Love or Career - What to Pursue?

TREE

===

People
call me "Tree”.

I
had dated 5 girls when I was in Pre-U. There's one girl who I love a lot but
never dared to go after. She didn't have a pretty face, or good figure, nor an
outstanding charm. She was just an ordinary
girl.

I
liked her. I really liked her.


I liked her
innocence, her frankness, her intelligence and her fragility. Reason for not
going after her was because I felt somebody so ordinary like her was not a good
match for me. I was also afraid that after we were together, all the feelings
would vanish. I was also afraid other's gossip would hurt her. I felt that if
she were my girl, she'd be mine ultimately and I didn't have to give up
everything just for her.

The
last reason, made her accompanying me for 3 years.

She
watched me chase other girls, and I have made her heart cry for 3 years. She was
a good actress and me a demanding director. When I kissed my 2nd girlfriend, she
bumped into us. She was embarrassed but smiled

and
said, "Go on!" before running off. The next day, her eyes were swollen like a
walnut. I didn't want to know what caused her to
cry.

Later
that day, I returned from soccer training to get something and watched her cry
in the classroom for an hour or so.

My
4th girlfriend didn't like her. There was once when both of them quarreled. I
know that based on her character, she's not the type that will start off the
quarrel. But I still sided my girlfriend. I shouted at her and ignored her
feelings then walked off with my girlfriend. The next day, she was laughing and
joking with me like nothing happened. I know she was hurt but she didn't know
deep down inside I was hurt too. When I broke up with my 5th girlfriend, I asked
her out. Later that day, I told her I had something to tell her. I told her
about my breakup.

Coincidentally,
she has something to tell me too, about her getting together. I knew who the guy
was. His pursuit for her had been the talk of the school. I didn't show her my
heartache, just smiles and best wishes. Once I reached home, I couldn't breathe.
Tears rolled and I broke down. How many times have I seen her cry for the man
who didn't acknowledge her presence?

During
graduation, I received a text message from her. It said, "Leaf's departure is
because of Wind's pursuit. Or because the Tree didn't ask her to stay
..."

LEAF

===

People
call me "Leaf".

During
the 3 years of Pre-U, I was on very close terms with a guy as buddy kind. But
when he had his 1st girlfriend, I learned a feeling I never should've learned -
jealousy. Sourness to the extreme limit. They were only together for 2 months.
When they broke up, I hid my happiness. But after a month, he got together with
another girl. I liked him and I know he liked me. But why won't he pursue me? If
he really loves me, why didn't he make the first
move?

Whenever
he had a new girlfriend, my heart would hurt. After some time, I began to
suspect that this was one sided love. If he didn't like me, why did he treat me
so well? It's beyond what you will normally do for
a

friend.
I know his likes, his habits. But his feelings towards me I can never figure
out.

You
can't expect from a girl like me to ask him. Despite that, I still wanted to be
by his side. Care for him, accompany him, love him. Hoping that one day, he will
come to love me too. And because of this, I waited for
him.

Sometimes,
I wondered if I should continue waiting. The pain, the dilemma accompanied me
for 3 years. At the end of my 3rd year, a junior pursues
me.

He's
like the cool and gentle wind, trying to blow off a leaf from a tree. In the
end, I realized that I wanted to give this wind a small footing in my heart. I
know the wind will bring the leaf to a better
land.

Finally
leaf left the tree, but the tree only smiled and didn't ask the leaf to
stay.

"Leaf's
departure is because of Wind's pursuit. Or because the Tree didn't ask her to
stay..."

WIND

===

People
call me "Wind".

Because
I like a girl called "Leaf". Because she's so dependent on the tree so I have to
be a gust wind, a wind that will blow her away. When I first met her, it was 1
month after I transfer to the new school. I saw a petite person looking at my
seniors and me playing soccer. During ECA time, she will always be sitting
there. Be it alone or with her friends, looking at him. When he talks with
girls, there's jealousy in her eyes. When he looked at her, there's a smile in
her eyes.

Looking
at her became my habit. Just like she likes to look at him.

One
day, she didn't appear. I felt something a missed. I can't explain the feeling
except it's a kind of uneasiness. The senior was not there as well. I went to
their classroom, hid outside and saw my senior scolding her. Tears were in her
eyes while he left.

The
next day, I saw her at her usual place, looking at him. I walked over and smiled
at her, took out a note and gave it to her. She was surprised. She looked at me,
smiled, and accepts the note.

The
day after, she appeared and passes me a note and left. "Leaf's heart is too
heavy and the wind couldn't blow her away".

"It's
not that leaf's heart is too heavy. It's simply because leaf never wants to
leave the tree". I replied her note with this statement and slowly she started
to talk to me and accept my presents and phone
calls.

I
know that the person she loves is not me. But I have this perseverance that one
day, I will make her like me. Within 4 months, I have declared my love for her
no less than 20 times. Every time, she will divert away from the topic. But I
never give up. If I'm really decided for her to be mine, I will definitely use
all means to win her over.

I
can't remember how many times I have declared my love to her. Although I know
she will always try to change the topic, I still bear a small ray of hope deep
within me, that she will agree to be my girlfriend. And so I asked her again. I
didn't hear any reply from her over the phone. I asked, "What are you doing? How
come you didn't want to reply?"

"I'm
nodding my head", she said.

"Huh?"
I couldn't believe my ears.

"I'm
nodding my head", she replied loudly.

I
hang up the phone, quickly changed, took a taxi and rushed to her place. My
hands were trembling when I press the doorbell. I hugged her tightly as she
opened the door.

"Leaf's
departure is because of Wind's pursuit. Or because the Tree didn't ask her to
stay..."