Unexpected Love

Love is a force that cannot be controlled. Sometimes two people fall in love easily and quickly, other times two people live parallel lives that eventually cross paths. I think that the love me and Elizabeth share is the most meaningful kind. The kind that no one could have possibly seen coming. The kind that no one can seem to understand. The kind that belongs only to us. The world cannot accept our love because we are complete opposites. 

I grew up in a home with crystal chandeliers dangling from ten-foot-tall ceilings, butlers and chefs waiting on me to bark orders at them all day, and a garage lined with ridiculously expensive cars that no one seemed to ever drive. My parents were both very successful lawyers, who have made more than enough money to support our family. I used to love the glamorous life I had. My friends would always tell me how lucky I was, and that they would do anything if it meant that they could be me even just for a day. I knew they were right, and I certainly enjoyed the perks. Their words of envy pushed me to act arrogantly. This was a quality that only Elizabeth could get me to abandon.

I remember every detail about the day I first laid eyes on her. It was during the second semester of my freshman year of college. I was with a group of friends in the quad tossing a football. It was scorching hot that day, so we had just taken a break to hydrate ourselves. I was aggressively chugging my water bottle when my best friend, Alexander nudged me with his elbow. 

“Daniel, Daniel, Daniel” he tried to whisper in my ear.

“What?” I answered calmy.

“Look at that girl over there. What do you think her tragic story is?” 

My eyes followed his index finger that was directed towards a girl unlike anyone I had ever seen before. She had blonde curls protruding from her head that bounced heavily with each step she took. Her arms and thighs were covered in what I would barely consider clothing because of how many holes and tears there were in the fabric. Her feet were encased in slides that had fallen apart, making it look as if she was walking with a limp.

I hadn’t realized I had been staring until she turned her head in my direction and our eyes settled on one another. Everything about her was unique. But in that moment, it was her face that intrigued me the most. Her cheekbones were pulled tight around her face making it look like she did not eat much. Her eyes drooped down suggesting whatever has happened in her life has expedited her aging. My eyes traveled down her face to realize her lips remained in a straight line throughout the duration of my staring.

I knew that Alexander had pointed at her in an attempt to make me laugh or provoke me to make some cruel remark. Normally, I would have. That is the kind of thing I used to do. Making fun of people and pointing out their flaws was an activity I found myself frequently wrapped up in. But something about her repressed that side of me for the first time. I focused my attention back on Alexander. But this time I did not join in on the mockery he was hoping for. Instead, I told him what I really thought of this girl he targeted.

“I think she’s pretty” I muttered.

Alexander looked at me in disbelief. This did not make me feel stupid or wrong for seeing the beauty in her. It made me feel like I had some secret connection with her. 

Elizabeth’s unique look wasn’t the only thing that stood out to me. It was her soul that was different than everyone else’s. Others could see a glimpse of it on the outside, but only I was able to see through it internally. I began to see it shine through when I had my first conversation with her. I asked Elizabeth if she wanted to go somewhere with me, and she didn’t answer like the others did. She didn’t say “Can we go to your house” or “Would you take me on your boat” or “Let’s take a drive in your dad’s Porsche”. Instead, she said “I know a pretty lake nearby we could walk to, if you want”. The minute those words escaped her lips I knew she was different. I was drawn to her because of all that she didn’t have. 

Once she finally opened her heart to me, I could see how broken it was. I learned about her past and how it continued to impact her present. Unlike me, she only had one parent to guide her as she grew up. Unlike me, she lived in a one-bedroom apartment that constantly had eviction notices taped to the wooden door. Unlike me, she had to take care of herself without the help of butlers and chefs. She could not begin to picture a life like mine, so we created a life of our own.

I am a different person when I am with Elizabeth. I am no longer the kid with the big house or the fancy shoes. I am a person who understands that humans were put on this earth to love rather than to make money. I was never genuinely satisfied with my life when money was the dominating force controlling it. Happiness finally came to me when love replaced the void that no amount of money could buy.

Everybody has their own idea of what love is. For me, love is change. Love can make people do powerful and sometimes even crazy things. But the most powerful thing love can do to a person, is make them become someone new. Elizabeth forced me to open my eyes to the world. Our love continues to grow because we are opposite one another.