Menthol

I met someone on the number one heading back home from RCC, and I immediately noticed how beautiful she was. I sat on that bus that day for thirty minutes fumbling with a note in my hand that I had written her. I wanted to hand it to her, but I’d never done anything like that before, and I was terribly shy about it.

It wasn’t until I was about to get off the bus that I gave her the note. In it, I wrote, "You’re really beautiful. Random, I know, but I’d regret it if I didn’t say it," and she wrote back, "Thank you! <3 That just made my day so much better :D". I pinned her note to my wall. It was the first time I’d ever done something like that. I’m still not sure why I felt so compelled to let her know that, but I was happy I did.

I ran into her again not too long ago, and she handed me a zine she had created which explained how she felt objectified when a boy hollered at her as she walking towards the bus. Was what I did so different? I don’t know, but I couldn’t help but wonder what would be worse: for someone sleazy to acknowledge that I’m attractive or to never be acknowledged at all. I’m still not sure, but I’ve been thinking about that.