After much deliberation, Vihaan finally had his art store, launched. It was located at the outskirts, beautifully designed and had a scent of hard work and zest flowing through it. Vihaan had refused to be a part of his family business and wanted to follow his passion. His dream was finally happening.
The months followed, with him putting efforts to make deals, marketing, socialising and refining his art. His determination and love for his work knew no bounds. For starters, one could say he was doing just fine. Vihaan handled most of the work himself, yet his happiness overpowered his exertion. A little bump on his road to the dreams started to occur with the arrival of Covid-19. As the pandemic rose, he had no option but to take a pause. Only after a few months of complete break, things slowly started to begin again.
September 2nd, 2020.
Vihaan rushed to the store like a mad man. By the time the fire was controlled, the main hall of his store was fiercely damaged. His mind went into a frenzy. It kept flashing the face of his parents who didn’t really approve the store at the first place and of the naysayers that surrounded him. He remembered all the favors that he’d taken till then, the work he’d put and the huge loss that’d occurred at that moment. A few drops of tears rolled down his cheeks as his heart ached. The upcoming week was worse. His mental health suffered immensely. “It’s surely a sign from the universe that I’m not on the right path in my life”, his mind chanted. It hadn’t even been a complete year of his “passion-following” and there were already so many setbacks. He couldn’t keep his spirits high anymore. His mind even created issues that weren’t actually present. Vihaan went deep into the hole of darkness. A few more weeks passed by, with eating and sleeping as his only main goals. His determination was withering away. Everybody in his family got more worried with each passing day.
His younger brother however, was in a bit of a different mood. Maybe, it was his age that couldn’t make him understand the gravity of the situation. He eventually stormed to Vihaan’s room one day and started blabbering. “I’m studying hunting and gathering for school currently. Our ancestors – the cavemen had to fight fierce nature, uncontrollable men and big hungry animals. They woke up and did nothing, but work. They had no time for anything else, other than searching for food and their sheer existence. When they couldn’t find anything to hunt did they just sit down like you and sulked and cried? No! They tried different ways and strategies everyday. They weren’t like oh, God probably don’t want us on this Earth because we couldn’t hunt a reindeer today. And, just look at you, you lazy fat creature lying here in your stupid bed since so many days and gulping down free food down your throat. Did you expect things to just come to you so easily? You think you are God or something? I have to go to school everyday, complete my homework, go to guitar lessons AND do your part of house chores too! My life is so hard! Everybody’s is, except yours right now! How many more days do you think we’ll be tolerating this stupidity of yours?”, and he took deep breaths as he finished his rant, with his face turning red. Vihaan felt a jolt waking him up. He teased and calmed his brother by promising him treats and sent him away.
Vihaan tried pushing himself to take control of his own self back. Obviously, it wasn’t easy. Life isn’t. It took another week or so for things to go back to normal. Vihaan received support from everyone around him and in about two months more, the store was up and ready again. Though, the damage was irreplaceable, but Vihaan’s energy was back. He took one day at a time to move ahead in his journey.
The sooner we realise that struggles are a permanent part of life, the better we’ll become to face them and take care of us. It’s always coming and going, there’s always a shadow because of the light. Setbacks don’t always mean that things aren’t meant for us. In this age of instant gratification and demanding things to come to us swiftly and smoothly, we often forget that we need to put efforts. The thought of giving up whatever that may be doesn’t take much longer to enter our minds, just because we don’t get it right away. We are living in a time where everything is given to us so easily that sometimes, we forget to work.
Kunal’s girlfriend Ayesha of three years said yes and they were to be wedded in the next six months. The couple had met out of the blue and had been inseparable ever since. Kunal’s parents were divorced while he was twelve and he still had some bad memories of their fights stuck in his mind. His heart had always craved for a whole, happy family. He had promised himself to do better whenever he would start a family of his own and keep love above everything else. His happiness knew no bounds when Ayesha agreed to marry him and he felt more and more grateful every passing day. His dream was finally coming true. Two months flew away in a blink in all the arrangements and shopping.
