Saffron

8

Day 17
Saffron Walters had an amazing childhood

It was finally the beginning of spring and just warm enough to spend an afternoon with you under the sun. We laid down under the shade of the big oak tree. I remember you telling me about it before, about how in the summer days you could spend hours under it with a good book, sometimes forgetting to eat. I loved that about you. How you're able to put yourself somewhere else and drown yourself into a new dimension.

We ended up staring through the gaps between the leaves, where the sunlight crept through and we would hold our hands above our eyes because neither of us refused to move. We started talking about embarrassing moments and you told me about a twelve year-old you that was so excited when finding out about going to Disneyland that you threw up all over your birthday cake.

You spoke about your childhood too and I guess that was when I was being the most attentive. Hearing about how your dad used to take you on small fishing trips every Friday after school, I guess it gave me a small idea of how a childhood should've been. Your mum, dad and brother would pick a place out of a hat and go on a family vacation every summer, that explains why you were so wanderlust, why you were so free and exhilarated by unfamiliar places.

I wondered if someone like you has ever seen a single bad day in their life. Someone like you didn't deserve something like that. You see, you were the type of person that never got angry at someone's harsh tones and would return any criticism with a 'thank you, I appreciate it'.

I look at you and I hope that no one will ever come along and disrupt the outlook that you have on this world. When it all falls apart and chaos takes over, I know you'd be someone's motivation to keep trying, to hold onto the little faith that was left.

You asked me about my own childhood. 'It was normal, nothing extraordinary, just like everyone else.' I didn't want to lie, but I did it again. I didn't want you to think so little of me nor did I want to see your sympathy – I'd much rather see you smile so wide that your eyes barely remain open. Yeah, I liked that.

But just like the stories you've read, and the movies you've watched: you were the type of girl that every guy wanted. And just like the story always goes: there was one boy in particular that would unintentionally break your trust in love.

But I couldn't help myself, I was too carried away to realise what would inevitably happen.

Day 17, the day that Saffron Walters showed me a new perspective on an unfair beginning.