Love at First Sight
By Mikala Barber
September 6, 2016
He was mine first.
I loved him and nurtured him.
I’m everything he needs.
I guess he just needs to realize that, and I’ll make sure he will succeed.
Some people call me crazy, but I’m not. I just believe in love at first sight. Jeff and I had something. I will never forget that night. That night I saved him.
It was a beautiful, fall night. You could hear the wind blowing as the trees ruffled. The full moon shining, high in the sky. She loves the sound of night. It’s suspenseful. It’s filled with beauty, but also with danger.
CRASH!
She jerks her head toward the sound. The sound of metal, scraping the road. The beeping of an angry driver. Then, the screaming of “HELP” fills the air. She is contemplating whether to go or not.
Should I?
I shouldn’t?
However, what if they die?
But, what if I'm a hero?
She smiles at the thought, rushing to her feet. She stares at the scene with shock. A car flipped over, smoke rising. She looks in the car and sees the movement of a chest.
“They’re alive,” she thinks.
She pulls him out with a strength of a million. He’s bloodied galore, cuts deeply in. However, she will never forget the sight of his face. Structured like art her eyes couldn’t imagine. Even though his eyes scream for help, they hold her with attraction.
Now, I’m not a monster. I called 911, which is why I’m confused.
I saw him today for the first time since he got out of the hospital. That’s when I saw HER. The girlfriend. How could he do this to me? Especially after everything I’ve done for him! I’m hurt, but it’s not his fault. He just doesn’t know we’re meant to be.
September 16, 2016
I did something.
I don't know whether I regret it or not.
However, there is nobody in our way anymore.
“Knock, knock, knock,” she hears at the door. The next words shake her to the core.
“Open up, this is the police.”
September 19, 2016
They took my journal so I’m starting a new one. They said that I wrote convincing evidence in my old one. I thought the police were nice but really, they’re mean. They called me crazy for saying Jeff and I were in love, but we are.
Apparently, Jeff is missing.
She giggles at the thought.
He’s fine though and safe, so no more car accidents.
Remember that woman that was with him at the hospital. That was his MOTHER… If I had known, it would’ve been different. I cried for him while thinking of my mom. A mother is everything to a person. Now his person is taken from him.
Or maybe not…
September 22, 2016
There’s crying in the distance.
The crying is getting on my nerves. I give everything, and still, it’s not enough!
She hits her head on the desk, filled with anger.
I’m sorry, I got mad. I just don’t understand.
I’m trying to help him. Be his person to him. All he can say is, “I don’t want to be here.”
And you think I want to?
Everyday I’m walking through the woods, rainy or sunny, to help him.
Molly says we should let him go and that would be right.
And helping him is not?
Then she was like, ‘It isn’t right if we kidnap him.’
It is not kidnapping if he came willingly. And it wasn’t like I planned it.
The day she sees him again, she decides to go into the woods for a walk. There is a trail that leads to the river with trees along the way. It’s most beautiful in fall with the leaves changing color and falling slowly to the ground. While walking, she sees a line go into the water. That’s when she sees him.
Standing tall and strong, the sun gleaming on his skin. If you listen closely, you can hear a choir in the background. She’s in a trance, not realizing that he is speaking to her.
HE REALLY SPOKE TO ME!
He is so nice and sweet. She thought he would recognize her, but he doesn’t. They talk about everything until the sun starts setting. Just as she is entranced by him, he is entranced by her. Being the nice gentleman he is, he walks her back to her cabin. Being so thankful for his help, she gives him a bonk on the head.
She giggles at the memory.
September 24, 2016
I lost it. I’m completely losing it. I couldn’t take it anymore. The crying. The ungratefulness.
No, Molly. I didn’t kill him. I’m not like that, I promise.
September 27, 2016
I got called into the police station again. They’re still investigating the murder and kidnapping.
Molly is having second thoughts about this.
She said, ‘This is wrong. This is ALL wrong. We need to take the boy back and turn ourselves in. That is the right thing to do.’
NO, MOLLY! I’m not sharing him. He is mine.
Then she said, ‘Julia, this is not right. You know it isn’t. We need help, and you’re just making it worse.’
Molly, SHUT UP! You’re just making it worse by telling me what to do.
She’s like, ‘He needs help. He needs medical attention.’
So Molly, are you saying I’m not helping him?
October 1, 2016
I’m fighting with Molly, again.
I was going to do something drastic, but she came and stopped me. I’m not helping him. He’s getting worse and it’s all my fault.
Julia throws the pen and puts her head in her hands. Thoughts fill her mind with dread and regret. She hits her face with her hands as she thinks, “Bad, Julia. Bad. Bad. Bad. Why am I like this?”
She slams her head on the desk, crying as her body shakes. Her hands grip the edges of the desk, preparing her for what’s next.
“Why did I do what I did?”