His professional work however, was going quite the opposite. The company that he joined was reputed and he had expected it to be amazing, but sadly it wasn’t as smooth. Though the pay was good, the environment was becoming unhealthy for his mental health. He was dragging his time there, at least till the wedding hustle passed. He wanted to dedicate his time fully to the happiest moment, that his life was, at that time. But, a blow occurred when things got extremely heated one day. He made sure to not react to the provoking arguments and responded with sensibility. Kunal tried his best to make things better but, failed. He was in intense anxiety, numbness and insomnia for the next two days. Sometimes, good people also get tired of ungrateful people. He could no longer keep his sanity intact and took a call to quit. Leaving a good job obviously wasn’t easy but, his mind was surely jumping onto better things because it did not want to discuss anything, anymore. It was three months to his wedding and a beautiful life, and he had quit his job with just a hope to start something of his own. Tough call, weird times.
It took him another week of overthinking, forgiving and a whole lot of strength to accept the state of affairs. It was confusing for him to comprehend his emotional state and he kept denying it for a while. He cut everyone off for some days to get his senses back. Kunal’s heart ached at the thought of quiting but, the amount of mental calmness that he felt since then, was indescribable. He felt exceedingly sad and disappointed in himself for letting others down but, he couldn’t accept himself in a place that didn’t align with him, thus felt a little less guilty too. He was hurt yet, excited to start his journey with Ayesha. He was scared and confused, and also determined and happy. There were so many feelings, all at once. How was he supposed to make sense of it all?
This sudden, strange surge of emotions made him question himself and what kind of person he actually was. It didn’t take him long before he started blaming himself for feeling this way, being at the crossroad between grief and joy, heaviness and liberation. His mind was an absolute contradiction, for one single person. Kunal eventually stopped restricting. It didn’t have to make any sense! He gave himself permission to be vulnerable, to feel. All of it, gently. After all, it was only human.
Zoya spent an entire hour scanning through the aisles of the grocery store. She had been running on autopilot. She wasn’t there to buy anything specifically but just to pass some dull moments of her life. After buying a couple of chocolate bars, cup-noodles and ice-creams she walked out of the door with a tiny bit of solace. For the first time in quite a while, she was consciously doing things for herself.
It had been some stressful months for her. She had switched three jobs in six months before the quarantine and had trouble with some of her friends. Since the past few months her mind was just stuck at one phrase, “you attract what you are” and she was on full self blame and self sabotage mode. Picking out the moments where she thought she did wrong or wasn’t enough had become her daily routine. She wasn’t content with the jobs she chose and eventually dropped out of them. Her dating life sucked and she had lost a few friends too. Her mind even dug up bad memories from years ago, which she thought that she had already healed from. Quarantine was really playing with her mind. Thinking back to all the bad experiences, every new encounter seemed worse than the earlier one. It was all insane. She was turning into an unproductive and lazy person who couldn’t do a proper job. She wasn’t a good friend or partner, thus resulting in failed relationships. “A walking disaster“, her mind had been whispering to her, every night.
She went back to her apartment after a short stroll. As she prepared the noodles, she called her mom. Her mom was her constant best friend and support system. Though sometimes, she does wonder if she would ever meet people to share life with, of her own age! The doorbell rang as she was about to sit down to eat. “Surprise!”, shouted her friend Ahana as the door opened. She lived at the other side of the town. Ahana hurriedly went to the bathroom to freshen up without proper greetings and came back with a big smile as always. Zoya couldn’t help but be happy in the moment. Finally, something good was happening. They chatted amicably while finishing the noodles together and planned to cook a proper dinner while they’d select a movie for the night. Ahana also brought some random gifts for Zoya as they were meeting after long, making Zoya wonder what she did, to deserve all that. After all, she hadn’t been a very good friend to anybody since long and was just too self absorbed. But, their equation at that moment was beautiful, without any hint of change or grievances. She felt blessed.
The kind of conversations that happened that night between the two were real eye opener for Zoya. Ahana casually pointed out how Zoya had been into the same patterns of work and relationships, eventually being stuck in her life for long. She hadn’t done any of the shadow work, self reflection and hadn’t taken any lesson from the hurdles that came into her life. She kept on doing the same things again and again and wished for a different outcome. And so, every next challenge came with a greater force to make her realise the lessons which she continuously failed to learn or acknowledge. She would have to take on a different path for herself, creating a different timeline that actually aligns with her true self and not other people’s perceptions. And she would be more than just fine.
It was a night full of tears and loud laughters. There was music, good food, dance and lovely, honest conversations. What more could one ask for? Life wasn’t as bad as Zoya had made it up in her mind. The things and people who actually mattered had been there all along with her.
