A Parcel of Pain

He went the extra mile in the name of love, love that might have been nothing more than smoke and mirrors. You know that dizzy spell when you fall head over heels and no advice, however wise, can sink in? That was exactly his plight. He plunged into the deep end of affection for someone he had only met behind the glowing screens. In his mind, he had struck gold, the love of his life, yet in reality, he had walked straight into the lion’s den of delusion.
It all kicked off during the long semester break, when students scrambled to find places to soak up wisdom from professionals in their field. That was when this young, vibrant, and charming man stumbled upon what would later become his bitter regret.
He landed a chance to work with an automobile company to gain hands-on experience for his future career. But as green as grass, he was naïve too. Life had always handed him things on a silver platter, so he had little clue how people played their cards in the digital jungle, even though he was a Gen Z.
One afternoon, while killing time during his lunch break, he decided to scroll through Facebook for the latest buzz. Out of the blue, a friend request popped up from someone with a stunning profile picture, a curvy lady with flawless skin. Without batting an eye, he clicked “accept” and shot her a message. What began as small talk snowballed into affection. Soon, he was bending over backwards to provide almost everything she asked for, though he never once had the chance to meet her face-to-face.
After weeks of attachment, he made up his mind to pull a rabbit out of the hat, surprise her in her own town. He booked a hotel, stocked it with goodies, and set the stage. They chatted at length, but she had no inkling he was already in town. When he arranged for her to swing by the hotel to pick up a parcel, she dragged her feet but eventually showed up.
Standing at a distance, he drank in the sight of his “girlfriend,” only for his heart to sink like a stone. A well-built young man was approaching her, phone pressed to his ear, speaking to him. In that split second, the scales fell from his eyes.
The next thing he remembered was waking up in a hospital bed, hooked to a drip. His heart was shattered into pieces. Going back to school was out of the question, how could he face his friends after parading this “lady” to them, promising to flaunt photos of their dates? He had been taken for a ride, and the bitter pill was too hard to swallow.