In middle school, my devotion to Star Wars separated me from the average 11-year old.
Very often, i was the butt of a billion jokes beyond my recollection because i was blasting into lightspeed, considering Jabba the Hut's crime ties and Mark Hamill's potential interest in (much) younger women. If not i was sketching photos of myself with sweet Cinnabon hair wielding elegant weapons for a more civilized age a long time ago in a galaxy far far away.
Somewhere amidst this minor psychosis, i met Shara.
i knew Shara because she and another girl were in every one of my non-academic classes: chorus, phys. ed. and finally "Family and Consumer Sciences" (home ec.). One day, in the hall before class she warmly walked up to me and announced we'd be working some super-domestic module together. She was excited.
From the first moment i'll never forget, i never thought that she (or anyone else legitimately socialized) knew i existed. Looking back, my androgynous chipmunk with well-worn Boba Fett bookbag aesthetic seems less forgettable. At the time i was cloaked (hence, invisible) to the world around me, only existing in the smoky corridors of rebel starships.
From the first moment i'll never forget, i never thought that she (or anyone else legitimately socialized) knew i existed. Looking back, my androgynous chipmunk with well-worn Boba Fett bookbag aesthetic seems less forgettable. At the time i was cloaked (hence, invisible) to the world around me, only existing in the smoky corridors of rebel starships.
The first freak introduction gave way to years of curricular camaraderie. In high school, we shared giggles on chorus trips and secrets in German classes. Shara sang Vertical Horizon and later Evanescence pitch perfectly and always held her own as an alto. In college, she convinced me to finally break up with my darling but deceptive first love. Artistically, we were always intrinsically similar though her decisive style always set her apart. i love and admire her to this day and seeing her in the arms of her adoring groom burst my typical marital cynicism. She marched down the aisle to music i never could've heard felt from the bridge of the Millenium Falcon.
i wish her only the most wonderful world of joy ahead. She's shined so much light into to the life of a once forlorn junior jedi even through public school setting.