She slams her head on the desk a second time, as her body sways side-to-side. Her mind goes back to when it was all peaceful and easy. When she begins to hear the distant crying, she thinks, “Is it too late to turn back now?”
She slams her head on the desk a third time, as her expression turns to a glare. Through the blurriness, she looks down and sees blood. That is the last thing she sees before she blacks out.
October 9, 2016
I took care of the problem and let him go.
It was stressing everybody out. Me, Jeff, and Molly.
We ended on good terms though. He was very understanding that I did all this for the benefit of helping him.
She chuckles.
Molly was really worried about how I was handling it. The blacking out and having to let him go. I told her that I was fine.
In the end, I will always be a part of his life.
October 12, 2016
Jeff is famous. He’s been all over the news today. The whole world wondering what happened to him and what he’s been through?
I’m so proud of him.
Julia stares out the windows, thinking about Jeff. The way their eyes made contact that night they met. How his hair would pass gracefully through her fingers. When he smiled, the butterflies were released, and shined as the sun hit his teeth. She breathes peacefully at the thought.
I’m going to go see him.
October 19, 2016
It’s been a week since I last wrote. I got a new job, since with the whole“suspect in kidnapping and murder,” I got fired from my other job. And now that I’m buying groceries for two, I need to have extra money.
Something BIG happened during the week!
JEFF ASKED ME OUT!!!
Julia does a shimmy in chair. Her eyes fill with joy as she smiles. Her thoughts fill with wonder and curiosity about how the date could go.
I saw him out in the woods. He was fishing. When he saw me, he recognized me! We started talking about everything and how each of us were doing. Then he asked me.
We’re going out on Saturday. I asked him what we we’re going to do, and he said it was a surprise. I’M SO EXCITED!!!
I told Molly but she’s a bummer. She said it wasn’t a good idea. Honestly, I don’t know what that girl wants me to do. I let him go and it’s my fault if he decides to come back on his own.
Please!
Julia rolls her eyes.
October 21, 2016
I wish it was Saturday already. I CAN’T WAIT.
Anyways, Molly and I were watching the news this morning. It’s always about the murder of Jeff’s mother and the kidnapping. However, they took the kidnapping part away. I guess they realized that he wasn’t kidnapped.
Molly, being the negative person she is, was like, ‘There’s no reason to be happy about it.'
Why wouldn’t I be happy? He’s safe and with me. Stop acting like I killed him. Like I told you before, Molly: I’M NOT THAT KIND OF PERSON!
Julia throws her pen down on the notebook. Taking a deep breath, she rakes her hands through her hair. She hits her hands on the side of her head repeatedly. Her thoughts run through her head like a race never ending. A fight between herself where there’s no winning.
“Breathe, Jules,” she hears, bringing her back.
She turns her head and looks up, and there is Amelia.
October 22, 2016
TODAY IS THE DAY!!!
My first date with Jeff. I’m so excited and nervous at the same time. My heart is racing, and my thoughts are rapid about what could be expected tonight.
I spoke with Amelia. She told me it’s perfectly normal what I’m feeling. I expressed to her about what Molly’s been saying. How it’s not right, especially with how I met Jeff. However, Amelia says if he is all right and everything is okay between us, then there is no problem with us going out.
That’s the type of person I need in my life. A person that sees what I had in mind and wants to go along with my decision.
Now that I have my emotions in check, the biggest concern is what I’m going to wear. Like I wrote on Wednesday, Jeff said this is a surprise. I thought of my cute, yellow dress with flowers on it and my white, heeled pumps.
Julia gets up from the desk, walking toward the mirror. She admires herself in the mirror, watching as the sunlight from the window hits her reflection. Her bright, red hair gleams with radiance, pairing with a yellow bow that stands in amazement. A dress that flows down to her knees, painted like spring had come. Flowers of varied colors blossom as she twirls in the sun.
She smiles at herself, tilting her head. She wonders how all this could have happened, her mind taking her back to the beginning: from when they first met at the accident that night to when they saw each other in the woods that day. As she comes back to reality, she smoothes down her dress and picks up her white pumps. Looking around the room, making sure nothing is out of place, she walks out the door.
October 23, 2016
When you have a date with a handsome gentleman, you’ll have the most peaceful sleep.
Last night was amazing. We had a picnic under the moonlight. It was our place, out in the woods. He was dressed elegantly and handsomely. We talked and ate. He even fed me strawberries with chocolate. It was so romantic.
Julia stares out the window, remembering that night. The way Jeff pushed her hair out of her face, staring into her eyes. The way he listened to her when she talked and didn’t judge her. She takes a deep breath, as she looks down at her left hand. Remembering that moment when he got down on one knee, promising his life to her.
Giggling at the thought, her eyes admiring the rare cut jewel. The way the red ruby shines in the sunlight.
Now it’s real.
I’m his.
And he’s mine.
Forever until time.