyes for the “lesser” male mortals in class but He was visible to me. I suppose he’s the only person who can make me feel conscious about my grasp and mastery of the English language. Of course, my life (with him) did not have a fairy tale ending. Simply put: he means the entire world to me then, whereas, I am nothing but the girl in school who can lend him notes in class prior to an exam. I am just the girl who gets a kick out of a Ginebra or Chicago Bulls victory. I know he understands my passion as a fan because he once gave me a Michael Jordan poster and right there and then- I was willing to walk down the aisle and exchange “I dos” with him for his thoughtfulness!

But time has kept us apart even as once in a while, I would find myself crossing paths with memories of him. Always, they were fond thoughts of the ideal person that he was to me then.

Today, I got the unexpected treat of meeting his mom. A fellow worker in the government. That brought back to life the image of him in my heart – one that has become fuzzy with the passing of time. He has a two-year old boy now. And is bound to marry the mother of his child next year, as per his mom’s accounts.

I never doubted he would be successful in his career and personal life. After all, 15 years ago, I already saw the man that he could become. I am now embraced by amusement for the mental picture of how we have been in the past: A girl smitten and a boy, very much clueless as to his effect on her. So smitten was I, that I could consume 1 liter of Coca Cola by myself, so my friends and I would get to hang out and chat with him a little longer.

I couldn’t really imagine what would have happened if he also liked me back then. That possibility just did not exist even for a split of a second and I have never harbored even the most minuscule of delusions that he could even see me as more than just his classmate. I knew he only had eyes for one of my best friends.

I now take solace from the fact that the version of me then is more sensible to create an altar of affection for a boy who also turned out to be a wonderful man. I do wish him well. He has made his mother very proud. What achievement could even top that of making a parent believe that he/she has done a good job of rearing you up?

I take my hat off to him, the boy I once liked. Really, really, really liked.