In this day and age it's very rare to openly confess your support for a
group like the Spice Girls and not get made fun of(that is, if you're over
the age of ten, of which I am well over). I'm a huge fan of the Girls, and
especially of Melanie. Sometimes I wonder if I really care about all of
them or if it's only because of Melanie that I actually spend time reading
about them. Lately I'm getting more and more convinced of the latter. 
 It's been more than a year since I first realized I loved Melanie. And
before I start into telling you why, let me say this once and only once: I
AM NOT A LESBIAN. I've been accused before of being homosexual because of
my love for Melanie, and I didn't get angry over it. I just felt sorry for
the people that said it. It shows immaturity.
 
 Anyway, back to my point. As I was saying, it's been quite a long time
now since Melanie became a very important part of my life. I think the first
time when I knew she was someone very special was when I was watching
"Girls' Talk" on TV. I remember I wasn't a big fan of the Girls then, but
I did buy their debut album and enjoyed it. When the special was over, I
flet overwhelmed. In the interview Melanie had displayed such a kind and
lovely personality that I was taken by complete surprise. Never before had
I thought that I would feel that strongly about someone. The way she
looked when she talked of old times, the positive things she said, her
heart-warming smile, everything about her took my breath away. I thought
then that she was truly a very special person, and just based on that
interview I was almost sure she was a very kind person.

 As I read more about the Girls my prediction was confirmed. I continued
to love her more day by day, and after about half a year, I became obsessed.
During that time it was the summer holidays, so I had nothing to occupy my
mind with but thoughts of Melanie. She consumed my life.
 
 But that phase soon ended as school started again. I learned not to
depend on my daydreaming. I focused more on my own life, but continued to
keep a close watch on Melanie's through various sources, one of which
included Chris' fabulous site. (Thanks Chris!) It became a very pleasant part
of my life instead of my whole entire life.

 Melanie's taught me a lot, indirectly though, of course. From looking at
others judge her unfairly based on her so-called unattractive looks I
learned not to repeat the same mistake of those individuals. I learned to
really work hard to achieve my goals by watching her stay so dedicated to
her career. I learned to be modest, to be positive about life, and I
became more confident. When I was confused by situations of dilemma, I
thought of Melanie then and imagined her in the same position and how she
would solve the problem. I learned not to care about how other people see
me as long as I'm not doing something wrong. She was a really big
inspiration for me.

 Melanie has given me so much. Above everything's she's taught me, this is
the most important- she's taught me how to love. By loving her, I now
truly understand the idea of unconditional love. No matter what other
people might think, or even how she changes(though it's unlikely that
she'd turn into a person that's anything less than incredible), I'll
always love her. I believe she is truly a great person, and that anyone
who are fortunate enough to be her family/friend is very fortunate. I have
almost given up hope on ever meeting her in person, but if I should really
have the pleasure of doing that one day, this is the one and only thing I
really need to tell her- "Thank you for everything you've given me,
Melanie. I thank you with all my heart and I will always love you.