My High School Crush

“I remember too, actually classmates started thinking we are an item”, that is the text that she sent me on whatsapp. It felt like we had begun chatting for the first time, an excitement, yet I had known her close to five years now. This is the same girl I met in my high school who kicked up something on my take on women. Let us call her Smatial* for the sake of the story, however her really name is far much cuter than Smatial*.

Meeting Smatial* was a miracle! To begin with, I schooled in a boys boarding County School in the North Coast of Kenya. Our principal used to be strict and our outings used to be 2 hours per month. The likes of my classmates like Dennis Ziro (RIP man-we loved you) used to refer to our school as a maximum prison! We had minimum chances to initiate relationships with girls if it were not for the four weeks holidays. Maybe this is why later years in our last form, we collectively nicknamed our stream class “The prime Bachelors!” I got a good grade here which saw me joining a reputable Public University-that makes the only good thing.

As if this prison-like County High school was not enough torture, my dad used to take me for tuitions while on my Holidays. It is during one of this Holiday Tuitions that I met Smatial*! Their school was a private Senior Academy which is just a walking distance from our south Coast Mombasa home. When my dad mentioned about tuition I got bored but then when I learned it would be in Mt. Sinai senior Academy, I felt excited. Break from norm; at least I would meet new people, especially now that it was a mixed school stratified with kids from who is who in the society.

There we go; my first day in class, seniors had their classes in the 3^rd floor, I found it funny using the stairs, it builds up my confidence as I use it for meditation too! Lucky enough there were two boys I had grown up together with in the same hood, so wasn’t that stranger. I also noticed that many kids from public high schools had also enrolled for tuitions. So after all I was not the only one who is not needed at home by their parents!

I got along well with the boys, what amazes me it was so fast, could be because I was good in Mathematics-trial and error game! Now there was something common among the girls, they all sat in the lockers on the right side of the class. They were uniformly brown or pale chocolate in their skin complexion. It didn’t take me long to notice Smatial*. She was outstanding; with customized features you would think God sculpted her separately. Smatial*!

Smatial*! I could have been keen to arrange my cards though at 17 years I had no cards to shuffle. It felt nice though, the feeling of having an interest to her. Smatial* is this girl with a unique skin complexion, something close to chocolate but sweet enough to radiate sun rays. She was few inches taller than me; sometimes I would fantasize of her on high heels coming out of an office in future! And why is it beautiful chics are humble? Well, not all of them but Smatial* was an exception. She was teachers’ favorite student; I don’t need InfoTrac’s Statistics to conclude this. She would be asked to clean the black board and she would do it so romantic, Slow motion mode like Trey Song’s.

In my heart I was lost. But I was deaf and dumb! I couldn’t say a word, oh my but how I wanted to just get a chance to talk to this girl, she walked like a robot, like my campus course mate Castro Milton alias Hacker! You would there was a tech savvy guy who programmed her behavior. I inquired of her whereabouts form the boys. They were quick to warn me; she had a boyfriend. Haizuru! One thing I am damn sure even now, however much her boyfriend loves her he doesn’t match the equality with my crush-turn-love story. I love Smatial*!

One day, the chance presented itself. It was a lunch break and most students were out. We collided in the upper rooftop dining hall. I could feel my heart, the only thing that betrays me at times. “Hi Smatial*!” I still remember that damn pick up line. She responded nicely exposing her shallow dimple on her right cheek by a single smile. “So where do you stay?” she was coming from the other side of the Island of Mombasa. “I would love to take you out one of this day!” that was coming from me. This conversation is the only thing I treasure hitherto though the outing idea never materialized, we exchanged numbers, a lifetime achievement!

Years span so quick! Smatial* got lost completely, life has a way of separating two hearts! We kept in touch for few times, then the unexpected happened; she changed her digits completely. She joined a public University in the outskirts of Nairobi while the higher learning government university body placed me in a separate Institution in Uashin Gishu County, creating a 365KM difference as if government officials sat and conspired against our relationship. There I was like Smatial*, I give up. Honesty to my words I did give up!

In my third year of study I went for a semester break, it was supposed to take two weeks. As I was strolling in the Island of Mombasa, I felt bored and I thought of visiting my bank to check my statement and any possible updates! Just some few meters stroll, guess what, there she was; Smatial*!! It’s been 5 whole years! We hugged, like hugged! She gave in to the hug. It felt heaven! Lost for words we blabbed staffs and hugged again, in public! Passersby started throwing glances; I wish I could re-reverse the Chemistry. It was mutual; we hugged for the third time and then parted. There goes Smatial*. She told me she is attached to another firm in Mombasa Old Town, she is in her long holidays! I had some few dollars in my account but again she refused me an offer to take her for lunch. As if that 5 years torture was not enough. We exchanged numbers again!

When I went back to school, she initiated a chat on whatsapp, my replies went unanswered. Honestly Smatial*! Just a week later her whatsapp profile picture summed up the love story, there she is held by another dude! In the spirit of giving up I reminded her of how it felt like having her for a friend back in high school. That is when she enforced the whole experience as,” I remember too, actually classmates started thinking we are an item”. So she was thinking of the same thing?? God! So unfair that it’s always the man who has to make the first move!

I know the next pattern; Smatial* will now keep quiet, change her phone number and who knows maybe next time we meet she will be married! There goes Smatial*.

DISCLAIMER: This article was written out of childhood memories of which everyone is entitled to, any attempt to use it against the author is null and avoid!