The Light Saga & Other Short Stories

Alex was unlike other young men his age. At eighteen, he wasn’t moody, obsessed with social media and girls, uninterested in reading, or content to while away all his free time by playing Xbox or PlayStation games. He was in all respects, according to some of his peers, a misfit.

“Dude,” Jhondré said to him in exasperation, “you’re really not making it easy on yourself, you know? If you would just be more like us, you’d have so much fun!”

“When you say more like you, do you mean I should smoke, play dominoes instead of attending classes, roll joints and smoke them? Date girl after girl for meaningless, empty sex? Go clubbing and drink till I’m too sloshed to stand?”

“Exactly!” chimed in Marvin. Both he and Jhondré had befriended Alex when they were all at high school mostly because he was so intelligent, and they knew they could use his help for them to do better in their studies. Both could safely be classified as “challenged” in the smarts department.

“If you just let loose and stopped being such a nerd, you’d get laid all the time, bruh. I mean, you’re good-looking and a genius, and the chicks dig that,” Marvin advised Alex, completely missing the irony. Alex didn’t.

“Oh, okay. So what you’re saying is if I acted more like you, I would be happier? If that’s the case and you really want me to be like that, who would then help out the two of you with your assignments and notes, huh?”

That shut the two know-it-all experts up in a trice. Both had the decency to look sheepish as they took off, probably to go play another game of dominoes somewhere on the university campus. Alex merely shook his head, smiled at the folly of his friends and went to his next class.

Alex never saw himself as an “outsider”, and he wasn’t. On the contrary, he was a confident, pleasant extrovert who thrived in the company of practically anyone. His clear gaze, handsome features and short black hair attracted many admiring looks, of which Alex was blissfully unaware. He had not a single conceited bone in his lithe body. He also had no inkling that Fate or the universe was about to test his mettle to its limit.

Fiona feverishly watched Alex as he strolled over to the IT Faculty. Her heart was pounding, her mouth dry, her hands clammy. “Damn, he’s so cocky,” she whispered to herself, unaware that she had spoken aloud. Her dark-brown eyes were glued to the object of her scrutiny, watching Alex like a predatory eagle until he finally reached the IT building and entered it.

Instantly, Fiona set off after her quarry. She knew exactly which room he was headed to, and she knew a short cut to it to head him off.

“Today is the day I’m going to tell you how I feel about you, Alex Link,” she thought, her turbulent emotions roiling and tumbling around in her mind as if she were trapped in a violent tornado.

Like a fisherwoman arriving before the first fish at their favourite spot, Fiona beat Alex to the lecture room by three minutes. Enough time for her to compose herself and take up a stance from which she could ambush Alex. Her target strolled leisurely down the passage leading to his class, entirely oblivious to Fiona’s presence and plot.

“Alex Link, right?” Fiona asked innocently as Alex stepped close enough for her to halt him in his stride. Being the pleasant, amicable young man that he was, Alex responded automatically.

“Yep, that’s me, in the flesh. Sorry, but do I know you?” he queried politely.

“You should. We’ve been attending this lecture from the beginning of the year. I always sit opposite you in class, don’t I?” Fiona responded, knowing what reaction her aggressive question would evoke from Alex. He didn’t disappoint her; his good manners immediately asserted themselves, playing perfectly into Fiona’s scheme.

“Of course, how rude of me! I’m so sorry, but you know how it is. So many of us in the class, all just faces and no names. I didn’t get yours though,” he prompted, slightly red-faced.

“I got your name, didn’t I? I took the time and made the effort to find out who you are. One would think you could do the same,” Fiona countered.

She misjudged herself; a second after her response she regretted it, for she could see that Alex had suddenly shut down.

Alex disliked Fiona’s hostile questioning of him. His instinct told him that something didn’t add up here; he instantly raised his walls.

“I apologise, but I really do have to get to class now. I don’t like being late. I appreciate that you took the time to find out my name, thank you. Perhaps you can tell me your name at the end of the class, okay?” he said as a few other students appeared and walked past Alex and Fiona to enter the lecture room.

Swift as a striking serpent, Fiona reached out to grab hold of the sleeve of Alex’s hoodie. Alex’s eyes widened in surprise; he was also slightly perturbed by the girl’s behaviour.

“My name is Fiona Leyman. Remember it, Alex Link, for I am about to become a major part of your life, whether you like it or not,” she hissed at the stunned young man before preceding him into the room. Alex could only stare in utter disbelief at her receding back. As if in a trance, he entered the room and took a seat as far away as possible from the obviously troubled girl.

