Love Had a Name | Teen Ink

Love Had a Name

September 17, 2009
By Anonymous

Love did exist. It took me years, but I had found it. I thought I had found love before, but it was nothing in comparison to what I felt now. This raw emotion that left my limbs weak and my tongue heavy was nothing that I had imagine it would be. Whatever it was left my heart pounding angrily against my chest as if trying to burst from my ribcage and land beating at the feet of her. She was love, love had a name, and it was Sally.
The shallow, bitter world would not have labeled her as beautiful, but I did. The basis of her beauty was in her heart-shaped face on which rested a button nose that wrinkled whenever she smiled in the most adorable manner. And she smiled very often. Her cheeks were round, perfectly kissable, the kind you couldn’t help but pinch on the occasion. Short brown hair, forever changing its shape, one day tumbling down to her shoulders and the next cropped up to her ears and spiked with gel. A personality as versatile as her hair, and brown eyes that were large and liquid brown like a doe’s. Many nights were spent just sitting on the couch, watching movies and talking the night away. I kissed her once, or twice, when I felt daring. She would kiss back, on the occasion. I would have given it all away. I was young and impetuous at the time; I would have given it all up. Family, home, friends, God… all of it I would have burned at an altar and smoldered the embers between my fingers if I knew it would keep her with me. I knew she would always be there with me, for me. My sister, my love, my beautiful darling girl.
Then it changed, the bottom dropped out of my blissful existence. Suddenly, I was no longer first place in her heart. Cigarettes and liquor took my place, they were what made her happy, not I. I couldn’t give her the company she desired, and they could. Numb, dark existence to take away the pain of life. Many nights were spent, not in front of the TV, curled up on the couch and simply basking in each other’s presence – but in tears. I tried to comfort, and for a while, it worked. But then it grew worse. Cigarettes were replaced by drugs, liquor became stronger, and more frequent. She apologized, she cried, she said it wasn’t her, she was going to do something about it, she promised. Don’t give up on her. Don’t leave her. Just be a friend, that was all she needed. I stayed, I loved her, I would never leave her. How could she think such a thing? Yes, of course, I would stay…
Years later, three years ago today, on the day we would have celebrated the anniversary of our first meeting all that time ago, I shake the dirt of the recently dug grave from my shoes. The tears still come freely, with every mention of her name. She would never realize how much I really loved her, how much I truly did care. Her name is caught in my throat each time I utter it. Now, when anyone asks me, I can only sit in my chair, in the corner of the room, where the yellow light of the lamp is my only comfort. I only sit there, and I can only say, “Love had a name, it had a name… Sally was love, love was Sally, it had a name!”


The author's comments:
This is a personal piece. Based on reality, but not entirely.

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This article has 15 comments.


Babylufin GOLD said...
on Aug. 18 2010 at 10:58 am
Babylufin GOLD, Liberal, Missouri
13 articles 2 photos 229 comments

Favorite Quote:
"'For I know the plans I have for you', declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" Jeremiah 29:11. Thank you Lord, for this future you've given me.

I completely understand that. I hope things between you and this person are much better. & to your thank you's - no problem at all, thank you for writing this!

on Aug. 17 2010 at 10:02 pm
DomClaudeFrollo GOLD, Greenville, North Carolina
10 articles 1 photo 8 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;I can&#039;t help being a gorgeous fiend... it&#039;s just the card I drew.&quot; <br /> ~ Lestat

Wow, thank you for your kind words! :) They really just made my day. I'm glad you enjoyed my story. :)

In the way that it is reality, yes, this actually happened to me. The only difference is that the person in question is not actually dead. I wrote this piece at a part in my life when I felt like everything was falling apart, including my relationships with everyone around me, and that one special person who managed to shatter me.

I would love to take a look at your work. :) Thank you very much, again!


Babylufin GOLD said...
on Aug. 17 2010 at 8:55 pm
Babylufin GOLD, Liberal, Missouri
13 articles 2 photos 229 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;&#039;For I know the plans I have for you&#039;, declares the Lord, &#039;plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.&#039;&quot; Jeremiah 29:11. Thank you Lord, for this future you&#039;ve given me.

