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About 10 years ago, I was working an awesome summer job. A few times a week, I would stop in for lunch at the only gas station Subway in town. Even though the shop was in the middle of nowhere, it was conveniently located so it was a hub for those working in the area.
Every once in awhile, I would see this handsome guy come in while I was on my lunch break. He seemed to be in his early twenties like I was at the time. He was tanned from working outside. Based on his company t-shirt, I assumed he worked for a concrete company that catered to pools. He was always muddy and kept his long blonde surfer hair tied up. He had the most beautiful navy eyes and his bone structure was immaculate--he could have easily modeled. Tall, athletically built with a quiet, reserved nature....I was putty over this guy.
As the summer progressed, I developed a crush on my mystery guy and challenged myself to say hello to him before the summer ended. As the weeks dwindled, I went to Subway everyday for lunch in hopes of running into him. I remember that day like it just happened.
He came in on a Tuesday. I was ordering my sandwich in line when the door chimes tinkled. I just knew he was there and I turned to look for him. That day, he was off work. He was wearing board shorts and flip flops. His hair was still tied up but he was wearing a clean white t-shirt and stood at the center counter to purchase what I assumed were cigarettes. My heart started beating and my cheeks flushed. I knew I only had a minute or so to make my move and my cashier was taking too long to ring up my sandwich. I'm pretty sure I pulled my card out too quickly in my haste but I didn't care--my stranger was wrapping up his purchase and was heading toward the door. In a moment of panic, I called out to him (a bit too loud), "Excuse me! Hey, EXCUSE ME!" Holding the door open in confusion, he stopped halfway in, halfway out and turned to see me standing there, holding my saggy plastic bag and a crushed soda cup.
"Um...." I panicked. I really hadn't thought this through very well. "I've seen you come in a few times and I just wanted to say hello. What's your name?"
He blushed. He continued to hold the door open. He was clearly in a rush. People were coming. "Aaron".
"Well, my name is Janet. And I just wanted to tell you that I think you are so cute." MY GOD, WAS THAT THE BEST I COULD DO?! I felt like an idiot.
He blushed deeper and lowered his eyes. "Thanks," he whispered with a smile. He was shy. I could sense that he wasn't going to linger for conversation so I released him.
"Maybe I'll see you again. Have a day day."
"Yeah, I'll be sure to say hi." And with the tinkling of the chime, he was gone.
I felt so elated that day. I was so proud of myself. I decided to celebrate by cranking my work truck windows down and blaring music as loudly as I could. To this day, whenever I hear " What You Know" by Two Door Cinema Club, I think of the day that I met Aaron.
He came into Subway one last time after that day before I never saw him in person again. We stood next to each other in line but he never said hello. I let the moment pass and accepted that I was satisfied in accomplishing my challenge of saying hello. After Aaron left that day, I continued to think about him often.
About three years later, Aaron popped into my head and I decided to search for him on Facebook. I wanted to see his face again and to see how he was doing in life. Because I knew his name and we had met in Virginia Beach, he was pretty easy to find. I found him. But there was a Go Fund Me attached to his profile.
My soul fell out of my body.
Less a year earlier, he was in a terrible head on collision while coming home from work. I learned that he had critical brain damage from the accident and was now in rehabilitation for severe mental impairment--the tall, beautiful boy I so excitedly waited for that summer was now confined to a hospital bed in a permanent mental state of infancy. He was unable to talk, walk, or even clean himself. His long blonde hair had been shaved and the sharp bone structure that had compliment his muscular structure now caused his atrophic body to appear sunken. Those navy blue eyes that I had so loved were now dull, the life snuffed from them. Aaron had a daughter (one year old) and a fiancee who was caring for him now, along with his family. They spent hours caring for him and attempting to rehabilitate him to improvement. Aaron was also 21 years old at the time of the accident, which meant that he was only 18 when I met him that day in Subway.
I cried. I cried for him, for his family, for daughter. What was once a specimen of a young man was now a hallowed ghostly shell of the beautiful boy I knew. The shame, the tragedy, the fall, the robbery of life.... Why had God done that to such a magnificent young man with his whole life ahead of him? I was angry, devastated, sad.....
I donated anonymously to the Go Fund Me (Aaron needed a wheelchair) and was depressed for weeks.
That was years ago and I still check in on his progress to this day. I joined the family Facebook group and silently root for each improvement Aaron makes. I'm silently supporting and loving his family, too. Today, Aaron is making progress riding a stationary bicycle. His muscles are shakey but getting stronger. Watching the videos of him conquering the minor tasks we take for granted everyday has inspired me to appreciate life and the people who come into it. Never take things for granted. Talk to the people you want to. Don't waste a minute getting to know someone because you never know what can happen.
❤️
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I wish Aron all the best with his recovery.
ReplyOP. I'm so glad someone saw this. Me, too. Thank you for that. ❤️
ReplyI wish Aron all the best with his recovery.
ReplyYou could still get to know him.
ReplyOP. It's been 10 years since I said hi that one time and he can't really talk anymore because of his brain damage. I just follow his progress online now. Someday I have a feeling I'll end up running into someone in his family though. Maybe!
Reply