“What in heaven’s name was that all about?” he thought, mystified and concerned. As soon as the lesson ended, he looked for Fiona, but she had vanished. Slinging his backpack onto his shoulder, Alex went to the last class of the day with a head filled with questions and a mind mired in enigmas.

“Fiona who?” Marvin asked before taking a bite of his burger. Alex had met Marvin and Jhondré for lunch at Burger King; he had just informed his friends about his strange encounter with Fiona.

“Leyman. She’s that tall, black-haired thin girl who always dresses in brightly coloured outfits,” Alex explained.

“Still doesn’t ring a bell,” Marvin said, stuffing his mouth with another chunk of his chicken burger.

“Wait. Is she the one who’s in our SAD class, the one who always sits right in front?” Jhondré asked, suddenly remembering who Alex was referring to. SAD was their acronym for Systems Analysis and Design.

“Exactly! That’s the one. I think that’s the only class she’s in with all three of us. She met me at my Computer Programming class, which you guys flunked so you’re repeating last year’s class,” Alex explained.

“Oh, that chick! Now I know who you’re talking about,” Marvin finally said. “Hold on. Lemme call Shannon. Wait till you hear what she has to say about that girl,” he added, immediately scrolling to his Contacts List on his phone to get his girlfriend’s number.

Shannon answered on the third ring. “Hi, babe. What’s up? I thought you said you would call me tonight after seven,” Shannon said in some confusion at the unexpected call from Marvin.

“Listen, love. I’m here with Alex and Jhondré, and Alex just told us about a weird run-in he had earlier with Fiona. You know, that fruity girl you told me about?”

“Yeah, I know who you’re referring to, Marvin. What about her?” Shannon asked.

“Could you tell Alex what you told me about her? I’ve got you on speaker.”

“Well, I heard from Bernice that Fiona is on heavy medication. Apparently, if she doesn’t take her meds, she goes a bit wacko,” Fiona shared with the three eagerly listening friends.

“Meds for what?” Jhondré asked a split second before Alex could.

“Bernice said it’s for her bipolar disorder. Bernice is friends with Fiona’s cousin, Logan. He told her that Fiona is bipolar.”

While Shannon was explaining what Bernice had shared with her, Alex used his phone to search for information on bipolar disorder, using the Google search engine. He quickly read to the group what he had discovered about the condition.

“It says here that bipolar disorder was formerly called manic depression. It’s a condition that causes severe mood swings. The person can suffer from mania, which refers to heightened emotions, or depression, which is an emotional low. The exact cause of bipolar disorder isn’t known, but it’s believed that a combination of chemistry, altered brain structure, the environment and genetics could be responsible,” Alex read.

He looked up from his phone to glance at the fascinated faces of his friends. Shannon had gone silent, also listening to Alex.

“Something else that seems relevant to us is this,” Alex continued. “Apparently, a person with bipolar disorder can lose touch with reality, if the sufferer doesn’t stay on his or her medication, which is lifelong.”

A brief silence followed Alex’s pronouncement while everybody processed the information. Then Shannon told Marvin that she had to go and ended the call.

“Dude, do you think Fiona has lost touch with reality? Maybe she’s not taking her meds as regularly as she should?” Jhondré stated aloud precisely what Alex was thinking.

“No wonder she went all weirdo on you today!” Marvin exclaimed.

“Guys, first of all: let’s stop with the references to fruity, wacko or weirdo,” Alex said, his face set in compassion. “Fiona is sick, mentally sick, and she needs our understanding and empathy, not our ridicule or prejudice.”

“You’re right, bro. But you know we meant no harm by it,” Jhondré explained.

“So, what do you plan to do next, Alex? You going to speak to Fiona or just avoid her completely?” Marvin asked, taking a sip of his Pepsi. “If you ask me, I’d say stay clear of her, totally clear!”

“Actually, that was my plan, to do exactly that and just avoid her, but now… Now that I know she’s not herself and she needs help, how can I step back?” Alex asked rhetorically.

“I would expect nothing less from you, Alex,” Jhondré said. “You’ve never been one to turn your back on somebody in need, no matter who the person is.”

“Ain’t that the truth?” Marvin agreed.

On that note, the friends parted ways as each left for home. Alex was a study in concentration as he drove, pensive and pondering over the day’s events. He knew he had a huge challenge to face on the morrow, but he also knew he could not back down from it.

“Fiona, could I have a minute, please?” Alex said as he stepped in front of Fiona as she entered the university campus gate. He had been waiting for her for nearly an hour, hoping that he hadn’t missed her arrival, or that she hadn’t decided to stay absent.

