Rebirth

Chapter 8:The past (8)

As Meg and Alex’s relationship continued to blossom, Meg felt a quiet urge to grow in other areas of her life too. Love had given her confidence, and confidence made her want to build a future she could be proud of. For years, she had been curious about computers—how websites worked, how applications were created, how lines of code could transform into something meaningful and functional. She had always been fascinated, though she had never seriously pursued it.

One afternoon, after thinking about it for days, she brought it up during dinner. Her parents listened carefully as she explained her desire to learn programming and coding. She told them she believed it would be a valuable skill for her future, something practical and empowering. To her surprise, they were supportive. Even her uncle, who was a Catholic priest, encouraged her when she shared the news with him. He told her that learning was a gift and that she should never be afraid to pursue knowledge.

With their approval, Meg enrolled in a beginner’s programming class. The first day felt intimidating. The screen full of unfamiliar symbols and commands looked like a foreign language. But instead of feeling discouraged, she felt challenged in a good way. She was determined to become proficient.

When she told Alex about her decision, his reaction warmed her heart.

“You’re going to be amazing at this,” he said confidently. “I can already see you building your own software.”

His belief in her sometimes felt stronger than her belief in herself. What surprised her even more was when he decided to start learning coding seriously too.

“We can struggle together,” he joked. “At least when we’re confused, we’ll both be confused.”

She laughed, grateful that he didn’t just support her from a distance but chose to grow alongside her.

In the weeks that followed, Meg spent hours practicing. She learned basic programming concepts, wrote simple programs, and slowly began to understand the logic behind it all. Whenever she solved a difficult problem or fixed an error that had frustrated her for hours, she immediately called Alex.

“I finally figured it out!” she would say excitedly.

He would listen attentively, asking questions even when he didn’t fully understand, simply because he wanted to share in her joy. Sometimes he shared his own coding challenges, describing bugs that refused to cooperate or projects he wanted to build someday.

Their relationship gradually shifted into something deeper than just romantic affection. They became partners in ambition. They motivated each other to aim higher.

As college entrance exams approached, Meg felt the pressure building. The weight of expectation—from herself and her family—sometimes kept her awake at night. But Alex became her steady anchor during that period. He helped her study over video calls, quizzing her on difficult subjects and encouraging her when she doubted herself.

“You’ve got this,” he would say firmly whenever she sounded overwhelmed.

They spent long evenings studying online together. Sometimes they barely spoke, each focused on their books, but the silent companionship comforted her. Other times, they would take short breaks to laugh over something silly, easing the tension.

One evening, as they were reviewing past exam questions, Alex paused.

“You know,” he said gently, “I’m really proud of you. You’re working so hard and learning so much. I know you’re going to do great things.”

Meg felt warmth spread through her chest. “Thanks to you,” she replied sincerely. “You’ve been an amazing support system. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

And she meant it. In Alex, she had found not just a boyfriend, but a true friend—someone who believed in her dreams as much as she did.

She felt ready for whatever the future held.