After Life

5

Einstein’s theory of relativity.

That was the only concept that could truly explain the last twenty-four hours of my life. No other theory or notion could accurately sum up the fact that time literally seemed to have stopped, and yet, was still passing.

The theory itself has many variations, relativity of simultaneity, length contraction, and the like. But the version that most accurately described my current situation was time dilation. That moving clocks tick more slowly than an observers internal or stationary clock. That could not be more true for me right now.

Since the previous afternoon, my mind had been consumed with thoughts of finding this green-eyed boy. I had gone over all the images I had taken at the library over and over again, looking for any deeper meaning in any others that I had taken, searching for an easier option for my project than him. And yet, every time I came to his images, I was transfixed. My breath paused, and the same feeling of emotion and intrigue was evoked. No other image I had taken that day, or possibly ever, had given me that feeling. The fact that I had such an emotional response to images that were merely snap shots, simple test images to try out a subject, only made me more determined. If he was able to provoke this kind of a response from me with such a simple picture, a by chance accident, my mind raced with the thought of what we could produce on purpose.

I carried on with my day, doing laundry, reviewing some homework. Even watching TV, something I rarely did. I found I needed to keep myself busy, to keep my mind occupied so that I wasn’t so completely focused on this stranger. The image of him seemed burned into the back of my mind, and any time I stopped, any time I let my mind relax, I saw him again.

I slept a restless, fitful sleep that night.  I knew I must have slept some, since morning came all too early, as it had a tendency to do. But I can’t say it was a good, refreshing sleep, however. I know I tossed and turned. I know I got up to get a drink several times, resulting in just as many trips to the bathroom thanks to the amount of water I had drank. My dreams were filled with chance meetings with a brown haired man, but I couldn’t see his face clearly. His eyes were unclear, his features vague. And yet, I felt something in his presence. I knew it had been Harry, even though I couldn’t make him out with any certainty.

Waking before my alarm the next morning, I felt irritated, annoyed, and slightly embarrassed. Not only was I dreaming about this stranger, I was losing sleep over him. I was losing my mind, I was certain.

I had decided the night before that after my classes that day I would go back to the library in the hopes that he would be there. I knew the chance was virtually nil, and yet, I was determined to at least try. Even if I had to go every day, I would. Because the more I thought about him, the more I saw him in my mind, the more certain I was that I wanted to photograph him.

Which brings me back to my current Einstein predicament. I had two classes on Fridays, one at eleven, and one at two. Each two hours in length, and both lectures. As if lectures weren’t long and never ending enough, add on the fact that I had the hunt for the beautiful boy to commence as soon as I was finished class, it only seemed to make the lessons drag on endlessly. The first class passed with moderate annoyance on my part, but I convinced myself that that was more due to the fact that the professors voice was so nasal I was certain she had something stuck up her nostrils. Any time I had her class, I found myself suffering from a headache by the end.