The quarantine is an “awakening” time for all of us. It is a given opportunity for everybody to reflect at their lives, accept the realities and gather courage to make changes accordingly. Everything that has fallen apart until now has made way for better things in our lives. It’s time to trust ourselves and the magic of beginnings. It’s time to form a new paradigm.
It had been a long summer day. Finally, the fiery orange sun was slipping into a soft slumber. My roommate was out of town and I had the entire place to myself. The whole day passed by, with me lazing around. I was lying on the bed, drinking cold coffee and binge watching Netflix. My eyes already felt heavy. I took a sigh, taking a break and looked out of the window. One of the apartments seemed to have some sort of party. “Ugh, I don’t even have the energy today to get up and go out for a quick walk“, I thought to myself. It was one of the off days of mine, the zero energy days.
The music from the party paused, followed by some hustle. My body alerted automatically to know more about the gossip, since I had nothing better to do in my life that day. The people seemed to disperse, as a couple immersed in some intense arguments. “They are breaking up!”, my heart cried. I’ve been seeing them laughing and living together in that apartment since the past two months. And so, we went again…my tear dam broke, succumbing me into the sadness. Two people, probably in love were fighting in front of me and I was crying for no sane reason. “They have been there for each other throughout, why didn’t it work out?, who’s fault is it?” my head ached with the thoughts.
My heart disapproves of the sad endings. I know it’s not the end, it’s a part of the journey. Words, theories, all stupid ways of acceptance. I hate breakups. Be it friendships or relationships. I hate stupid humans. I hate Arjun. I don’t hate him, but I don’t like him at all. He broke my heart even though I was invested in our relationship completely and loved him so much. I did my best to love him. Why did he fall out of love with me? I made him a priority and showered him with genuine love and appreciation regularly. Wasn’t that enough? Wasn’t I enough? Will I ever be treated with equal affection ever? I don’t know if it’s my fate or am I just that bad of a person. It’s been two years already and my mind was still in chaos.
People are just so bad and mean. My stomach ached too. But, it wasn’t Arjun’s fault exactly. You can’t make people love you. And, we do have good memories throughout our relationship, except for when it ended. More than hurting me, he gave me lessons and I guess, I came out stronger. He taught me to let go of the people who don’t deserve you. He did hurt me a lot though.
I don’t hurt people deliberately. I don’t go out and do things that are wrong intentionally, even though I can. I surely can…will I? Given the chance to revisit the past situations, will I do things any differently? Well, yes I will be more aware and give myself more respect. But, I don’t think I would’ve loved any less and cared any less, or treat others any differently than the way that I already do. I don’t think I would be able become somebody else. I don’t want to. This is me, this is how I’ve always felt and done things. And, no matter how many chances are given to me, I would still do it all over again and be the same person that I was. It’s not about them, it’s about me. It’s about who I am and I feel content and happy with myself. Oh, what stupidity!
A gust of cold wind blew, drying my eyes and calming my mind. And, then like magic, the stars took over.
Mr. Arora was in his sixties. He had a serious face covered in wrinkles and a pleasant, toothless smile. He was a retired army officer, who found his solace in the everyday discipline rituals that he still very dearly followed in his life. Mrs. Arora took care of him to the best of her ability, walking by his side through all the phases of their lives. The couple had two sons and a daughter, all happily married.
The only thing his wife could never change was his troubled attitude and the unnecessary stress that his husband took over irrelevant things. Recently, the old man had started being grumpier, maybe due to the irritable male syndrome. His wife kept things in the house busy and fed her old man with yummy treats in order to keep his mind light and off the overthinking.
Mr. Arora was to go attend a wedding out station that day, of some relatives. His wife couldn’t accompany him due to her health issues and their children were busy. Everyone wanted to miss out on this occasion but the old man was adamant to go alone (and not just for a day or two but for an entire week of outing). Thus, a cab was booked for the trip, homemade food and medicines were packed, and the driver was provided with a set of songs to be played along the journey. They reached their destination smoothly, late in the evening and he was settled in the guest room. The interesting thing about the room was its delicate walls. Mr. Arora could easily eavesdrop on the conversations occurring in the hall and pass his time without being bored. The youngest son of the house was to get married in a four day ceremony and the events were to begin from the next day. Mr. Arora was enjoying all the preparation talks when suddenly something disturbing happened. “I can’t believe your mother is refusing to share her jewelry, where will she take it?“, a woman spoke. “You cannot speak that way about my mother when we didn’t even ask you guys for any dowry so, just shut it out!”, shouted the man. And, the arguments rose along with the foul exchanges. The old man plugged in his earplugs to avoid listening any further and dozed off.
