It was a cold evening, one of those that surprises you right after the summer days are gone, but before the autumn ones really start. I was walking, lost in the music playing in my ears, just thinking in the beat of my own steps on the hard asphalt. It wasn’t late, but it was dark already and the road ahead of me was a blurry line of light and dark circles. Up ahead, one street light just died, ruining the evenness of it all.
Suddenly, a girl appeared in front of me, speeding somewhere. I watched her walking. She was smaller than me, but her steps were long and fast and I was wondering where she is going in such a hurry. Out of the dark patch a young boy stepped out. He was maybe seventeen, eighteen years old. They stopped for a second, facing each other, and then continued walking at a certain distance in front of me, blissfully unaware of my existence and the world around them as only teenagers can be. They were a fresh couple, I realized and smiled. They haven’t even held hands yet, although it was clear that they both want it.
Come on, I thought, hold her hand… hug her…
But he didn’t. At one point she stopped to tie her shoelace and as she was getting up, he offered his hand and she took it. It lasted a second, maybe two, but even in the darkness, I could swear I’ve seen them both blush.
Up ahead, a crossroad will probably take them somewhere else, but I couldn’t stop smiling, thinking about them.
Be good to her, I told him in my thoughts…. and you be good to him, I told her. You may not know that yet now, but good love is so hard to find, and so damn hard to keep. Be good to each other. It feels like you have all the time in the world now, but years go by so fast! You may not care right now, but you will miss this feeling later in life; the feeling of careless love and selfless wonder. That feeling that you feel towards this girl in front of you – it’s priceless, precious and it fades away faster than you think. Fight hard to keep it, fight with everything you got!
Be good to her, unknown young man.
Look deep in her eyes and remember every dream you find there and help her to make it come true. Don’t be too proud to say you are sorry or too cool to hold her hand in front of your male friends. Hold her tight, as tight as you can, as if she might disappear if you don’t, because somehow, Life will try to snatch her away from you. Make every second with her count because one day you will realize that those were the fullest, strongest seconds of your life.
Be good to him, unknown young woman.
Forgive him if he is too proud to touch you or understand you when all you need is someone to hold you and tell you everything will be all right. Just pull him in if he doesn’t understand. And, be proud of him, he will love you for it. Don’t be afraid to tell him how you feel… make him understand you are and always will be here for him. Be his friend, as well as his lover. Give him time when he needs it and above everything else, never make him wonder if you love him or not. Kiss him at the most unexpected moments and smile if you catch him off-guard. Make every second with him count because one day you will realize that those were the fullest, strongest seconds of your life.
They turned left, I continued straight. Soon, I wasn’t able to see them anymore, or hear their laughter mixing with the music in my earphones. I don’t know it my message got through, but I know they are happy now, as they should be. I wished them the eternity of happy and dissolved in the music.
The Moon raised above the cloud, greeting the night with his light.
The world moved on.
.
.