Life Is Too Short to Be Shy
By Mona, age 17, Philippines
I had a bad Valentine's Day. I was all alone in the house watching movies about love which made me more depressed. I'm just glad Valentine's Day is over, and now it's another week in school and more things to do.
It was a Monday when my friend and I decided to have brunch in one of the restaurants across our school. We ate at this place called Pancake House. We sat and ordered our food. My friend had gone to the comfort room when someone came in. "Good morning, sir!" I heard the waiter say. I looked up and it was him.
There's this guy I have been eyeing for a couple of weeks now. I first saw him at an open mic concert. He was in a band playing the keyboards. He didn't look like someone from a band which made him stand out. His name was Chris, and he looked liked your typical boy next door. I was so transfixed, and really wanted to get to know him. He went inside the restaurant and walked over to the table beside me. My heart was pounding and I was on the verge of hyperventilating. He was all alone.
My friend came back and was shocked that he was right there. We had been talking about him for days, and now he was so close that we could touch him. I made signals to my friend so we would stop staring at him. I thought to myself that he's all alone, and he's here in the restaurant with only a few people, so I should talk to him.
I didn't know what I was going to do. Talk to him or not? After a few moments I took a deep breath, turned to face him, and said, "Hey, you're Chris, right?" That line did it. The next thing I knew he was having brunch with my friend and me. We talked about so many things - what he wants to be when he graduates college, what his hobbies are, and so on. I was so proud of myself for being brave enough to start up a conversation with this guy I really like, and now I like him more because I found out that he is so sensitive.
When we separated, I couldn't stop smiling. I did this really brave thing that only a few girls can do, and that's to talk to a guy you really like, and just talk. That moment was by far the best moment of my life.
