Childhood promises and love

It was twelve years ago. I was five years old. I was sitting down my tree, in the park next to my house. I always went there when I left school at five o’clock in the afternoon, and I stayed there until the sky turned into a mixture of pink and purple colour. That landscape astonished me.
I didn’t have a lot of friends. In fact, I only had a friend, but she was the best friend who anyone can have. Her name was Alison. She was from Sahara and she came here when she was 3 years old. Firstly, we sat together in class. As time went by, we were meeting each other more and more, until she became my best (my only) friend. But sorry, this is not what I wanted to explain. The thing I want to explain is how I met the person who I’ve been waiting for so long.

It was a Wednesday afternoon in October. It was cold but I wasn’t because of the gloves and the scarf that Alison had given to me. I was playing with my doll and, suddenly, a car knocked it down.
- No! –I shouted.
- Sorry, he has had his licence just for a week. –said someone.
- What the hell…! –I looked up and I saw him. And he smiled to me.
- Please, do you let me help you? I’ll take your doll in my car to hospital. You’ll see that she recovers! I’m Kevin, nice to meet you. –he was a kid but he didn’t look like so, because he had a penetrating glance that still rests in my mind. His eyes were big and green. He had longish, dishevelled and brown hair, but not a common brown, it was a special brown, honey brown hair with highlights.
- I’m Sarah. Not nice to meet you. But I will if my doll recovers... –I smiled too.
Since that moment he came to the park and joined me down my tree every afternoon. We talked, we played, we smiled, we looked at each other with a special connection. It was like that until I was eleven but, of course, at that time we didn’t play with my doll and his toy car, we only sat and talked). And this is the conversation we had an October afternoon:
- Where are you going to study when you finish school? –I asked him that because I had the hope to hear that he would study in the same university as me.
- In my country. –answered him, without smiling.
- Where is it?
- Ireland. –that shocked me.
- Why didn’t you tell me before?
- Because I had the hope that I would study in the same university as you. –he smiled now. Not me.
- And what does it mean? Will I never see you again?
- Look, Sarah, next summer I have to go to Ireland because my mother is there, and she’s sick. I want to be with her now. But I want to be with you the rest of my life. So, we can make a promise, can’t we?
- What promise? –I asked, not very convinced.
- I’ll return here when it is time to start university. I want to enter Bridge Manor University. Promise you’ll go to the same university as me, and that we’ll study together.
- ...I promise.
Summer went by, and so did the years. I always wondered what he could be doing. And I told Alison but she tried to make me see the truth, that, that boy would never return. But I imagined the life we would live if we met again. How would he have changed? And I was 15, 16, 17 and 18. And it was the time to start university. What should I do? Bridge Manor University? It wasn’t the best option to me but he was. Kevin… do you still remember your promise? Will you return? Do you still want to spend the rest of your life with me? Because I still do.
- But what the hell I’m thinking… We were only kids. Childhood love. He doesn’t remember me… -but I entered Bridge Manor University. And he didn’t. The first year passed and Kevin didn’t appear. I knew he wouldn’t return but I was disappointed anyway. Because I had a little hope inside me…

Second year of university. A cold afternoon in October. I was walking to university when a car almost knocked me down.
- What the hell are you doing?! –I shouted.
- Sorry, I had the hope that you were Sarah and I had to check it. You are. –he smiled, as when he was five, and I recognized him.
- Kevin…
- Yes, I am. What did you think? That you would never see me again? Sorry, it couldn’t be true because I promised you something some time ago.
- I’ve been waiting for you for so long…
- And I’ve been thinking of you everyday. Sorry for not coming last year. I couldn’t because my mother…
- Sht. –I made him shut up with a kiss. –only make me another promise. Promise you will never leave me again.


Sara Moreso


* Conte premiat en el Concurs de contes breus 2011, organitzat pels departaments de Català, Castellà i Llengües estrangeres de l'Institut de Tortosa.