At dinner, he met many people and revived all kinds of memories. A group of the oldies planned to explore the neighborhood the next day, as the henna ceremony was scheduled for the evening. They all headed to the beach at 10.00 a.m. after breakfast and thereafter went to the carousel nearby to casually roam and watch the kids play. Things were nice. Everyone was sharing about their lives, including the problems that they were dealing with. The grumpy man missed his family a little that day, after hearing the chaotic stories of the families from others. They returned happily for a late lunch, rested and prepared for the evening’s festivity.
By the second last day of the wedding, Mr. Arora was quite in a state of restlessness. He missed his wife and children dearly, so much so that he had called them up almost every two hours. He even cut short his visit and left for home the day after the wedding was over. All the mean conversations among the families, the lack of respect and care in people’s heart gave Mr. Arora a stinging pain inside of his body just by thinking of it. The cab arrived at his porch in the evening. Mr. Arora hadn’t been this happy and peaceful in a long time as he was that very moment. He entered his house and hugged his wife for some good prolonged minutes, murmuring a few prayers, expressing gratitude.
Sometimes, hearing advices from others are useless until you actually get a demonstration, an example and some internal encouragement to get things into perspective. You require a strong reason, a strong why power, so that, the understanding would come all together a lot more easily. Sometimes, we take our own time, own pace to understand and cope with certain beliefs and ideas. And, it is okay.
It was a cold Saturday morning. Rain had accumulated in the potholes around the city and sunlight was struggling to penetrate through the dark clouds every now and then. Rounaq pulled his blanket closer and snuggled. He already had a hot temperature since last night. As he was focusing on his sleep, he was suddenly startled with an uncontrollable cough. Despite the laziness, he forced to rub the sleep off his eyes and managed to rush to the sink, only to witness drops of blood coming out from his throat. “Ah again“, he groaned, with his throat feeling raw and irritated. Rounaq’s throat tissues were torn due to heavy drinking and he was advised to cut down alcohol. However, his excited spirits of youth failed to understand the severity and he ends up in troubles, every single time.
Ten new messages and three missed calls flashed onto the notification bar of his cellphone. The calls were obviously swiped off in a second as they were of his mom’s. His classmate, Agam was in need of three thousand bucks as he had wasted his month’s amount. A new girl from the music club wanted him to help her explore the city. There were some discussions for the parties in the next few days and his friend Shivang inquired about his whereabouts, reminding him to wish his brother for his birthday and submit an assignment by tomorrow. Rounaq quickly made a strong coffee for himself, popped some pills down his throat, replied to the messages and started getting ready. Ready for? For withdrawing cash for that guy we just read about and giving him the money in cash, at his apartment twenty kilometers away, as he had some issues with the online transactions. Also, he would then go catch up with the girl who wanted to explore, remember? So, here’s the thing. Rounaq is extremely unwell at the moment (needs a doctor right away), he’s got an assignment due tomorrow, he should be calling a few people up for various things and he’s also got to be a good friend for some people in his life. Well, that’s the to do list he had in his mind. So, he hurried and did what he felt was right.
6.30 p.m.
After being dog tired, unable to speak properly and in a way bankrupt, he entered his flat building and was given a box by the guard. It was from his mum. The parcel contained homemade eateries, few medicines, some pictures, a letter and few old cassette tapes. He sighed and texted her “thanks“. He ordered noodles and soup for dinner while slouching on his bed. “Ping!”, a notification popped with a few links related to the assignment by Shivang. Rounaq thanked him too. Shivang asked about his health and was worried due to the dry responses he was getting via the messages. He called him up after ten minutes out of worry, but Rounaq had already fallen asleep by then.
He did text him later that he was fine. He wished his brother via text at 11.55 p.m after getting a series of messages from his mother. He couldn’t complete his assignment that night obviously, as he was utterly sick and exhausted by helping out people the entire day. He was being a good friend to them of course, or was he just trying to make an impression and seek validation (because they weren’t even his friends and texted him only when they needed help), who knows? What’s evident is that he did suffer himself and neglected the people who were actually important. Rounaq felt an unexplainable empty feeling in his heart, which got lost into the darkness as he closed his sleepy eyes late that night.
