Beyond her first impressions... LOH #275

Heyooo ladies and gents. I must say it's been a pretty long while I popped in here to partake in the contests but that changes now.
And for that, I would love to gladly use this medium to wish y'all a happy new year.

Reading through the topic questions, I knew straight away that I could relate so well with the second and that alone took me down the memory lane, back to a moment when I felt embarrassed for literally judging a book by its cover.

Something I, as a bibliophile, would never have done in the case of an actual book.

"People are like books: some deceive you with their cover and others surprise you with their content." - Oscar Wilde.

Oscar's quote resonates quite well with me, so much that the experience of mine I would be sharing happens to be a case of being deceived with the cover and yet, surprised with the content.
Two huge blows to my face which as you can guess, left a long lasting memory.

Well, if I'm to make myself feel any better, I love that I can say that I didn't jump into conclusions from the onset but rather, after a series of encounters and observed events.

Before we eventually become friends, heaven knows I didn't like J. The rude, intolerant, doomster and nonchalant girl I once had as a classmate.
To be honest, I think I would've liked her a bit for being a clean freak if she didn't carry a sanitizer about, pressing it on everything and everyone she came across like we all bore a virus... Hmph.

She was someone who would chip into a hearty and positive vibing conversation and sour the atmosphere with just a single sentence, in the least polite way possible.

She believed the worst not about everyone though but literally everything, especially family relations and you can imagine how ticked off the rest of us would be when she made certain statements.

Maybe that should have given me a hint of the possible reasons behind her dark demeanor but I was too engrossed in my dislike of her to give a damn. Though the story changed one fateful day.

While I can't recall what led to her outpour, I vividly remember ayyyy-ing and ahhhh-ing alongside other students in class as she shared tragic moments of her childhood, which was forcibly taken away by the very person who should have played a big role in making it sentimental.

...Her mother... She unfailingly took away every single thing that was capable of bringing even a faint smile to her face.

As a linguist, her mum shut out all means she could have used to familiarise herself with various languages and as a melophile, she had her mini speakers and earbuds taken away.

As an amateur but skilled artist, all drawing materials down to pencils got ruined and as an average student, no effort of hers was ever enough.

I found it all hard to believe but then, when one lives under the parent's roof, I guess it's not entirely impossible.
This soul-crushing disclosure of hers changed my impression of her and if anything, left me with nothing but empathy and a degree of respect for her.

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