A CHANCE MEETING

MAISIE

A chance meeting was all it took to remind me of what I lost all those years ago. One sunny day at the local cafe I bumped into him. He didn't recognize me but I knew him.

He left without saying sorry. I left the cafe disappointed. What did I expect of him, for him to crawling back to me, so we can be friends once again after what I did to him. I was a horrible person when I was young but I changed and how do I tell him that.

The very next day He came back to the cafe. He called me Maisie. He knew who I was after all. We talked, then he say goodbye. I haven't seen him since but I think about him often. I wonder if he thinks about me? Probably not. He probably thinks horrible things about me.

I want to meet him again. I don't know how to get in touch with him. Maybe if I come to the cafe again, he will come back. I want to say so many things to him. Things I should have said to him when we first talked. I was too excited to say anything to him. I was scared and shameful as well. We just talked about random things. I guess we both didn't want to broach the dread subject of our shared history.

Cameron is a guy who I've know since I was a kid. You can say we were friends. He lived two houses from me. We had a lot in common. The big one is we came from single parent home and no siblings. Our bond grew strong because of that.

Me and Cameron loved sports. We played on the same teams. Cameron never took it easy on me because I was a girl. I loved that about him. There are so many things I can tell you about Cameron, things I took for granted. At that time, I was young, I didn't know any better. But now thinking about it, what I did to Cameron all those years ago has my heartbreaking. He was my friend and I never should have treat him the way I did.

Cameron did everything for me. He did my homework. He helped me cheat on my exams. He cooked dinner for me, took out the trash. He even cleaned my room and what did I do for him. Nothing, I hurt him in the worst possible way. I don't even what to talk about it. It hurts too much. I hurt my very good friend.

CAMERON

Maisie, that is a name I haven't heard in years. I wished with all my heart to forget about Maisie. Then out of the blue there was my nightmare standing in front of me. I pretended not to know her but the pain was too much.

I left without saying a word to her. The pain was unbearable. I came back the next day and she was there. I called her name. She came up to me. We talked about random things but I didn't say what I wanted to say to Maisie. It still hurts after all this time.

What I would give to talk to Maisie, to tell her what I have been waiting to tell her for so long. Maisie and I were friends. We shared a very special bond. One I thought would bond us together forever. I was so very wrong.

I did everything for Maisie and I mean everything. You name it I did it. From doing her homework all the way to cleaning her room. I thought I meant more to Maisie than just being her errand boy.

Maisie didn't look at me the way I looked at her. I played to be near her and I loved it. I never imagined I would be good at anything and yet Maisie still didn't notice me. I was invisible to her. Even when we won state championship, I was still the invisible friend.

The worst of it all happened the day we graduated. You see the thing is I fell hard for Maisie. She became more than just a friend and that day when I told her my feelings, Maisie laughed in my face. I was heartbroken. I went home and locked myself away.

When I got accepted to USC on a football scholarship, I was beyond excited that I wanted to share the good news with Maisie then I remembered what she did to me. Me and my mother celebrated alone.

I vowed from that day on to work hard to become the best player on the planet, to let no woman ever hurt me and to never think about Maisie.

I have done all those things but the one thing I vowed never to do again I'm doing right now and that is thinking about Maisie. What hold does that woman still have on me? I'm not the same person I was when I was a kid. I grew up to be the best version of myself and here I am thinking about the one woman I never wished to see again.

MAISIE

I can't stop thinking about Cameron. The way people at the cafe stopped and took pictures of Cameron. He became a star. That's great for him.

I followed my dreams and became a pediatrician. I love working with kids. My job fulfills me every single day. I do thinking about how I acted when I was in high school. I was mean, cruel, just a plain ugly person but now I'm different. I'm not mean or cruel. I love life.

Cameron never deserved the way I treated him. He was good to me, way too good for me. If there is one thing in life I want that would be to apologize to Cameron, to tell him how very sorry I am and to make him understand I was a stupid kid who didn't deserve him as a friend. How can I make this up to him?

Think Maisie. I just need one more meeting with Cameron. He hasn't been back to the cafe so I need another way to find him.

I'm back in the cafe getting my daily fix of caffeine when I hear that Cameron is signing autographs at the local sporting goods store. That's my cue to leave.

I head to the sporting goods hoping and praying Cameron will want to talk to me. I round the corner to the sporting goods store, there is a long line. Wow, so many people came to get Cameron's autograph.

For the next hour I wait in line thinking of what to say to Cameron. Nothing I have come up with will matter Cameron. So, I begin to write my words on paper.

"Dear Cameron

I'm writing this letter to because I'm afraid to face you in person. I'm scared you will yell at me which you have every right to do so. So, this letter will have to do. I'm sorry for how I treated you. I made you do so many things for me with out asking for anything in return. The only you wanted was my love and I didn't give that to you. The truth is I never had a good role model to teach me how I should treat others. My mother ate men alive. I saw what she did and I did exactly what she did. Cameron, I should have told you all this but I was scared not of you but my mother. I want to tell you now that I am a different person then my younger self. I acted in a way that hurt our friendship. I'm truly sorry. I'm proud of you for becoming a star. I hope one day you can forgive me and we can rebuild our friendship."

Always

Maisie

I get out of line, head to the front of the store and ask the security guard if he can give my letter to Cameron. He looks at me and nods.

I walk away back to a life that means so much to me and believing I did the right thing. In my heart sending Cameron a letter was the right thing.

CAMERON

My hand hurts so much but I love it. I love seeing my fans. My security guard comes up to me and hands me a letter. He tells me a lady ask to give this to me.

I get up and walk to the back of the store. I open the letter and begin to read. Oh My God! Maisie had a horrible mother. I should have done more to get Maisie to open up to me. I have to find her.

I ask my security guard which way the lady went. He points to the left. I run out of the store without telling anyone. I run up the street trying to find Maisie. Where is she? I cross the street and enter the park. I look around and finally spot Maisie sitting on the bench.

I walk up to her and say "I've been trying all these years to forget about you but seeing you and talking to you after all these years brought back the anger, I've been harboring for you. I was your friend Maisie. I would have done anything to help you. You wouldn't give me that chance. You broke my heart but I learned to survive with the pain and I did good for myself, with that said, I forgive you Maisie and I do hope we can rebuild our friendship. I just need time."

"I understand and thank you Cameron for forgiving me. I am a changed person. I hope one day you will be able to see that. I'm your biggest fan."

"Thank you Maisie." I hope I get to see it too. Goodbye for now."

"Goodbye for now Cameron."