It was raining heavily.

I sat on the floor, my back against the bed, staring through the open window at the palm fronds swaying in the strong winds.

The room still had a bit of the afternoon warmth, which was yet to give way to the cold outside.

I thought of my flatmate who was returning from a journey. He certainly will be caught in the rain, beaten and drained of every joy that propelled him on his adventure.

I took a perfunctory glance at the room. On the first of a stack of papers I saw something I scribbled some time ago and couldn’t remember what prompted me to write it: One day, all your friends will leave.

While contemplating the words, my focus shifted to the incidents of the previous day. My brother’s wedding.

I saw the loneliness in his face. He knew the smiles of mother and father were fake. They didn’t approve of his choice. And the bride, she knew nothing about the disapproval of her in-laws. To her, she’s met a good man, she’s married into a good family and she and her new husband were going to be happy forever.

She doesn’t know. That many will be waiting for that “I told you it won’t work” moments to come. She doesn’t know. The many things said behind her back. That she never made it to college. That she was going to be a financial burden to the man. That the petty trade she intended doing was not something her in-laws would be proud to talk about as the profession of their son’s wife.

If only she knew what her in-laws thought of her smiles. Sheepish smile.

It was still raining.
The heavy rains and the accompanying thunder led to a blackout.
I stared blankly in the dark room, unable to think. Seems it wasn’t only the lights that had gone off.

This is the year we vowed was going to be different. We were already three month into the year and not much has changed. Same energy crisis. Same financial problems. In essence, same neighborhood, same problems. The only difference is the quantity of boredom, which is now in good measure, pressed down, shaken and running over.

Maybe the change must start from within.

What do you see # 333