By Essay contest winners.,

“If this is a dream,
I don’t want to wake up…

First place $50
Margie Malig, 18
Hoover High School

I’m the kind of girl that finds her Prince Charming in romance novels. The novels’ male characters share the same traits. They are tall, dark and handsome, the type that wear a mask of coldness and heartlessness. But the lucky girl who sees the other side of him will discover warmth and sensitivity in his heart.
I thought that the perfect guy was only in books, and would stay a fantasy. That is, until I met Jorge. The little things he does put him apart from those fictional characters. He seems distant and hard on the outside, but to me he shows his tender, vulnerable side and boyish smile. He’s street smart, always knowing what to do in every situation. He’s respected by all. He doesn’t pretend to be anybody he’s not; he’s simply down to earth.
He always carries everything for me, and if I say anything stupid, he would make it seem like it was the smartest thing. He taught me everything from sports to skateboarding, things that I always thought would be a mystery. He taught me to be happy with myself and what I have, to accept myself and not to be self-conscious all the time. He has made me into a better person. And most of all he showed me how to love and be sensitive. With his encouragement and support, he helps me face most of my fears. I trust him to protect me if anything happened.
You’re probably thinking that he’s too perfect, there must be something wrong with him. He’s handsome and tan, with baby-smooth skin and a body to die for. He dresses in the GQ style. After four months of being together, I still ask myself if he is just a dream. If he is, then I don’t want to wake up.
When he comes along, I’ll know it

Third place, $20
Erica Ann Champion, 15,
California Academy of Math and Science

There she was, at her best friend’s birthday party, when across the crowded room, she saw the man of her dreams. Their eyes met and, like the north and south poles of a magnet Mr. Robertson showed her in the 10th grade, they were pulled to the center of the room. “Lightning Crashes,” by Live played and the couple danced closer than a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich to the roof of your mouth. At the end of the song, still not having spoken, he leaned forward and kissed her with those beautifully sweet lips.
If only real life could be like that. What would have happened if the guy was looking at someone else? What if he was looking at another guy? Would she still want him? I wouldn’t want a guy who didn’t want me. That’s the main thing, I think. The first thing that makes me think about liking a guy is how he feels toward me. Even if he is the cutest guy in the world, if he hates my guts, I won’t like him.
What if this guy finally opens his mouth and he sounds like a chipmunk? Geez, that has got to get on your nerves after a while. Or what if when he was dancing, he stepped all over your feet? That wouldn’t be such a big deal to me because I do all I can to avoid dancing. So maybe it’s a trade-off. My perfect guy will like me. He won’t sound like Alvin, Simon, or Theodore. It’s OK if he has two left feet. Other than not totally repulsing me, there are no real requirements for my ideal mate. At one time I was sure that I would marry a white guy, but there are guys of other races that are just as attractive, if not more so.
There’s one more thing about the ideal guy for me. The relationship has to be right. My favorite relationships are the ones where the guy totally adores the girl and the girl loves the guy, too. That’s what I want my love to be.
Is there a perfect guy out there for me? I doubt it. I don’t believe that there is one guy destined for me. As Alanis Morrisette once said about irony, “It’s meeting the man of your dreams, and then meeting his beautiful wife.” I think there are a lot of guys in the world that I would be happy with. But my job as a person isn’t to go out and find him. A husband is a companion, a person to share life with, not a reason to live life. So I’ll just go on living and if I get into a situation that might turn into a good marriage, I’ll go for it.

My only one

Second place, $30
David Morris
North High School

My ideal mate would be my only one.
She would become my wife, give birth to my son.
I would carry her heart and she would mine.
We would be together almost all the time.
When we’re apart, I can’t deal with it at all.
So I would pick up the phone and give her a call.
Away from her, those gleaming brown eyes I miss.
But I would find ways to be near her kiss.
So many ways that I cannot measure.
Being alone with her is my only pleasure.
This woman is great for any date.
This is how I feel for my ideal mate.

He will love children

Honorable Mention
Jennifer Wiggins, 18, North High School

He must love them for who they are,
not who he thinks they should be.
He loves them because they are a part of him and her,
to him they are a wonderful thing.
He takes the greatest joy from the littlest of things.
The green of their eyes, the brown shade of their hair.
He takes delight in counting each little finger,
and loves the sound of his child’s voice as it fills the air.
He scolds with love, not in the heat of anger.
He listens to every little story, and then he dries her little tears.
He tucks them into bed, and kisses them good night.
“I love you” he says as he turns off the light.

The ideal mate for me is a man who is not afraid to show his emotions. A wise woman once told me, ‘Don’t waste your time on a man who will not cry.’ This I believe is a very good philosphy. A relationship should be based on trust, love and commitment. How on earth will you learn to trust a person if they can’t show their feelings?
My future husband should be a man who loves children. He would be willing to get up in the middle of the night to change a diaper and not complain about it the next morning. He would support me in everything I do.
He’d be romantic, not always candy and flowers, but sometimes just a little note to say ‘I love you.’ The ideal man can tell when I’ve had a bad day, and is ready with a hug. He has a listening ear, without being judgmental.
Some people will never find their ideal mate. They settle for second best, but I believe that I found mine a year and a half ago. He always knows when something is upsetting me. He writes me love notes whenever we have been apart for more than two days. He listens to me when I go onto one of my soap boxes and offers me support when I get depressed. He truly loves me for who I am, and that is what is most important.”