As I took a stroll on the Olle Walking trail I came upon the most beautiful site I had ever seen.
Many would have believed I was looking at the sea but I wasn’t.
I was looking at him.
I didn’t know who he was but there was something about him that drew me to him.
As I got closer he smiled and turned away.
I looked around for an area to sit and just watched him.
I saw a lovely field full of dandelion puffs and colorful flowers, so I sat there.
As I watched him from a distance, I blew the puffs, making wishes. Acting as if I wasn’t watching him.
They made a beautiful trail as they flew away.
Every now and then he would glance at me and smile.
I strangely felt warm with his gaze.
To this day, I have no idea what he was taking pictures of,
but every day that I would pass, he was there doing the same thing.
And I did the same too, I watched him from a distance.
This one day I decided I was going to talk to him. We always shared smiles; maybe we had something in common.
But to my surprise, today he wasn’t there.
Every day after that, I still took my evening walk in hopes to bump into him but I never saw him again.
I never got the chance to know him but I thought of him often. I don’t know why but to this day, he has never left my mind.
As my vacation came to an end, I went to checkout of the hotel. As I approached the concierge smiled and handed me a package.
I found it strange because I knew no one on this island so I just put it in my bag and made my way to the airport.
On the plane, I decided to see what was in the package. It had no note, no return address, nothing. As I opened the package I gasped.
“Oh! It’s pictures.” I said to myself.
Photographs of the ocean and of me.
A warm feeling took over me and
I smiled as my mind was transported to that beautiful moment.
I looked carefully at them, etching them into my mind.
I would have never thought he was watching me as I sat in the field.
I guess I was so mesmerized by what I was doing that I didn’t even notice him taking pictures.
Then I reached the last one and my heart skipped a beat.
There he was in a beautiful self-portrait in the same place I was.
Holding a dandelion puff.
If you put the two pictures together they fit perfectly as if we were both there together.
His features were perfect.
His chestnut brown hair looked so soft as the ocean wind blew through it.
His sweet brown eyes were deep but soft and loving.
And that smile, oh that smile, it was so heartwarming.
The way his lips were caressed by a little mole made him totally flawless.
I smiled as if I knew him.
My fingers caressed his picture gently as I looked out the window as the plane flew over the area where we would have met.
Years had passed and I always kept his pictures.
I didn’t have a name for him so I called him Jun.
Why Jun? You ask.
Well the name seemed to be perfect for him.
Plus it came to me in a dream.
It meant handsome and he sure was very handsome.
Plus in English it was the month my heart was introduced to true love.
June 7, 2013
A date that became a part of me for eternity.
As every other woman, I went off and got married, had children & lived an entire life but Jun always remained a part of me.
In my heart I always knew why he was there but I never spoke of it.
“Tell us.” Kelsey asked in a soft voice.
“Yeah tell us mom.” Lani added.
“Because I wished for him.” I said with a smile.
Throughout my life I carried those pictures in my heart especially the one of him.
It always seemed to bring me strength and joy at the perfect moments.
When I was feeling sad, his smile made me feel like everything would be alright and when I was happy I felt we shared that happiness.
In everything I did, he was always present in my mind.
He was like my secret good luck charm.
I thought of him at least once a day and that’s a lot for a person who really didn’t exist but only in my memory.
I always yearned to visit that area where I first saw him with hopes of seeing him again and maybe saying hello this time.
But then, he was just a fantasy.
On a recent visit to Korea, I saw one of his pictures for sale at a market.
I automatically became excited.
I asked the girl who was the photographer. She proudly said her uncle.
She watched me as I looked at the other pictures.
I glanced at her and smiled.
I came across another picture and smiled.
“Is this your family?” I asked as she walked over.
She nodded no.
“That’s the photographer, his daughter and his wife before she passed.” She said.
“Oh I’m so sorry.” I extended my condolences.
“It’s ok. It happened many years ago, she was ill.” She replied.
I stared at the picture.
My heart automatically knew it was him.
His daughter was just as beautiful as he was.
She had his eyes and his smile.
She then glanced at the picture of me in the field which was for sale and then over at me.
I smiled as if I didn’t notice.
“Thank you!” I said as I walked away.
She smiled and looked again at the picture.
Even though he had a family, I still had the yearning to meet him and thank him.
As I walked away, my heart grew weary with the thought that I would never get my chance to meet him.
But it also gave my heart the hope that he was still around so anything is possible.
I smiled and placed my hand on my heart.
I slowly walked away but I felt a strange tugging in my heart.
“Should I ask her about him?” I said to myself.
My heart suddenly felt a flutter.
“I need to find you.” I whispered.
If it was the last thing I did, I wanted to find him and thank him for the pictures that helped me cope with so much pain and also gave me so much happiness.
As I returned home, I frantically looked for the package of his pictures. Finding them,
I inhaled deeply and exhaled as I pulled the pictures out.
That warm sensation filled my heart as it always did when I saw them.
That day I made the decision to look for him.
What did I have to lose?
Nothing really…
But I felt I had a lot to gain.
