Pink Carnation - I'll Never Forget You
Pink Carnation - I'll Never Forget You
By Mary Josefa M. Alolor
It was a long day at school. My body collapsed as I sat on the passenger’s seat of my aunt’s car while Ed Sheeran’s songs play on the radio. My body is giving up and my mind is closing down as "Photograph" by Ed Sheeran comes on, following "Thinking Out Loud." I immediately remembered that when this song came out, I downloaded it from YouTube, uploaded it to my father's hard disk, connected it to our TV, and spent most of the time watching the music videos on the hard disk, until, of course, the disk broke down. I believe I was in fourth grade at the time. Oh, how quickly time passes! The sun started to set as I sang along with my eyes starting to close. Windows down, I felt the kiss of the sun on my cheeks. Back to the present, listening to the song right now takes me back to my face-to-face high school days when I held the camera like it was the most precious thing I ever touched. Allow me to walk down the path of memories in my garden covered with snow as I try to find and trace the fragments from my mind.
Let us start with the 1st year of high school. It was a 7th-grade recollection with my best friend, Marga, and our classmates. Marga, the rose among the thorns, the messy-haired person at the end of my day, the shoulder I can lean on. Marga, the butterfly giving color to my garden, the only night owl I would stay up with, the friend I'd love to be with for the rest of my life. Who cares about the rose in Beauty and The Beast? Marga is the rose I'd like to preserve for the rest of my life. I remember how the wind danced coldly on the top of the mountain that afternoon. I don't remember much, but I do recall taking pictures with Marga with Snapchat filters on her phone while holding and eating banana cues that weren't really delicious. I even took a lot of pictures of myself as I felt cute with the fun filters on! Now that I think about it, I should've taken more pictures to fill her storage space!
Let's move to the Grade 8 Awarding of Medals to the top students. The boy who we shall call "the prince" was also there. After the ceremony, I took my mother's phone to take pictures. Like how a ninja moves, I swiftly took a picture with the prince, capturing his cute smile, the smile I fell for, and behind that smile, I wanted to know more about him. And just like that, I took the first picture I had with him. We eventually got closer at Grade 9. Wait, did we? Anyways, 9th Grade came and I tried to have as much fun as I can. It was English Month Culmination day and I became a photographer while dressed as Mulan, recording the joy and festivities of that day. Oh wait, not to mention, I took a picture of the prince! In a red suit and hat of that like P.T. Barnum, he once again flashed that smile that made my heart skip a beat. Red was painted all over him. I must have been colorblind as I saw him green. One, two, and pose! Click here and there. Pose here and there. Smile here and there. Although I was sweating bullets, I was happy to see the people around me happy.
High school, oh, high school, how I wish I could have made more pleasant memories with you. Who would have thought we'll end up in this situation? Who would have thought that day in March would be the last day I see my friends in school? "We keep this love in a photograph", Ed Sheeran sings as the sun illuminates the room I am in and its blinding light keeps me from opening my eyes. Alysa, my storm in the calm. Aera, my beauty and the brain. Ashlie, my crybaby with her onions. Luke, my fool. Joannah, my voice of reason. Prince, my lesson that I learned. DM, my sunshine. Marga, my rose of different colors. As I closed my eyes to avoid the glaring light, their names ran through my thoughts. "We made these memories for ourselves. Where our eyes are never closing, hearts are never broken, and time's forever frozen, still." Just like the photos I took, the high school version of the people I knew, I'll keep them in the left pocket of my shirt. I stayed where I left off as everyone else left, and my time has stood still since then, hoping to pick up where we left off. But that's just impossible, right? We might not see each other again beyond the sixth line of high school. The plants danced and the flowers bent as the wind howled. "Wait for me to come home", the song concluded, and I came to a halt in the garden. When I looked back, I saw my footprints in the snow. There was no longer a brick in front of me, but I did see a plant blooming in front of me. I knelt down and, to my astonishment, I recognized it even in its early stages. Snowdrops. Spring must be close at hand. With a little smile on my face, I walked away to return to the house for one shall not stay out in the cold for so long. The phone in my pocket rang. I saw Marga's name on the notifications. Spring is indeed around the corner.
