.band-aid for the heart.

funny how they say everyone loves to be loved. not her. shes being abused. abandoned. cheated on. lied to. torn apart. i found her in the crossroad, between 17th and 23rd avenue. helpless. i knew her story from the homeless guy, the one who sat across the street where i first saw her. for years she refused any help. may it be a helping hand, a shoulder to cry on, or simply just a friendly smile. she kept it to herself. she cried. she screamed. she yelled. people said shes crazy. i doubted the notion. i tried to see things from her perspective. if i were her... then, my cheek felt warm. teardrops felt without my permission. yes, i understood. finally.

if i were the one whos being abused,
i would avoid any forms of touching, viz., pat, handshake, hug, especially kiss.
if i were the one whos being abandoned,
i would stay away from people.
i wouldnt let them get close to me.
so that, when they leave, it means nothing to me.
if i were the one whos being cheated on and lied to,
i wouldnt believe in any promises.
promises are meant to be broken.
if i were the one whos being torn apart,
i wouldnt show it to the world.
i wouldnt let people pity me.
wouldnt let them know that im shattered.

then, how can i help her? was she meant to be left alone? thoughts were flying across the empty dimension of which they called mind. i wanted to help. but how??? i was afraid that if i do something wrong, itd hurt her even more. it was on my mettle that i decided to go across the street. i gave her my look. not a pity look. not a sympathetic look. just my look. plus a smile. i bent over. she looked up at me. confused. i handed over a band-aid. she received it with a puzzled face. then i whispered to her ear "hey, hope it helps. its a band-aid for your heart. i use it everytime my heart breaks into pieces. you might wanna go to a quiet place and put it on when noones watching. dont tell them when youve put your heart back altogether". then i saw her smile. for the first time. i smiled back and left. the next day i was her friend. we talked about lots of things but her pain. i never promised her a thing but i promised myself not to leave her. people like her doesnt need my pity. nor my promise. she only needs me. myself. so i gave her me.