Fiona was clearly nonplussed by Alex’s request; she seemed ill at ease, unlike her manic behaviour of the day before. Dipping her head to avoid making eye contact with Alex, she tried to move past him.

“Please,” Alex said softly. “It’s really important that we speak. We could go sit in the cafeteria; it’s usually fairly empty at this time of the morning,” Alex said gently in an attempt to persuade her to accompany him. He sighed inwardly with relief when she nodded her head in assent.

Alex selected a booth in the furthest corner of the large cafeteria to afford them the privacy needed; Fiona followed him meekly, a complete contrast to her confrontational, irrational behaviour of the day before. Alex wasn’t surprised though; he had done some more research the night before on manic depression and knew if the sufferer took his or her medication, the person usually reverted to normal behaviour. He reasoned that Fiona must have taken her pills that morning.

However, Alex was indeed taken aback when, as they took their seats at the booth, Fiona was the one who initiated the conversation.

“I’m really sorry about yesterday, Alex. I was praying so hard that I wouldn’t have to face you today,” she said before she paused. Then she added, “I nearly stayed absent, but I remembered that we have a practical class assignment to complete today which carries 40 per cent towards our final mark, so I had no choice but to come in.”

Alex’s heart went out to the downcast and embarrassed young girl seated opposite him. He waited though to hear if she had more to say, allowing her the time she might need to compose herself. He noticed that she was wringing her hands in abject misery and shifting uncomfortably in her seat. When she stayed silent though, he spoke.

“Fiona, there’s absolutely no need at all for an apology.”

At that declaration of his, Fiona’s head jerked up in astonishment. She stared at Alex in mute gratitude as he continued.

“Forgive me, but I found out what ails you. You suffer from bipolar disorder; it’s probably a daily battle for you to simply face another day. I admire you for that; I know you’re on lifelong medication, and I can only imagine what an onerous burden that must be for you.”

Fiona’s eyes filled up with unshed tears at the kind tone in Alex’s voice. She was struggling not to weep; she refused to turn into a blubbering mess. She swiftly rubbed her eyes with the heels of her palms to prevent the tears from spilling.

“What I’m trying to say, and not making a good job of it, is that I know what you did yesterday was not you. It wasn’t even out of character; it was your illness. I’m glad somebody on campus knew about it though otherwise I might have reacted differently,” Alex explained.

“I know, and that’s why I apologised,” Fiona was quick to admit. “I sometimes forget to take my pills in the morning when I’m in a rush or stressed. Yesterday, I had overslept due to a night of studying, and I didn’t take my meds. But don’t worry,” Fiona suddenly said, “I’ve come up with a method to ensure that I never again forget to take the damn pills,” she explained, smiling for the first time at Alex.

“Really?” Alex asked with genuine interest. “What is it?” he wanted to know.

Laughing lightly at the sincerity evident in Alex’s question, Fiona said, “The last thing I do every morning, without fail, is to take my house key out of the small bowl we place our keys in on our kitchen counter. Well, I decided to place my bottle of pills right next to the bowl. No way can I now ever forget to take my meds before I leave for varsity in the morning,” Fiona proudly revealed.

“I think that’s brilliant!” Alex stated. “I’m relieved for your sake that you found a way to prevent any future accidental forgetfulness,” he added.

“Me, too,” Fiona agreed, feeling far less uncomfortable about speaking to Alex. “I’m also really thankful that you’re so understanding, Alex. If it had been anyone else…”

“They would also have understood,” Alex finished for her, refusing to let her beat herself up over something that was not strictly under her control. Then he said something that cemented their friendship for life.

“What I’m about to say is going to sound truly clichéd, as it comes from that movie ‘Toy Story’, but it’s just too apt for this situation not to use it. And it truly reflects how I feel. Fiona, know this: you’ve got a friend in me.”

Fiona burst out in a peal of delighted laughter, causing Alex to join in.

“You’re right, it is indeed corny, but … thank you, Alex,” she said, her eyes and voice conveying far more of her eternal gratitude towards this honourable, considerate young man than she could ever truly express.

“Right then. Now buy me a cup of coffee and we start afresh,” Alex joked.

“Deal!” Fiona agreed, feeling a mountain of worry and shame lift from her soul.

“Make that a double espresso,” Alex demanded. “After all, my nerves need smoothing over after yesterday, don’t you think?” he said, arching an eyebrow in jest.

As the tension finally dissipated, the two shared a heartfelt laugh at the start of a brand new friendship.