Love story in Madison

Hello everybody! Happy Valentine's Day!

I'm lucky enough to be in the receiving end of so much love from my family and friends. So fortunate to have all of you in my life and really, there's not much to complain about ! :) While a marketing scheme, take this day to give thanks to everyone around you. Life is hard, very hard. Be a little kinder to your family, your friend, your foe, and even yourself.

Today I will commemorate Valentine's of 2013 with a love story involving two of my favorite people in the world. My "sister" Alexandra and her boyfriend Dimas. I became friends with them during my first semester here at UW-Madison and they stood out to me as some of the friendliest people I have ever met. Without them, my first semester would have been slightly boring to say the least and their relationship is in my opinion what couples should strive for. So, here it goes:

"Eu Claire and Sheboygan" flashed on the sign of the bus.

Alexandra stepped off the bus to be greeted by the midday sun. It was a hot day and drops of sweat are already forming on the right side of her slender neck. The wind however, was much kinder. The gentle breeze carried the strong scent of fresh cut grass and tulips of colorful sorts.

"Funny thing, tulips are. They come in all different colors yet they all smell them same," thought Alexandra. 

The thought of flowers revitalized her otherwise weak will to make her way to the orientation for international students at UW-Madison. Not that she was antisocial having arrive from Lima, Peru just two days ago, there was loads of errand to be taken care of. Not to mention her mother back home was already bugging her to call home. Alas, the temptation of food and fun were not to be taken lightly. With her chest puffed up and a bright smile, she walked towards to what seem to be a congregation of people. She introduced herself to the lady at the registration table, wrote her name on a tag, and proceed to the nearest group of people. 

"Hi! I'm Alexandra from Peru!" greeted Alexandra.

Her greeting was well received and many of those people became her really close friends through the semester. But there was one guy that she was really intrigued by. A mid-sized Brazilian "boy" with shaggy hair and a lack of interest towards soccer. His teeth though, was spectacular. They kept stealing glances at each other subconsciously but as they wa the universe works, their eyes never met. Come 2pm, the sun went into hiding beneath mass of clouds as if to take a little break. The breeze continued to carry the scent of grass, this time with a greater intensity as the boys playing soccer on the far side of the park were kicking up a storm. 

"The earthworms must be yelling murder," said Dimas, the Brazilian. 

Alexandra let out a girly giggle and they continued spectating the soccer boys. The sun eventually retreats into the horizon and with that, the party ends. Many phone numbers and promises to hang out were exchanged. Everyone went home with hopeful of an exciting semester. One the way back, Alexandra spotted a small white egg with blue spots underneath some bushes. She thought it was pretty and kept it in her purse, only to forget about it.

 A few days later, the group met again. This time with the presence of spirits. Fun times were had then and many nights throughout the semester. It turns out, Madison is situated quite close to Chicago, one of the largest cities in Midwest United States. Being exchange students, Alexandra and Dimas could not pass the opportunity to visit. They made plans with a few other students and soon a group big enough to fill a whole bus was ready to visit the Windy City. The trip was quite normal with the visits to some touristy places and great restaurants. A few hand brushes were also had. Day by day their "frienship" strengthened, so did the frequencies of glance stealing. 

Summer soon left and the whole vista of Madison was painted 50 shades of red. It was time for the confession. Dimas invited Alexandra for a walk along the lake by where he lives. As usual. On their way to the Union, the temperature began dropping to Dimas's advantage. The put his arm around Alexandra who was then shivering from the chill. Underneath the starry night were two souls communing with each other. While it was freezing e outside, they could only feel warmth in each others' embrace as their hearts beat in harmony. In the midst of the chaos, Alexandra's gaze moved towards an egg by her feet, not unlike the one she had picked up ages ago. This time though, it had a crack on it.

Happiness is but a fleeting shadow. Morning came and Dimas woke up alone on his bed. 

"That's right, she went back," said Dimas disappointingly.

 Reality soon hits and he realized not a word was uttered the last night. Not that there was any chance. Sighing, he got ready for class. The day was relatively uneventful for him. He was unable to concentrate during his classes, and every meeting with his friends were forgotten. Try as he might, he was unable to get rid of Alexandra from his mind. By the time he felt hungry, Alexandra was sitting beside him at the dining hall. He make a sound but before he could, he was already on his bed in his pajamas.

"L-e-t-'s  j-u-s-t  b-e  f-r-i-e-n-d-s," was what he recalled from dinner. He head felt heavy and there was a pool of undefined wetness on his pillow. Turning his head right, he was blinded by street light reflected by the silver letters "Jack Daniels" written on a half-finished bottle of whiskey. Never in his life had he ever gotten so drunk. However, the beam of light that initially blinded his eyesight somehow ignited a new fire within him. 

"Never give up, never surrender."he told himself. He might have heard it somewhere but he could not be bothered to recall. 

On the other side of Madison, a forlorn Alexandra sat on her bed with her back against the wall. Her heart ached as she stared at the midnight moon. Somewhere inside her purse, something was about to hatch.....