Date: Wed, 1 Aug 2001 02:58:56 EDT
From: MOoNcHiL0@aol.com
Subject: Falling In Love With a Stranger, Part 14

This is probably my final installment, I hope everyone has enjoyed reading
it as much I had writing it.


CHAPTER 14 - MORE THAN I THOUGHT

"Before you go, the police left you something," the coroner mumbled.

He left and came back with a large plastic bin. Inside, we fished out:
Philip's bloody clothes in a bag, some keys, a blanket I gave to Philip for
our beach trips, and a mangled shirt box.

"What's this?" Mr. Jameson looked confused.

He read the envelope on the box that looked to have been once, carefully
wrapped, but was not covered in dried blood and was crushed.

"I think it's for you," he said handing me the box.

Scribbled on the envelope was "To: Eugene" in Philip's chicken-scratch
handwriting.

Mr. Jameson took me home and I thanked him for his genorsity and his
hospitality.

I spent the next few days thinking about Philip. I took out all our
pictures together and all the things I had hidden from my parents. All of
his gifts that I had told my parents were from "my friends" that he had
given me were strewn all over my room.

The box that the coroner had been sitting ominously in a dark corner of my
room that entire week. I hadn't touched it since the night I came back from
the hospital.

One night, I had a dream about him:


We were at the beach, lying back and watching the stars and listening to
the waves. He turned to me and said, "there's something that I haven't told
you, but I'm not afraid to say anymore."

I smiled and said, "Yeah? What's that?"

He was about to say something when he kind of slowly disappeared and
suddenly, it was dark and I was very afraid.

I just kept screaming, "Philip, come back! I need you, please come back!"


And that's when I'd wake up.

One night, I decided to finally open the box. I slowly peeled the envelope
from the box and the blood had dried the wrapping onto the envelope and
pieces of the box hung from it. I carefully pried it open and inside was a
little slip of paper, neatly handwritten, but informal:


My Dearest Eugene,

There are two things inside this box that I think you should consider.

I hope you remember what this is all about. I know we discussed a lot of
things, but I don't think I've ever been able to or ever will be able to
tell you how much I love you, which is why I really hope you think about
this and think about yourself and not about me.

Love,
Philip

P.S. Open the folder first...


I carefully took off the paper and opened the box. Inside, there was
another note and an manila folder filed with papers.

I opened up the the folder to find inside a very large envelope that was
addressed to Philip's house, under my name. I was taken by surprise as I
looked at the bottom to see, "Welcome to NYU!" NYU was the school that I
was rejected from earlier that year.

I took out the main note:


Eugene,

Upon review of your appeal, your academic records, and your list of
extra-curricular activities, we apologize for having overlooked you and
would like to welcome you to NYU...


I was confused, "When did I appeal?" I thought.

I looked at the other note in the box from Philip:


Eugene,

I'm sorry I didn't tell you about this. I just really wanted to surprise
you on a special day. Today will be cause I planned all this stuff for us
to do. But, I'm not saying anything until we get there! HAHA!

Anyways, I know we kept talking about how nice it would be for us to be
together if you stayed here and all, but I think I can't keep you from the
world. In the last 10 months, you have showed me a lot about myself and if
I was to deprive you from the rest of the world, no one can feel what I
feel about you.

I know NYU is a long ways away from here, but please, don't worry about me,
I'll be alright. We will see each other lots more in the future.

Much Love,
Philip


I glared at the note. There were more things to Philip that I guessed I had
never bothered to notice before; there was definitely more to him than I
had ever thought. He loved me a lot more than I ever could have
imagined. It only made me more depressed to realize that he wasn't with me
anymore.

That's when I noticed a picture on the floor, it was me and Philip with his
finger shoved up my nose while making a funny face. It was kinda gross,
except I noticed that I'm smiling brightly, like I never do in pictures.

I began to sob and smile at the same time. It was like an enlightenment for
me. It was then that I decided to myself that I would go there and show
them what I was made of and fulfill Philip's belief in me.

It was then that I kept thinking of the old and cliche saying: "You never
realize how good something is until it's gone." It perfectly described the
10 months of bliss that I spent with him.

I would never forget the one guy that changed my life, and all for the
better. The one that showed me that I could be important to someone and
someone who could be everything to me. Whatever happened, is happening, or
will happen, Philip would always be in my heart.

It was then that I became very angry at the person that took him from me;
the one that deprived the world of Philip's smile, his brightness, his
kindness, his generosity, her selflessness; the dumbass that decided to
drive drunk.

There was a time when a college-bound teenager was happy in his house in
the suburbs like all those other suburban houses in the world. There was a
time when he knew another boy, a boy that he would know for such a short
time, but one that would change him forever. There was a time that when the
world took this boy away from the teenager in his house in the suburbs like
all those other suburban houses in the world that made this teenager feel
such deep pain. There was a time that when this boy was taken away that it
felt like the teenager's arms had been ripped off and given to someone
else. Then, there came the time when the teenager realized how this boy had
shown him that he was important and meaningful in a world of mindless
chatter and shopping malls. There came the time that this boy showed his
love without being there. There came the time that the teenager went to
college and realized that all the boy had ever said was the truth. There
never came a time, however, that the teenager ever forgot this boy...



I think this is where the story ends...there's some odds and ends, but I
guess it's best that it doesn't go any further. Unless someone gives me a
profound reason, this is the last installment of "Falling In Love With a
Stranger." I hope you have enjoyed this series...Comments? Criticism?
E-mail me all your thoughts at moonchil0@aol.com! Thanks!