A Choice

When we were in first year high school, my friend, Lara* felt a deep infatuation to his older brother’s best friend, Tom*. Tom, however, had a crush on an older girl in school. So, Lara just satisfied herself by looking at Tom from a distance.

Just like other ordinary high school girls, we grew up and Lara became one of the prettiest and smartest girls in campus. A flock of suitors block our way to and from school. Before we graduated, Lara’s most awaited moment had come. Tom sent him a token of his admiration. My friend was elated, she had long dreamed of being noticed by Tom and now that it happened, she was so happy.

But when I asked her if she still liked Tom the way she used to do when we were younger, she said why wouldn’t she? She has always liked and loved him and this was the moment she’s long been waiting for.

So, they became sweethearts. It took only a couple of weeks before I noticed that Lara wasn’t as happy as we both expected, and I guess I wasn’t surprised. When I asked her about it, she admitted that she, herself, didn’t know why. So, I said maybe she wasn’t really in love with Tom, that what she felt was just teenage infatuation which is totally different from love.

She thought about it and broke up with Tom after a while. But Tom took it too hard. He resorted to prohibited drugs until he got addicted to it and had to drop from school. Lara felt so guilty. She blamed herself for messing up Tom’s life. But I said she may have hurt him, but it wasn’t her fault if Tom resorted to drugs. He had a choice. He chose to be a bum and no one was to blame except himself.

Man is a rational animal. If one man isn’t rational, then, what is he..?

*not real name