"Will you marry me when we get older?!"
These words swirl endlessly in my mind, stirring my thoughts like a relentless whirlpool. Back then, I was just a quiet, overweight kid with thick glasses, someone she would surely say no to. But it was the last day of elementary school, and I had nothing left to lose. If she said yes, middle school would become an excellent new chapter; if she rejected me, I could finally free myself from the heavy weight of my unspoken feelings and move on. Honestly, I'd have forgotten her answer by now.
Yet, I haven't.
"Sure," she had replied, smiling warmly. "Just dedicate yourself to helping animals and people. If you could do that, I would marry anyone."
Her words were simple, spoken lightly, yet they resonated deeply within me. From that day forward, I devoted myself entirely to it. I volunteered at zoos and animal shelters, and when I turned sixteen, every paycheck went to aiding the homeless. I lived without spare money or free time, driven relentlessly by her words. I abandoned everything I once loved: reading manga, watching anime, collecting cards, transforming myself into someone worthy of her.
"Hmmm," I grunt, hefting another heavy bag of dog food onto the growing pile with a thud.
"That makes thirty," says Maralyn, a woman with fiery red hair and bright blue eyes, clad in blue scrubs. She checks the bags off her clipboard, eyebrows raised. "Aren't those heavy?" she asks, clearly impressed.
"You get used to it," I reply, smiling faintly. "I've been volunteering here since I was a kid. It becomes second nature after a while." Maralyn nods thoughtfully, but she doesn't know the truth behind my strength: her words echoing endlessly, pushing me forward, giving me purpose and determination as I carry bag after heavy bag through the shelter doors.
"You know, you've told me that story every day since you started working here," Maralyn says, brushing back a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "She sounds like a special lady, remembering you after all this time." She giggles softly, adding, "But if things don't work out, my daughter would gladly marry you."
"Maralyn," I chuckle, shaking my head, "I told you, dating your daughter would be too awkward. Besides, my heart's already set." I pause, my mind drifting back to that moment, her young face now blurred by time. She hadn't actually been looking at me at all; she'd been holding a flower, fascinated by a bug crawling along its petals. I had stood behind her, unnoticed. Did she even know who I was?
"No," I whisper to myself with newfound confidence. "She has to see that I've become the kind of man she spoke about, the kind who cares for animals and people alike." I press my hand against my chest, reaffirming my resolve.
"I believe she'll accept your second proposal, and you'll both live happily ever after," Maralyn says warmly, walking over to the pile of bags. She sits down, using them as a makeshift chair. "Now, tomorrow morning is your last day. Go home and prepare. I have a feeling it'll be quite a day, one way or another. Whatever happens, promise you'll come back and share the news with all of us. Luis, especially, will want every detail."
I laugh softly, shaking my head. "I do love his jokes and his constant teasing. You're right, all she can say is yes or no."
We exchange goodbyes, and I head home, anticipation stirring inside me. Tomorrow was graduation. Tomorrow would come swiftly, as quickly as closing my eyes and hearing the alarm ring. When morning arrives, I leap out of bed, hurriedly dressing and rushing out the door. I wasn't late; I simply wanted to sit beside her, my future wife, the one to whom I'd dedicated my entire life. Arriving early, I waited eagerly for Melanie at the student entrance reserved for the graduates, but she never came.
The stadium quickly began to fill, with the available seats filling up rapidly. If I didn't want to stand through the ceremony, I would have to enter soon. Yet I hesitated, continuing to stand, eyes scanning anxiously for her familiar form, golden blonde hair, emerald green eyes, effortlessly stylish even within dress code restrictions. But she was nowhere in sight.
The ceremony commenced, the principal's voice echoing out to me. My heart sank. "We're graduating now," I murmured, resigned. "I guess she's not coming."
Entering the auditorium, I found every bleacher occupied, every chair taken, and hundreds more standing. Joining them, I stood among the crowded audience, the principal's words becoming mere background noise to the turmoil within my mind. Maralyn's words replayed relentlessly: "She sounds like a special lady, remembering you after all this time." She had to remember me; she was special, at least to me. Yet, had she ever truly seen me?
