Dear Diary

“Hello”

“Hello,” I spoke into the speaker for the umpteenth time.

“Are you still there?”

There was a loud pause on the other end of the receiver, followed by uneven breathing, like the person on the other end was having a hard time speaking after running a marathon race.

“Who is this please?”

I repeated for the last time running out of patience. I chastised myself for paying any attention to this call in the first place.

I slowly eyed my copy of my current read ‘Pride and Prejudice’ and wished I was lost somewhere in that romantic saga than being stuck here with a person who could not utter intelligible sounds. Whoever was on the call was hell-bent on wasting time; both mine and theirs, and I couldn’t seem to comprehend this logic at all. What is the problem with people anyway?

I could tell it was one of those stupid prank calls from school…especially after what happened today.

“Look, I’m going to hang up now if you don’t say anything,” I uttered, finally realizing that I’ve been on this ghost call for almost 60-seconds. Sixty seconds which would unequivocally translate to two pages of my book.

“Hi” someone finally stuttered

I drew a breath and held it at once.

I would know that voice anywhere. Even in my dreams. How could this be?

“Dave?”

“Hi…hi…yes,” he stuttered, again. “Yes, it’s me, Anna.”

“How did you get my home number?”

My brain suddenly began to work itself into overdrive. Why was he calling me?

Did he have something awful to say to me like the other kids? Was this a prank?

What in God’s name was going on? I was certain that a bad rumor was starting to spread about me in school.

That was it!

If not, why else would Dave Alba, the hottest boy in my class be on my hotline, at this time of the day?

I suddenly looked around the small blue room, noticing that the novel, ‘Pride and Prejudice’ that sat idly on my lap did not seem to hold any fancy at once. All I wanted was to get off this nervous state of mind.

I moved the receiver from my left ear to my right ear and stared at the wall that had You Only Live Once inscribed on it. At this point, the silence on the other end was already unbearable and uncomfortably making me nervous.

One of the things I hated the most in this world was probably empty conversation fillers. And at that moment, I thought of something to say to help cushion the uncomfortable silence and obvious tension that hung like electricity above us.

I couldn’t understand why he was being so quiet. Wasn’t he the one that called?

“Why are you calling me?”

Ouch. I bit myself hard and wished to put a long latch over my mouth. That came out very badly. Nothing like what I’d have preferred it to sound like.

“Do you want me to hang up?” He asked almost immediately like he regretted deciding to call in the first place.

“No…No…I just…is something wrong?”

I asked finally. Making a mental note to take a course on skillshare or one of those open-source learning platforms like Udemy on nervous conversation and social starters or speaking etiquette.

I wondered why I was suddenly feeling tongue-tied and unable to get my brain to function properly. Only because the nervous stranger finally revealed himself as someone who I thought didn’t know my name.

I heard a shrill noise like someone was rustling with a paper wrap or something.

Dave was probably moving.

I wondered if he was standing nervously as I was, lying down leisurely with that confident pose he always emitted in school or sitting fidgeting. I was moving the receiver from one ear to the other.

“I know this is probably not one of the best times to call anyone, but…”

“Wait, do you have bad news. You’re talking like you have some sort of bad news to deliver.”

“Well, every news could either be a bad one or a good one. It all depends on your perception.”

“Wait…You sound like you’re quoting from a book” I said aloud again without thinking.

“Ermm…No. I just said that” he responded amusingly.

“Oh” I responded again.

How stupid I was. Why did I have to blurt out everything I thought? I forgot that alongside being one of the few cool boys in school, he was also one of the smartest.

“I found your journal, sorry, Diary.”

“My…what?” I responded trying to interrupt him.

“And I want to return it.” He continued. “I figured if you didn’t have it by tomorrow morning, you might freak out, and it states here that if found to call this number. I’m only following instructions.”

“What?….Hmm…. I mean….that’s not even possible.” I replied, hurrying over to my school bag as I opened it and turned down its content, toppling all of my school books all over my bed.

I ransacked through the books that lay idly on the bed.

• Chemistry
• Physics.
• Maths.
• English

They were all there except the frigging Diary.

Oh God, how did this happen? I started to dread the answer he’d give to me if I asked him how he got it.

Dave and I sat close to each other during biology class. That was probably one of the only classes we had together for the term. Although he was the hottest and attentive boy in class, I had been extremely nervous when he had asked politely if he could sit near me.

“Of course, whatever,” I had shrugged and said even though my heart was thumping loudly in my chest.

My best friend who had been sharing class materials suddenly started to eye me mischievously when she noticed I was sitting near Dave. Dave, the one I have always had a crush on.

My head had been buried in my book, the same copy I was presently reading when the class practical session ended.

I spent the better part of the class hour ignoring him because I could tell that all eyes in the class were on me.

It was at that same time that the worst happened. Zachy, Tracy, and Brenda had gotten the better of me with the ratio of pranks and tricks.

Yes, one thing is constant if you’re not socially amongst the cool girls in class.

You’re either the bully, or you’re bullied.

Being the bully meant getting indoctrinated into their high life of partying, intimidation, drugs, and whatnot. I had no interest in such things as a person so what that unequivocally translates to me is that for every chance that they got, they tried to make life miserable for everyone who was not actively striving to be associated with their clique.

