The Story about Misunderstanding - Essay Example

Misunderstood I was starving. I hadn't eaten breakfast yet, because I was late for my morning Now that it was over, I finally had the opportunity to get something to eat. At the entrance of the cafeteria, I could smell the intoxicating aroma of bacon. As I stood in line, I piled onto my plate four succulent, glistening, golden-brown Italian sausages with juices bubbling out of the sides, five crispy bacon strips with curly white edges, and a steaming, savory mound of scrambled eggs. I even buttered some warm toast on a separate plate. My nostrils could almost taste the crunchy, salty bacon, bite into the juicy sausage, and consume the hot eggs and soft, warm toast. I quickly hustled as I placed two servings of brightly colored juice on the tray, which now appeared to have enough food for a small family instead of just me. I headed towards an empty table, under a window. The sun shone iridescently through the window pane onto the table. I sat directly under the sunlight. The sunrays felt exhilarating, yet calming and peaceful. It's a good thing my daily moisturizer had sunscreen. If not, I would have been bleached by now. I sat there content, with my overflowing tray of food, sunshine, and solace, in the much larger sea of the noisy cafeteria. I was about to eat. Suddenly, he appeared. I hadn't noticed him come in. That was unlike me. I always notice him. He stood in front of me, with a tray overflowing with food as well. My stomach instantly began to churn as if small currents of electricity bounced around the insides of my intestines. "Hey. Do you mind if I sit here" he asked. "It's a free country," I said, as nonchalantly as I could. "Okay" The sound of his voice resounded in my ear. It was a voice that I was very familiar with. It was the first thing I noticed about him a few weeks ago, in class. He was invisible to me until I heard him speak. There was nothing special about his appearance. His style was unappealing. However, it was his voice that had its own presence. One day, the teacher had asked him a question in front of the rest of the class. When he spoke, my soul could hear, and opened like a flower, that absorbed each one of his words, as if they were rays of nourishing sunlight feeding my existence. His voice had a greatness that didn't ask for permission. He spoke with a confident indifference of how he was perceived, as if he were certain of his purpose and aware of the strength of his presence. His voice spoke to a part of me that I was unaware of. His strength and defiance represented everything that I wanted to be. I couldn't stop noticing him afterwards. In the cafeteria, as he stood in front of me with the tray of food in his hand, he took off his book bag, put it in the chair next to me, and sat down in the chair directly across from my seat. I wanted to run and hide. My body didn't understand basic functions anymore. I felt paralyzed, awkward. I looked at my plate; it was now a blurry painting of different colors without any smell. Unable to pick up my fork, I looked across the room, and then at different tables, and finally out the window, anywhere except at him. I took a sip of juice. It tasted like acid. I felt as if my hand shook. I quickly put the glass back down. I couldn't believe he was sitting here. Did he know that I had been watching him Had he noticed me too Was he following me Was he making an excuse to sit with me I wanted to say something but couldn't. How much longer was he going to sit here I wished he would hurry up and finish. Yet, at the same time, I wanted him to stay, at my table, sitting directly across from me, stuffing sausage in his mouth. But, what did he really want Why did he sit here What was he thinking My stomach gurgled with the electric currents that now crouched and kicked like a Russian Folk Dancer. He hungrily stuffed his face with several more Italian sausages, two strips of bacon, some scrambled eggs, and drank some orange juice. Then he looked up at me. "So, what do you think of the teacher" he said, in between mouthfuls of food. "She's cool." "Do you always sit all by yourself" "When I have the opportunity." "Okay" he responded, apparently unsure if I just offended him. "Why aren't you eating your food" he smiled with a puzzled look on his face. "I can tell by all those sausages on your plate that you're hungry." "I lost my appetite." "Oh. Wow. That is messed up." "What" "Are you serious That is so cold. I made you lose your appetite" his eyes seemed offended, but unshaken. "It's not you; I'm just not hungry anymore." "Yeah, you have a big tray of food, about to chow down; I sit next to you, and all of a sudden, you lose your appetite" "I'm just not ," I looked away, out the window. "Wow," he continued, chuckling as if in disbelief. "I'm sorry I ruined your breakfast. I just thought you wouldn't mind eating breakfast with me. I'm almost done. I'll be on my way soon." I sat there silently, unable to defend myself, unable to explain. I wanted to say something, to make him understand, but how could I. I looked out the window. He continued to eat in silence, chuckling to himself in between mouthfuls, as if he were tickled by my misconceived repulsion. The heat of the sun still felt nice against my skin, but my stomach churned; the folk dance had reached its climax; the electric currents had now reached the veins in my temple, and pounded along the sides of my head. I put my right hand there to ease the pressure, and leaned towards the window, to feel the sun on my face. I didn't look at him but I knew that he probably thought that he was giving me a headache too. I turned and reached for my juice again, determined to keep my hand steady. I looked over at his plate. He wasn't quite finished, but I guess he had enough to eat. He began to get up with his half empty tray. He continued to chuckle to himself. He pulled his chair out, put his book bag on, pushed the chair back under the table, blankly looked at me, and said goodbye. I nodded, sat silently, and followed him with my eyes, until he completely disappeared. He didn't understand, but I knew that I really didn't want him to. I closed my eyes and turned towards the heat of the sun, whose rays covered me like a shade that allowed no one to see inside. Read More