# Writing > General Writing >  Mask

## fly_high

Once I saw a man who looked very familiar.
When I looked at him he looked like a normal happy guy.
But then I noticed something about him. Something that most people probably miss.
I saw past his fake smile and confident posture. 
In his eyes I noticed an extreme sense of despair.
Not the sort of sadness that one has when they lose a loved one or let someone down.
This was the sort of sadness that becomes such a burden because there is something to constantly remind him of his sorrow. 
The kind of sadness one receives from unrequited love.
His love for this girl is at such an extreme amount that even though it hurts him, he cant push her away.
The mask he puts on his face is so that no one knows how much he is truly suffering.
He loves this girl so much that he endures this suffering in order to be around her. 
Although this person's presence causes him pain he justifies his torment with one thing.
He needs to love this girl as much as he can so that she can always be happy. 
Seeing her unhappy at any time would be far worse than any pain he could ever endure. 
While he does not truly understand this perpetual love and undying need to make sure she's happy, he continues to believe in it.
The motive to keep her happy may be the only thing keeping him alive, even though it was the thing that caused him this pain in the first place.
Then I noticed something else about this man which made me realize why he looked so familiar. 
He was wearing the same clothes that I was. Had the same hair style, same color eyes, and was the exact same size. 
I was too lost in my head to think that there was something this extreme bothering me that I failed to notice I was looking in the mirror. 
A man so lost in his love and despair that he cannot even recognize himself. 
My mask must be even better than I think.

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