I agree: this piece is beautiful, written extremely well. I felt the tug on my heart.

I would like to know in what ways this is reality? For you, or in general? Just wondering.

Overall; I thought it was absolutely wonderful, perfectly written, and completely truthful.

I'm glad you took the time to write this.

Please take a look at some of my work (if you have time); I think you'd like My Love Is Gone best, but who knows?.


Giraffe said...
on Feb. 21 2010 at 5:58 pm
i loved this i nearly cried! oh, it was so sweet!

on Jan. 21 2010 at 3:23 pm
loveibanez BRONZE, Maumee, Ohio
4 articles 1 photo 63 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on!&quot; -Ben Franklin

This is so beautiful in everyway, from the plot and the writing and the emotion you put in to it. I love it, way to go. Keep writing!

Anj16 GOLD said...
on Jan. 21 2010 at 2:46 pm
Anj16 GOLD, Eagan, Minnesota
19 articles 0 photos 74 comments
this is a good story but avoid using too much past principles. u can just use simple past tense instead of consecutive "had . . ." so the paragraph doesn't get awkward. overall, though, i think this is nice

on Dec. 2 2009 at 10:00 pm
dancing.inthe.rain GOLD, Bowling Green, Kentucky
15 articles 0 photos 58 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;We all fear death and question our place in the universe. The artist&#039;s job is not to subcome to dispair, but to find an antidote for the emptiness of existance.&quot; -Gertrude Stein in the movie Midnight In Paris.

this is soooo well writen... it brought tears to my eyes... keep writing =D

on Dec. 2 2009 at 8:00 am
warriorsfan711 SILVER, Plant City, Florida
8 articles 0 photos 13 comments

Favorite Quote:
mashpotaoes are amazing

Dido!!!!!!!!!!!

on Nov. 10 2009 at 8:18 pm
Aww! Make me want to cry!!! Nearly did.

on Nov. 2 2009 at 4:47 pm
JordanNicole SILVER, Spartanburg, South Carolina
7 articles 0 photos 44 comments

Favorite Quote:
\&quot;Love is strange, powerful, and sneaky. You won\&#039;t know it until you find it...and when you have it, never let it go!\&quot; ~JordanNicole

Wow! I hope I never have to go through anything like that. I'm sorry you did... This piece brought tears to my eyes and made my throat get thick to the point where I couldn't speak. Great work...Keep writing.

angel100 said...
on Oct. 30 2009 at 1:09 pm
wow!!!! uh that was good unexspected but good. it was abit sad but i loved it. i mean who dosent love a good romance

on Oct. 28 2009 at 1:18 pm
MM4ever PLATINUM, Owosso, Michigan
23 articles 1 photo 45 comments
that was so sad, i almost cried ... whatever happened to make you write this i'm sorry ...

JuustMe said...
on Oct. 27 2009 at 7:39 pm
JuustMe, Hanford, California
0 articles 0 photos 3 comments

Favorite Quote:
\\\&quot;If you\\\&#039;ve never wrote it, no one\\\&#039;s every read it; if you never said it, no one\\\&#039;s ever wrote it. And that, well thats simply just not living.\\\&quot;

You paint a very vivid picture, and aren't afraid to tell the truth. That is what makes a writer.

on Oct. 26 2009 at 7:54 pm
Inkspired PLATINUM, Whitby, Other
26 articles 0 photos 493 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;If one will scoff at the study of language, how, save in terms of language, will one scoff?&quot; - Mario Pei<br /> &quot;I write for the same reason I breathe - because if I didn&#039;t, I would die.&quot; Isaac Asimov

This is really touching. It pulls at your heart. Well written- made you really feel what was happening. Love it!

windblossom said...
on Oct. 24 2009 at 9:06 am
windblossom, Hyderabad, Other
0 articles 19 photos 87 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;The caterpillar does all the hard work, but the butterfly gets all the publicity&quot;

well written! if it was a real experience then it must have been a difficult one too! i liked it!