Page Chen, G12 陈沛铨

When the first chords of “From the Start” spilled into the warm neon lights sweeping through Columbia University’s stadium, I felt harmony; as if the crowd’s cheers for my championship resonated with the song itself. I could hear the heartbeat of the whole New York City, resonating with my own. It was a time that I dare not even dream of; it was an arrival that awakens me from reality.

That summer, during a study trip to NYC, I found a first love that felt as timeless as the city. We sat in a sun-drenched library, talked for hours about books and films, and shared a fleeting, perfect moment watching a shooting star during a night walk in Central Park. The city was our backdrop, full of promise and magic.

Months later, the same rhythms literally waked me. “Don’t you notice how … Confess I loved you from the start.” Tiredly heading up, I woke up to continue with my test prep and college application. Sipping my cappuccino, its bittersweet flavor washed over me, and a wave of nostalgia surged.

I asked myself: if I could relive that moment, would I?

Surprisingly I denied. Some people and moments are too precious, too distant, better left in memories than recreated.

I felt peaceful, realizing that happiness stays short, and splendor stays rare. That is the essence of time. As a Grade 12 student, I understood that passion is fleeting, and for now, too many things — exams, applications, and the future — must come before love.

Smelling the bitter fragrance from the espresso, I took another sip. An ease of tension ran through my vein; perhaps I should move forward.

Months later, I heard the same rhythm again at my school. Everything seemed so usual, and it was a girl singing it. I was rushing to the teachers’ office to talk about college offers, so I didn’t have the prestige to appreciate the whole, so I left a note in her bag, “thank you for playing my favorite song.”

I never know when I will listen to this song again; it might be years from now, sitting in my therapy office. But if there is one thing I am certain of, that is my love falls from the start.