English essay taken from one of my screenplay ideas
I met Keith nearly four years ago at a teen summer camp. He was the most gorgeous guy I had ever seen: bald, thin and a personality so radiant he stood out even when he sat silently at the back of the room.
Keith could touch a person even when he was standing across the room. All he had to do was look at me and I could feel his arms embracing me. When I looked into the depths of his baby blue eyes, I could see the love he had for life.
Not a minute with Keith was ever wasted. He savoured every breath he took, every sound he heard, and every face he saw. With Keith, meeting someone new was something to celebrate; to him, a stranger held a wealth of information and experience.
Question after question would spew forth from his perfect lips. He loved to learn about other people: where they were from, what they did, what they had experienced. Anything someone would tell him was wonderful and amazing. He would hang on each tiny detail and would store them in his perfect memory.
Not once would Keith let someone walk away before telling them they could do anything they desired, that all they had to do was try. As long as they stayed true to themselves they would succeed.
Half way through summer camp I fell in love with Keith. I was constantly with someone the first month and really needed time alone. One day during lunch I decided to sneak away. Everyone was still eating so I thought I could escape unnoticed.
Thankfully, I was wrong.
Keith saw me leave and decided to follow behind to ensure I didn't get into trouble. When he found me, I was leaning against the rough bark of a pine tree.
That pine tree supported us for the next seven hours. Sitting there all day on the mossy carpet, backs against the tree, we talked about everything. Nothing was off limits and nothing was left out. It ended up being the deepest, most personal conversation I had ever had; I felt completely comfortable telling Keith things I thought I would never tell anyone.
We walked back to camp just after dark when the stars were shining bright and the moon was full. We went in silence.
At the edge of the camp when we were about to go our own way to our cabins, Keith's hand on my arm stopped me. His touch was so electric it sent shivers through my entire body and to this day just saying his name has the same effect.
Not knowing the right words to say, Keith wrapped me in his arms and held me. He didn't question me when I started crying, nor did he pull away. When I finally pulled away, I saw the tears in his eyes and knew he was feeling what I was feeling. We both loved for the first time. We spent the rest of summer camp together, rarely apart, and never happier.
Keith died the night he arrived home from camp. One of the things we talked about that beautiful day in the forest was his illness. Just after Keith's seventeenth birthday he was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer. The doctors gave him a year to live. Keith didn't make the year. He died three hundred and forty six days later.
When I heard of his death I didn't cry and I didn't morn. I knew Keith was in a better place and he was happy. He had taken his place in the stars.
Over that last month in summer camp, Keith became noticeably sicker, but he would insist he was fine in order to stay. We knew that he wouldn't last much longer, and near the end he was seeing the good in death like he saw the good in everything else. He said that in death he would always be able to watch over me and when I need someone to talk to he would be there. But first he wanted to finish summer camp with me.
The year following his death I spent countless hours stargazing, wondering if Keith was up there somewhere watching over me, and if so where. Then I realized I didn't have to look for Keith in the stars, he was in my heart. And whenever I needed a shoulder to cry on or a listening ear, he was there for me.