Everyone knew Zachy, the head of the clique wanted to have Dave as her boyfriend.

Even the teachers knew this, but for reasons for which no one could comprehend, Dave never seemed to pay her any attention. And that’s when the worse happened.

I sniffed in anger as I thought about it.

“Hey, are you still there?” Dave’s smooth voice broke through my mind intercepting my thoughts loudly.

“No…sorry yes. I’m here.”

“I’m sorry about what happened in school today,” he replied quietly.

“What do you care?”

I murmured inaudible to myself, as I remembered how I was badly humiliated in front of everyone. At this point, I hated high school greatly that I couldn’t wait to get out. Zachy, Tracy, and Brenda had tripped me right in front of the entire class.

Being bullied was one thing, but falling on your face before everyone was probably one of the most humiliating things in the whole world. Something I’d never forget in the long run.

And it was all happening because of him. Because of the annoyingly handsome boy who was on the phone with me right now. I began to doubt if he had any idea the amount of havoc and damage he had done to my ego permanently just because he asked to sit next to me in class.

“Are you there?” He asked again. Mild irritation slowly creeping into his voice.

“Yes yes. I was just thinking.”

“I’m sure you’re probably wondering how I found it right?”

“It’s not rock science,” I answered back at him. “I mean it must have fallen off from my bag when I tripped and fell on my face in front of the whole class.”

“I’m sorry about that too,” he said again.

Well, you should be, you asshole, you’re the reason I got bullied today in class! But I couldn’t get myself to utter the words at him. Dave was not the villain of this story. Even if he was the coolest boy in class, he was probably the most reserved.

He probably did not know the reason I was bullied in class was that he asked to sit with me.

While girls fawned over his every move, he lived oblivious to everything that went on in our world. That was the way of this world.

Nothing ever made sense.

“Did you read it?” I asked nervously as I held my breath in anticipation of the answer he’d give.

“Read what?” he replied.

“My Diary,” I said as my face began to turn hot with embarrassment.

I’d die if he confessed to having read my Diary. ..that Diary contained secrets that I couldn’t even tell my best friend!

“…Oh, no, I didn’t. I mean, I was tempted to, but I couldn’t get myself to do something so improper. I wouldn’t like it if someone did the same to me, and that’s a rule of thumb that I live by. Do unto others as they should to you.” He replied.

“Thank you!” I replied quietly in relief. Grateful that my Diary, my mind, and my secrets were safe with him…

“So, I called to have it returned.”

“Where do we meet? How can I find you?” I asked excitedly.

“Zu Kiara cafe is a nice place. Can we meet there?”

“Sounds like a plan!” I said as I shut my copy of Pride and Prejudice, and hung up.

I have got a Diary to rescue.

When I arrived at Zu Kiara cafe, the place was abuzz with activities like it was valentine or something. I hate such places. It appeared like all the ladies and men in the lounge were intoxicated and in love too.

A calm, solemn symphony that sounded like a wedding serenade, was overcast in the background.

I couldn’t wait to get out of there. This was probably one of those places that you’d find all the couples in school.

It was a hangout spot that had somewhat become a lover’s base.

I noticed all the couples doing their thing.

At the farther end, a woman was kissing a man on his lips. Another girl kept rubbing a boy’s hands affectionately, and a guy was feeding a girl like there was no one else around.

As I continued to scout the cafe, I spotted Dave.

“Hi,” I said, as I walked towards him. My heart was beating like it was playing a tune that I could dance to.

“Hey”, he replied and smiled at me. “I thought you would never find me.”

“Oh, there’s no way I could miss you in a crowd even if there were a thousand people around. I’d still be able to spot you right away. You’re just too irresistibly handsome to be overshadowed by the others.” I muttered under my breath.

“What?” he asked.

“Oh, can I have my Diary, please?”

“Yes,” he said. “Of course. Here you go,” he reached out into his bag and brought out the blue colored Diary.

“Thank you, I’m so glad you found it. I don’t even want to think of what would have happened if one of the other girls had picked it up instead. My life would be over!”

Dave chuckled “Well, you are a brave girl, you know? I like how you stood up for yourself before those girls, and I love brave people…I can’t help but be attracted to them.”

My heart began to beat strangely again as he said those words. where was he heading with this?

I looked up at him questionably. What do you mean by this?

“I…I….I” I knew I was supposed to say something too. “I…I…like people who respect people’s privacy too. I love them.”

We stared at each other at once, realization dawning that this could be the start of something wonderful, something beautiful, something adventurous.

“Did you finish your book already? The one you were reading in class?”

“Well, if you hadn’t interrupted me with your call, I’m sure I’d have been completely done with that by now”

“I love literature too, especially classics.”

“Wow, that’s great. I love guys that read. What other classics have you read?” I asked

I watched him smile shyly, and start to recite all the books he’d ever read in his life enthusiastically.

As he continued to list them out, I beamed with joy. Joy because I couldn’t wait to tell my Diary about everything. About how blessings come in several disguises. How a unique friendship with probably the coolest boy in class started with a lost journal. How one of the most embarrassing days of my life revealed some blessings after all.

“Dear Diary,” I murmured to myself, “I’m grateful.”