My first and longest love story

Last Sunday of October 1986.

It felt already summer in Buenos Aires.

My dad, mom, my sister and I headed to church early in that morning.

We had arrived Argentina the day earlier.

The only thing I remember is that the church had a big blue gate

in front of which I immediately started to play with my first love.

He, Pablo, was my age and had an older brother.

My sister and I used to play with them all the time.

There was nothing special about him.

Well, he was funny, but that wasn't the reason I liked him.

I liked him because I had no other alternatives.

His brother was too old for me.

One day, a new girl and her little brother came to church.

Competition started and got fierce as time passed by.

But we became instantly best friends

as she confessed me she liked Alejandro, Pablo's brother.

Pablo was too young for her.

You couldn't imagine the relief I felt.

My love towards Pablo grew but I never told him.

I wouldn't hurt my ego and be vulnerable to this stupid boy.

He was so mean to me that many times I felt deep hatred.

It sounds a cliche but he was so lovely and hateful at the same time.

His dad passed away when we were eleven.

That Sunday was the first time I saw him silent.

I didn't know what to do.

I couldn't do anything.

I just sat where he couldn't see me but I could watch him.

And prayed with my eyes open looking at him,

but I didn't know what to say in my prayer.

So I kept silent, too.

That was the only way to keep his company, I thought.

It was along that year that I realized that my crush was over.

Yeah, after five years of deep and solitary romance

I got to know that it had faded away.

I don't know the exact reason for this slow ending.

Maybe, I gave up as I realized he was very popular among girls.

Maybe it was because I found more interesting boys.

As we became teenagers, we somehow managed to be friends.

And until today, my unsuccessful first love story became my oldest and dearest friendship.

Thanks God we are just friends.

Now we can't imagine our relationship to be something else.

Our friendship turned 24 years this year,

and he and I both know it will last for much longer.

I'm happy to have him as a good friend of mine.

And I'm pretty sure he is grateful, too.

I am a good friend to him.

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Side story.

Three years ago, when I visited my family in Argentina,

I got to know that the crush had been mutual.

He confessed about his long and painful first love story like this:

I was the first girl he met in Argentina,

so he had no other choice than liking me.

It sounded very familiar, haha.

And once again I realized that

you fall in love because you just... simply... have no other choice.