I searched my memories desperately but found only moments of watching her from afar, the back of her head, her smiling face captured in yearbook photos.
"With that, I present our male and female valedictorians of the graduating class, each achieving straight A's!"
The room erupted into cheers and applause, jolting me from my trance. Hearing Melanie's name, my heart pounded sharply. Beside her stood Tyler, a popular kid. I barely recognized him; my fixation with Melanie had blurred everyone else into insignificance. Amid the applause, I realized just how little I knew about anyone other than her.
As they walked out onto the stage, waving to the audience, Tyler wrapped his arm around her. The mere sight of them together shattered my heart, turning my vision black. My head dropped, eyes fixed numbly on my feet. Everything around me faded, the cheering crowd, the auditorium, even my presence, until only my own foolish imagination remained. The thought that I ever had a chance with Melanie, that I might actually be the man she'd dreamed of, was absurd. I had changed for her, abandoning my laziness, and committed myself to her simple yet profound request from our childhood. She couldn't have forgotten. She couldn't have.
The words repeated mercilessly in my mind, a painful echo, until another voice intruded deep, methodical, and strangely soothing, like an audiobook narrator.
"But it did happen, boy. She didn't care for you. You cared too much," the voice sneered. "Face it. She never fell for you, but I could make her."
"What do you mean? How could you possibly make her fall for me?" I asked, my voice trembling, my confusion and desperation clear.
"In this world, of course. Listen to the lady you so adore." A spotlight illuminated Melanie standing on the stage. Her eyes cold, she said, "I've never known you. How could I ever like you?"
"And now, hear the audience," the voice continued, spotlighting a student who mocked loudly, "Who's Norman? Who would ever name their kid that?" Spotlights illuminated others, their voices shouting every insecurity I'd ever harbored, every hidden fear suddenly exposed.
I couldn't deny the truth of their words. I couldn't fight the brutal reality they painted; I was insignificant, insecure, a nobody. I wasn't the man she wanted; how could I ever be?
"That's right. Nobody in this world cares about you. They laugh at your weakness. But I can rebuild you, transform you into the man Melanie desires. Will you accept my offer?"
The temptation was overwhelming. How could I refuse a chance at the life I'd always wanted, the person I'd always wanted to become? "I accept," I whispered.
The presence behind the voice seemed to grin, its aura radiating satisfaction. "Excellent!" A chilling, maniacal laugh filled the darkness around me.
Suddenly, something deep within vanished, something integral, something I couldn't name. "Your name, what should we call you now? You certainly can't keep your old one; it's not something the woman of your dreams would whisper lovingly."
The compulsion to answer overwhelmed all thought. "How about Liam?"
"Liam," the voice echoed approvingly. "A fine choice. But first, you must die and be reborn. This process of reincarnation, or transmigration, is necessary and painless. You'll awaken as the man Melanie dreams of."
"Will I die?" I asked softly, resignation seeping into my voice.
"Yes. Nothing remains for you here. Everyone despises your family, potential friends, and even Melanie. Say goodbye."
Before I could respond, darkness enveloped me. My final thoughts were of despair and loss, fading into oblivion.
"You are now reborn," the voice declared, confirming my new reality.
"Oh, isn't he cute?" My cries filled the room, muffled yet clear enough for me to discern. Warmth enveloped me, gentle hands holding me carefully, lovingly. My senses began to sharpen slowly, even though my vision remained blurred and unfocused. The voice speaking was tender, filled with joy and affection. "What should we name him?"
Another voice, equally warm yet thoughtful, responded gently, "I don't know, though I have a great urge to name him Liam." At the mention of the name, my cries subsided. A strange calm settled over me, like a comforting embrace. The name resonated deep within my very being, a symbol of the new identity and fresh start I'd been promised. It was as though my soul recognized this moment as my rebirth, my second chance to become someone worthy of the love I'd yearned for all my previous life.