Brilliance of Youth ~ I Need to Be in Love, Part 1
1419 Words
It's a Thursday.
I should expect another storytelling session tonight, but...
Harumi messages me an hour in advance.
“Sorry. I won't be home until 8. My class is currently making posters for tomorrow's drama club event, so we need to turn them in as soon as possible. Just wait instead for Friday's session, OK? See you tomorrow morning, then.”
Aw, bummer.
At least I'll allocate enough time for me to work some more on my semestral project.
As of this moment, I've finished programming the micro-controller to specifically work with the irrigation system I'm building, and I'm now currently assembling the prototype itself from the several materials I've acquired.
Assembling the prototype's much more difficult than I thought.
First off, I needed to drill several holes into the pipes I've acquired for the water to seep into the soil.
I don't have an electric drill at my unit, but the landlord graciously loaned his to me for that express purpose.
Now that I've laid down the sample plot, which is simply the pipes that are then connected to the micro-controller, which is then connected to a water source (i.e. the kitchen faucet), all that's left for me is to source some plants I can easily grow even in a pot.
Yeah, I think I've submitted a report on plants when I was in high school. The topic was “Vegetables One Can Grow at Home from Kitchen Scraps”.
Alright, then. Time to look for that report.
It should be in a chest of drawers in my bedroom.
Drawers that normally contain all my research papers from junior high and high school, knowing they'll be useful someday.
And before one asks, nope, I don't keep soft copies of my academic papers on my PC.
I instead keep them in a USB flash drive; but unfortunately, I forgot where I kept the drive.
Maybe it's in the other drawers in my unit?
Maybe it's in the cabinets containing my figures, consoles, and games?
Maybe it's hidden underneath the mattress in my bed (and I sure hope it didn't get crushed)?
Wherever it may be, this is a huge lapse in judgment I am regretting ever since – especially because I normally take care of my things.
OK, so I'm now inspecting the first drawer.
Let's see here...
Book review, book review, book review, reaction paper, essay, essay, essay, reaction paper, book review.
It's a bust.
On to the second shelf, then.
Rejected thesis proposal, approved thesis proposal, essay, book review, research paper, research paper, calculus homework, trigonometry homework.
Another bust.
Now it's the turn of the third and final drawer.
English essay, book review, and...
What is this?
I don't remember a handwritten poem being stored here.
Much more one that was written by Noemi herself, judging from her very feminine handwriting!
Then again, my memory's kind of hazy when it comes to non-technical documents such as this paper I'm holding.
OK, this looks like a few years old, judging from the dried ballpoint pen ink on the paper.
But as to how exactly old this document is... I simply don't know.
Noemi didn't write the date when she wrote and completed the poem in the first place.
Nevertheless, I start to savor the timelessness as I read through her beautifully-crafted free-verse poetry.
The Brilliance of Youth
As we advance in years
We should never forget where we were, where we came from
There we can find
The brilliance of youth.
The time we all had
Full of innocence, full of hopes and dreams, full of idealism
They all guided us
For the cruel uncertain days ahead.
Remember that song we used to sing all the time?
Remember those precious things we kept?
Remember your first crush?
Remember that first pimple on your face?
Remember the other signs of puberty doing irreversible changes to our bodies?
Remember all those exams and club activities we used to endure?
Remember the places we used to go but are now changed drastically, or even worse, gone?
It is nature and society playing not just tricks on us.
They also prepare us to gallantly face tougher challenges.
But sometimes...
No matter how much we ready our innocent hearts and souls for whatever fate is throwing at us...
We sometimes can't take the brunt, the pain, the suffering.
So who else will we turn to, when nobody else will notice us?
As the rain drenches the earth we live in
We keep those postcards of memories
Whether we like those memories or not.
The days we have with family, friends, acquaintances, and strangers
No matter how small or insignificant those postcards are
They are building blocks to the formation of our unique selves.
They are... the light in the void of uncertainties.
And when the brilliance of youth vanishes
And is replaced by the shadow of maturity
We oftentimes ask ourselves...
“Are we faring better in life? Or are we faring worse?”
There is no definitive answer.
Let it be known that we should not be entirely jealous of what our fellows are up to
And strive ourselves to be better in so many ways.
And when the twilight of our lives comes,
And the light of life is about to vanish,
We should ask our younger selves...
“Have we all made it in the game of life?”
Some did, some didn't.
But the important thing is...
We should all never forget the brilliance of youth.
Because the concept of youth itself
Is the most chaotic yet most meaningful facet of our lives.
Like light, it can burn... or it can shine.
I remember her reading her masterpiece out loud.
She had this cadence, this flow...
...that made her impromptu recital a treat for the ears.
Of course, her voice that exuded innocence was a major contributing factor to that.
A special kind of innocence that is brimming with inner courage.
The courage to not just simply move on, but also move forward.
After reading the poem, I set the paper aside and browse through the remaining documents in the drawer, until I finally find the one.
Alright! “Vegetables One Can Grow at Home from Kitchen Scraps”, retrieved from the drawers of obscurity!
According to the report, I can grow garlic, beets, celery, scallions, carrots, basil, lettuce, onions, rosemary, potatoes, and sweet potatoes from parts I usually discard during the preparation process.
Many of these crops can be grown by leaving them in water for several days, and I can also plant them in soil if I want to use them in the long term.
OK, so which veggie will I pick for the prototype?
Something I can easily acquire from scraps?
Aha! My top choices are scallions and carrots.
Now to get one from one of the other people in the entire apartment...
Once I head outside my unit, I spot someone trying to throw some trash into the apartment's dumpster.
Yeah, I remember it now.
One of the other dwellers in Yuuki Apartments is a chef by the name of Kaito Shinoda.
“Hey! Shinoda-san! Can we talk for a moment?”
He promptly responds, “Sure, Imahara-san! You can just approach me.”
Once I descend down the apartment's stairs and approach him, I cut to the chase.
“You have any kitchen scraps? More specifically, some parts of carrots and scallions?”
“Sure! I didn't throw these out yet. Will you use those scraps for fertilizer or something?”
“Nope. I'll grow some new plants from those scraps. It's part of a project I have in college. An automated irrigation system, to be exact.”
“Ah, I recall now. Some of my fellow chefs also grow new veggies from those scraps. I haven't tried that yet, but I surely will in the near future. OK, I'll give you the carrot and scallion scraps right away.”
“Sweet!”
He comes back a few minutes later with the scraps.
“Here. Use them wisely. I hear you're studying at an engineering school, so I wish you nothing but the best.”
“Thanks.”
“Alright, I have to go back to cooking dinner.”
Right after the chef leaves for his unit, I promptly head for my own.
With my objective complete, I consult my old report.
It says that I should submerge the scraps in water first for a few days before they grow roots; and once I see that the roots have grown, I can then plant them in soil.
I have some old glass jars that were originally used for sandwich spreads.
Yup, they will have some use after years in storage.
I simply toss in the carrot and scallion scraps into several jars that were filled with clean water beforehand.
I also remind myself to replace the water everyday.
And as for the soil? I can easily get them from the nearby area with the trees, but I will actually put the soil into my sample plot once the scraps are eligible for planting.
Alright. Now my entire project's sailing smoothly.
But what of the poem I've just unearthed?
Looks like I'll ask Harumi for help.
The rest of the night is spent mopping the floors in my entire unit, then eating dinner, and finally watching some boring TV with the intention of lulling myself to sleep.
- Writer
