This story may or may not be true, oooooo, the mystery, lol. This was written by a close friend.
Elijah
To really tell the story as it deserves to be told, you must go back to the beginning, when we were five. I remember that day in colors, distinctively, which is odd, because no other memory I have stands out specifically because of colors. But I remember Keely’s bright blonde hair, long in a ponytail swishing low against her uniform., the same uniform her best friend Mandy wore, that of the small private school we attended. Keely and Mandy, both give years old, were each strikingly beautiful even at thing young age. Mandy’s hair, long, brown, and curly with natural highlights, that of a little girl, stood out just as much as Keely’s as she sat on the bus in the back next to her. My friend Shawn leaned toward Mandy, declaring, “I’m going to kiss you!”
Mandy shrieked, of course, and squirmed away from him up against Keely until both girls were giggling with embarrassed curiosity, pressed as close as they could get to the bus window, away from Shawn.
And that was us, Keely Rain, Mandy Lahyam, Shawn Rufio, and me, Elijah Santario. We were halfway through our firs year ever at school and already knew we were different from the other quiet, crying kindergarteners. We were the crew of Shadyvale Christian School.
Another color that stands out to me was the blue of Keely’s shirt, making her navy blue eyes a little brighter that day, the one thing we could change about our uniform. I always wore yellow. It was my favorite. It matched my bright hair, thick and unruly, like my shirt that was always seeming to come un-tucked. Keely would later compare me to her future little brother; loud, crazy, attention-seeking, and cute. Keely wore the blue, I preferred yellow, and Shawn liked the white. His shirt never fit him right either, not because he was wild as I was, but because of his skinny frame, average size for his age, yet obviously thin. No, he didn’t have a wild streak, that would come later in life, but Shawn was the coolest of us all, naturally much tanner than Keely, Mandy, and I, all with fair skin, striking against his favorite white shirts. His dark brown hair looked almost black and feel slightly longer than mine, accenting his tiny, lopsided smile. Shawn was chill, I was outspoken. To this day, I would agree with psychologists who say temperament is determined early on. Then, we balanced each other out and made enough amusement for Keely and Mandy, the little beauties, to fall in with us, unknowingly cool, as soon as we met.
At that time, Mandy was rapidly losing teeth, and had several gaps in her mouth, looking ever adorable, shining whenever she grinned, which was very often, her being the louder of the two between Keely. This is why it was very out of character when the bus stopped and Mandy ran off laughing, Shawn chasing after her, and I found Keely’s big blue eyes close in front of mine as we met in the isle of the bus.
“I’m going to kiss you when we get to Fizz Kids.” She said, unblinkingly, mouth in a straight line, “In front of the black slide. Wait for me there.” Then lit up with an enchanting smile that left even me speechless.
We were at Fizz Kids inside playground heaven for children, overflowing with tunnels, ball pits, and slides all smelling of little kid sweat. No wonder kids all got sick so much, the place was a germ haven, built up with our sweaty hands and sock-covered feet, every child of that generation’s dream come true of a field trip, made possible for us by our private school’s famous field trips. I, of course, was not at all dwelling on the microscopic hazards of our paradise, which I’m sure, if I were to see today, would pale in comparison to my elaborate memory of it. No, I was thinking about how I would the first to slide down the dreaded black slide, steep with more turns than the rest, striking fear into all elementary school aged hearts. The conquerer in me had been embedded early, and I was more excited than an average day, even more rambunctious if possible, at the thrill of following Keely through the tunnels to get to the desired destination.
Mandy, as well, was following us through the tunnels, Shawn was off somewhere else, no in this part of my memory. The color that followed us in those moments was black, the color of the slide rising up to meet us. I stopped short as Keely did, pausing to let some other dirt-streaked ruffians through. Her blonde hair stuck to her forehead, light with sweat, as she purposefully looked at her best friend, who didn’t catch on to the importance of this moment. “ Mandy, where’s Shawn?” She stared at her, lips pursed.
“I dunno!” Mandy excitedly looked out the holes in the side of the tunnel, bouncing around the small area, making Keely more frustrated. Her five year old mind may have been conniving, but this mission would take no hostages, only casualties.
“Mandy, go away. I need to talk to Elijah.”
The air became thicker in that moment of feelings, each completely different, all radiating fiercely, yet with no words. We moved aside again, silently, to let more adventure seekers through.
Mandy blinked and then scrunched her eyebrows down, confused, not knowing whether to be hurt or not. “Okay,” she mumbled, and crawled away very quietly, very out of character. That seemed to be the theme that day, as I myself was quiet as well, looking now expectantly at Keely, this girl whose proclamation had thrown me into a new world not yet consciously wandered into. Whereas in Keely’s world, full of the remarriage of her mother, the concept of romance fresh in her mind, this kiss would be the source of her anticipation, skillfully planned, far beyond her years, as would prove to be the foreshadowed theme of her life.
And that is just what she did, knowing time was slipping by, not wanting to be again interrupted by another group of excited children, possibly ones we would know this time.
The lean in was the longest part of it all, exaggerated and childishly sweet, the dream of a photographer, both blonde headed children, eyes closed, lips puckered, moving towards each other to fulfill a destiny that does not occur so early for most we knew and would come to know. Her lips were soft and tiny, a mirror of mine, and my racing heart had to have skipped a beat I’m sure, at the first kiss of my life with this sweet angel child.
Then it was done, and our thoughts split up, mine of the threatening black slide, hers now worry for the feelings of her fragile best friend. And after a quick moment of sharing innocent smiles, we were on our separate ways. And on the bus ride home, we were back to our normal ways, Mandy and Keely next to each other, Shawn teasing Mandy, and Keely looking my way. Only I, if looked at closely, was slightly less off the wall than normal, stealing glances at Keely, smiling at our shared secret, who had made me a man that day.
