Leon R.M. Auguste

Today was like any other day.

I woke up, readied myself, and drove off to school.

I took notes in my statistics and accounting class.

I studied, did a little bit of homework, and even went for a bit of a walk.

But that’s where my day changed forever.

It’s no secret I love to go on long walks. Whether it be walking at Descanso Gardens or driving up to Deukmejian Park to hike the mountains behind it.

The point is, I like to move, to feel the natural light hitting my hands and arms, to leap from rock to rock while I return to the world of imagination in my mind. Rushing down the many slopes and leaping up the steeper ascents, my journey is one filled with unmitigated emotions which wash over me with arduous force and unclear intent.

But that’s what made this particular day so different.

I felt cupid’s arrow strike me down. The kind of arrow which leads to love of an intense kind.

One that is unmoving and definitive. A love that knows no bounds. The kind of love that shows you what’s truly important in life.

I found myself falling deeply in love, but not with anything in the real world.

No, I was enamored with the love of two characters in my work-in-progress book titled “Of Foretold Fates and Chosen Harbingers.”

I found myself so in love with these two characters’ love that I walked around all of Descanso Gardens with a red face.

The kind of face which was burning hot with the illustrious passions of these two characters.

Their names? Gideon Bouchet and Rhea Orlette Cornira.

Their love is one of deep meaning, of two star-crossed lovers. Yet, as tragic as that might sound, the genuine love they share is one of realism. It is of the ups and downs; it is one of the countless mishaps and missteps you could find in any relationship in our own world. Somewhat naïve, and even a bit conflicting at first. But this kind of love is only experienced once in a lifetime.

I often wonder if I’ll ever find true love like this again. I’m always busy, constantly trying to get myself out there in the world in as many ways as possible.

I remember dating an exceptional girl for three years. Her essence was so caring and genuine whenever I was around her. We had a fantastic time together, and she was my first for everything. She showed me what love looks like, what it feels like, and how to respond to love with a woman. She gave me hope in life; she showed me the brighter side of an otherwise dark and bleak reality.

But after a series of events, I found myself seriously dashed with deep depression of reality.

The reality was that I needed to end the relationship with her.

I had no choice; I felt like I was going nowhere with my life (at the time, since I had recently gotten out of high school when I met her). I didn’t want to bring her down with me since she was a little older than me, in her prime years, to be exact. She certainly wanted to settle down and have a typical family life.

While I was with her, she never once told me she didn’t mind that I wasn’t “rich.” Moreover, she told me she didn’t care if I didn’t have a house or a mansion; or a Ferrari or Mercedes. I’ll never forget how much she loved me for who I was, who I used to be.

You see, a woman’s love can be pure too.

It can be untainted by reality.

It’s a mental drug men can’t get enough of. It causes us to go blind with devotion and dedication. But true love, like that kind, will cause a man to walk halfway around the world to find his woman. I still feel the flames of passion for her; I still feel the burning desire of pure love that she left in me. Her beautiful outlook on life caused me to break my seemingly never-ending cycle of deep depression.

But in the end, I wasn’t silly enough to hold her back. I knew (even if she didn’t at the time) that she needed to find someone out of college who had a head start on their career. Summarily speaking, she needed to find some who she could settle down with.

I truly loved her, and it took a lot for me to let her go. But, I know deep down, she understood my choice too. Of course, it didn’t make it any easier for her; but I know she knew the reasons why I had to let her go.

Life is full of countless ironies and wrong-timings. If I had met her, say three years later, perhaps it would have worked out wonderfully. But I met her too soon in my little disheveled life. You see, life is too short to waste away, and at that time in my life, I didn’t have any clear outlook for what I wanted to do with my life. Back when I was young, I lived for the moment and didn’t care much for planning. I was a true free-spirit then.

Now, I am more mature and realize that every action has a lifelong consequence.

Put simply, I didn’t want her to live with any regrets at the end of the day. I wanted her to find some semblance of balance and equilibrium in her own life. To keep her to myself when I didn’t even know what I wanted out of life would have been selfish and single-minded. I would have delayed her natural progression in life to go further in her career, start a family, and eventually settle down. I was not the person to provide that for her at that time in my life. In fact, I’m still not now.

But that’s simply because my priorities in life are focused primarily on school at the moment. I can see myself furthering my career as both an accountant and a professional writer down the road.

And thus, this is where I conclude today’s post.

Life is full of numerous mysteries and countless uncertainties, and we must learn to take each day at a time. Live and let grow. That’s my motto for today.

Forever in Your Debt,

Leon R.M. Auguste

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