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Contents
Introduction
Story One - Edward's Story
Story Two - Pam's Story
Story Three - Fatima's Story
Story Four - Karen's Story
Story Five - Jack's Story
Conclusion
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Introduction:
As I write this I can’t help but wonder about all of the different faces around the world who will be reading these words.
Wow, such an amazing feeling to know that these words will be read by hundreds of people and I won’t be able to see any of the faces!
So onto this mini book. The inspiration for the idea came about when I used to travel very often on the trains and when I took long walks.
I remember on several occasions just observing all the different faces, some were happy, some were sad whilst others had no emotional expression or at least I couldn’t identify it.
Seeing all of these different faces often got me wandering what if this face I pass today or come into contact with ends up being the last face I saw or it ends up that the face I see connects to me in my later life.
Daily observations of everyday people helped me to understand how that face you pass everyday should be a celebrated appreciation for us all as human beings.
The following extracts are different situations where that face that was passed ended up being more than a distant memory. I hope that the different situations will invite your own thoughts and feelings of what seeing different faces mean for you.
Enjoy………
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Story 1 - Edward’s Story:
Edward used to get up every day for work and he would take the train to work. Edward worked as a barber and so everything was easy come and easy go.
He would pass all of these different faces on the train but for him none of them were of great importance.
There were times where he would hold his head up and ignore different faces who might be acknowledging him just to say hello.
Edward was concerned with getting to work most days and so he ignored everyone. There was an old man who Edward would see most mornings whilst on his way to work and the old man would always glance at Edward trying his best to get his attention.
It’s as though the old man wanted Edward to just say hello to him as he wore the same trousers most of the time.
The old man didn’t look well kept and Edward would feel quite sick even just looking at how he was.
Edward thought in his mind that this old man was a tramp as he was dirty and smelled a bit but all the old man wanted was to see the expression on Edward’s face change to one of acknowledgement and some value.
All of this went on for a few months until one day whilst Edward rushed up the steps on a rainy Monday he saw the old man and as he ran up the steps brushing past everyone he almost fell down the 12 steps.
At that moment out of all the faces around him one of the faces helped him and caught him just in time so that he didn’t fall down the steps.
Edward quickly grabbed onto the stretched left arm that was hurled in front of him as the briefcase from his right arm flied open with the rain catching all of his bank papers.
Edward panicked and then yelled aaaaarghh but then he observed the person who prevented him from falling.
When he used his eyes to focus on the face that saved him he realized that this wasn’t a new face to him. At that moment before he fell he thought to himself “is this the person who has just saved my life.”
Such a long pause from Edward.
Now, I wonder how Edward will now feel and react to the person who saved him and do you think that the hello and acknowledgement will finally come?
I shall leave that for you to figure out.
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Story 2 – Pam’s Story:
There I was on a normal Tuesday afternoon buying my sandwiches from the shop. I noticed that there was such a queue in the shop.
I kept looking at my watch thinking to myself “when is this queue going down.”
I was in a hurry to get back to work and without even paying.
The lady who was in front of me was a bit slow and so I managed to walk past her stomping away in my heels.
She glanced at me and by the glimpse I gave her the facial expression was like “did you have to do that.”
Well that afternoon I did but as I made it out the shop I couldn’t be bothered to walk back to work.
The lunchtime rush was getting to me and I wasn’t in the mood for walking and so I waited at the bus stop.
From a distance I spotted the lady and she was coming out of the shop walking slowly and taking her time.
I was saying to myself “please don’t wait at the same bus stop. I would feel awkward and ashamed with what I just done to her in the shop.”
She was getting close but before she got to the bus stop I saw a body fall over in a zig zag motion. I heard the decibels of screams and confusion.
I wasn’t sure whether to take a look but my conscious told me to and by the time I could count to five I just saw this man giving her mouth to mouth in order to revive her as I saw him pressing on her chest.
In my mind I panicked and all I remember was her laying on the ground with her eyes looking at me. I thought to myself of all the people don’t look at me.
Her green eyes were locked in on me and as I looked at her I felt remorse for what I had done.
She looked into my eyes like she was asking me for an apology but before I could say anything her eyes began to slowly shut and all I remember was her body becoming more still as she said goodnight with my face truly inside her mind.
Afterwards I just kept thinking about how my face was the last one she stared at about what had happened before.
I felt sadness as my face would be associated with something negative for her just before she went. I guess it was really too late and by this I didn’t mean the time I took to get back to work.
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Fatima’s Story:
It happened a few years ago and I remember being in trouble with my father. As usual I failed to listen as I thought I knew best.
I had stayed out late and when I got home dad had ripped into me as he shouted at the top of his voice
yelling “why didn’t you tell us you were going to be late.”
I said to my father “there’s no need to shout, it’s not like this is the last time you’re going to see me.”
The uproar went on for a few minutes and I eventually saw his side as I came off my high horse and apologized.
I remember going up to dad and hugging him. It felt strange as his hug was more warm than usual. I stared into his brown eyes and that smile of joy was present reminding me of when I was a baby and he hugged me for the first time. I was always daddy’s little girl.
Suddenly as I released my arms from daddy the ground started to shake. Everything in the house around us suddenly fell onto the ground shaking and rattling loudly.
It was like a massive vacuum taking everything under and just as daddy’s belongings vanished he was next to be sucked in.
I realized that it was an earthquake and I screamed daddy, daddy save me, but I had to actually save him.
I pulled him from going under and as his records and statues on the mantelpiece fell over as the living room was now in ruins with pieces of broken memorabilia scattered everywhere.
A group of bricks fell onto dad and I panicked running over to him. I shouted “wake up, wake up”
I feared the worst and as he gripped the little finger on my right hand his face looked bright red and was covered with blood.
I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. About 5 mins ago he was shouting at me and now all I have is the image of him laying in the ground mouth wide open and both brown eyes glaring at me.
At that split second the earthquake struck with us hugging and the ground sucked him up with all the air quickly vanishing.
The last time I remember his face was the look of despair and confusion. I have this permanent image stored in my mind forever.
I had no idea that after our hug that would be the last time I would see him.
When I close my eyes after all these years I can still see his face in the darkness of my mind and this will remain with me for all of my days now.
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Karen’s Story:
It had been months of pain and waiting as my body went through so many changes. My old clothes suddenly started tearing as they could no longer fit me but hey I was excited and thrilled at the prospect of being the very first face that my baby would see.
I mean, imagine seeing those small eyes looking right at me as I would be the first face my child would see.
Imagine a baby seeing the world for the first time. What a feeling, all those shapes colours, sizes and images.
Tall ones, short ones and without a care in the world everything would be so carefree for my baby.
I was looking forward to such a beautiful addition to my world. Just thinking about it made me feel complete as a woman.
I remember looking at all these different women pushing their newborns in prams and I smiled inside knowing that would be me very soon.
Some of the nights were hard for me as I cramped whilst the baby kicked inside me. It felt like a football in my stomach being bounced around except the feet that kicked my football was the only member on the team.
On that sunny day in September I remember getting up as usual and my movement was slower as I was really feeling it.
It must have been 10 – 0 to him as he kept kicking and kicking. I felt as though my stomach was at bursting point as the kicks felt more stinging and before I knew it I was in hospital trying to push my child out.
I remember the labor being for several hours as I yelled, kicked, screamed and screeched with all the power in my lungs.
A few hours later I saw the room was steamy and my eyes were blurry and then finally that was it or at least I thought it was.
What happened next is still a blur to me but I recall his hands and face come out and as he looked at me crying his eyes were covered in tears and before everything stopped I’ll never forget the look he gave me. Yes it was a boy and he looked at me so innocently and helplessly and I felt powerless as I couldn’t help him.
When he came out of my womb my face was the first face he stared at and before he stopped breathing mines was the last face he saw.
He didn’t even look around the hospital room.
Ever since that day in September I never take for granted that face I pass every day could be the last face I see and it could be the same for someone else.
This has helped me to appreciate life and respect other people. The pain of what happened still hurts me today and when I close my eyes in the dark I still see his little face smiling at me.
I guess he said that it was full time in his match and any future matches were now permanently void.
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Jack’s story:
I’m so happy and grateful that I’m able to tell you my story.
I really do owe the high school geek……… I mean Chris, my life.
In my years at high school I had everything, the latest clothes and all the friends. I was a human magnet and everything around me was like metal.
I knew everybody at school and all the girls would hug and kiss me, wink at me and at times buy lunch for me.
You could imagine a kid like me with all this popularity having no time for the geeks at school.
I had my reputation and there was no way that being around the kids who weren’t cool was going to ruin that.
I remember this one kid called Chris. Now everyday at lunch time he would be alone with his curly hair and short trousers. He used to look at me with those freckles and green eyes.
The look I would give Chris spoke volumes as I didn’t even want him looking in my direction as even an acknowledgement from Chris wasn’t cool.
I was known as jack the lad. I was a cool boy who liked to be a bit of a clown.
One day I saw Chris lonely as usual and looking to be down with me. I remember telling him yes and then getting a group of us to run away and leave him there.
I knew that over the years my face would be one he would never forget where as for me I wouldn’t even want to remember his face after I left him.
It was cruel but back then some people just wasn’t worth my time.
The day before I was due to leave school and go to the leaving party where I was the main attraction my life changed. I was suddenly taken ill and felt such a terrible sharp pain around my stomach.
I couldn’t eat for days and I suddenly starting throwing up. The next thing I know I was in hospital. I kept shouting I can’t miss the leaving party “I’m too popular, do you know who I am?”
I was becoming more desperate to leave but when the doctor ran some tests and told me what was really wrong with me my whole world just broke in half.
I found out I had leukemia and needed a bone marrow donor to match with mines.
Initially when I heard this I thought piece of cake, someone will come forward.
As weeks passed by I realised I had missed the leaving party but more concerning was that if they didn’t find me a match I would be the one to leave and so this was becoming serious.
No one would match as I saw all of these different faces, biting my nails and heart beating faster and faster.
I was becoming impatient and fearing the worst. I would keep hearing we can’t find a match. I was devastated and became withdrawn around people as my confidence was being taken away.
I cried to myself and what really hurt me was that all of the so called friends that were associated with my popularity weren’t there.
I felt worthless and then like a flash of lightning it suddenly hit me that I used to make someone fell this same way.
I purposely forgot his face as I felt so much guilt and regret at the way I treated Chris.
As the days brushed past I could hardly walk as I became more brittle and then one day the doctor busted in suddenly saying “excuse me sir, we found a match.”
At that moment my whole body was in shock as my face was joyful and full of happiness.
I was
so keen to see this face who saved me and was there for me in my time of need so that I could personally say thank you as I owed them my life.
As the doctor introduced me to the person who would save me I remember the door slowly opening and I observed the green eyes and freckles looking straight at me just staring penetrating the air that was present.
Those green eyes went right through me and I felt like a statue.
Have you ever had the feeling where all emotions are lost and the only face in a room is just that one you could never forget?
Well, I just had one of those moments and for the rest of my life I never forgot that face and the look he gave me that day.