We often end up doing the most unkind thing to the most loyal. We consciously go out the way to shower care and help those who aren’t (maybe won’t ever be) even be a part of our lives and who honestly don’t care at all. And meanwhile, we shamelessly take our family and true friends for granted as if they’re obligated to be there for us even when we ourselves do not make even a tiny effort to do something for them. Shouldn’t we all be prioritizing and thanking our actual blessings first?
Mia entered the office perfectly dressed and prepared for her presentation. She’s always been a dedicated person, a workaholic and her sole aim was to give cent percent in her job. And why not, she worked hard for it and nailed the interview earlier.
However, things were going a little different nowadays. She found it hard to make connections with her colleagues. Everybody was just so different and agreeing on the same things was a task in itself. Never before did she face such a situation in the workplace. She tried various methods to make things work but everything was sliding down the slope. Her passion for her work did not seem enough, as most of the external factors were not on her side as well. The company’s investments suffered. The bosses had their own arguments and they did not support their workers’ suggestions to change the patterns of work. Nevertheless, she kept trying to do the best of what she could.
As the presentation got over, Mia did receive a lot of appreciation but the promotion was still nowhere before the eyes. She swallowed a sob and rushed to her cabin with an excuse to finish off some of the files. Another day at the office went by with a feeling of disappointment. Mia went out for dinner that night. Alone. Deep down she was proud of herself even though she wasn’t receiving the needed appreciation. While she was sipping her drink, waiting for the starters, a girl came up to her and asked to join in. Even though Mia was suspicious, she nodded in approval. In no time, the two shared so much about their lives with each other. The conversation was easy. Their friendship deepened in the next few weeks. There was no place for formalities. Things were just flowing. Mia had found Sophie.
Coming back to the professional life again, things were very much the same or maybe worse. Mia has started having a toll on her mental health, dealing with new problems every single day and not being able to find the solutions. She struggled hard to get to the heart of the problems but she couldn’t know where she went wrong. Everybody else was kind of okay because they knew how to differ professional and personal lives. They treated it as a mere job. Nobody was suffering internally as much as Mia.
Her only comfort in those times was her new friend. Sophie let Mia rant without judgements, let her break down and treated her like a baby. She knew what Mia needed at the moment was just some support and motivation to make it through. Sophie was a chef and loved making desserts for her. Her care and genuine love was something that kept Mia going for another year or so until she was ready to start her own business and move out of a negative environment.
Every season has its time. Sometimes you can never really understand the reason for why matters unfold the way they do. But you got to have trust. Never will a good thing be removed from your life without providing you with another. Life’s unfair at times, yes, but the universe always has its ways of taking care of you.
After quite a dozen of complicated flings and bad friendships, he finally met her. She was weird in a nice way. Her chaos was intriguing. Their equation right now was just friends. In reality, just friends! They could’ve been more though.
“I got you something today”, she said handing him out a box of some DIY stuffs. “What for?”, he inquired. She smiled and said, “Nothing. I’m just happy and I wanted to give you something without any specific occasion.” He hugged her and they ate together, enjoying and talking of the little gift which was given out of the blue. As they moved ahead in their journey, deep conversations and life dreams were shared. They started spending a lot of time together. From going to the classes to hanging out with each other’s group of friends, they grew close. Maybe, they’ll become best buddies in the near future. Who knows?
They had different characters. She was content with herself and kept her priorities clear while he wanted to desperately fit in amongst people and required constant approval. Thus, she started making him a priority and could plan future adventures with him in her mind. He started balancing his time between her and other people which will be counted as a priority right?
Things seemed okay until. Until more people or let’s say options came into the picture. The scope for spicy conversations rose and he kept getting busy creating an impression, for them. His “balanced time” started becoming less and less and before we would know he was in another land. She had her career to focus on and days passed away, both slowly and rapidly. Forget meeting on weekends or occasions, there wasn’t even texting happening now. Lives got busy. Two people slowly drifted apart. While she was sad, she was trying to hold it all together until. Until the day he let her be on her own when she needed him, the day he didn’t care anymore about her life, the day he chose other people over her by giving her some random excuses without really realizing it. That day she just cried herself to sleep and woke up feeling like a butterfly ready to be released. We often take people in our lives (family and friends) for granted and lose so many kinds of relationships. We fail to realize the importance of the ones who matter. Being busy is a lame excuse. Everybody is capable to take out time for the people that they want to. It’s always a matter of choice. Time doesn’t wait. Lives go on. Everybody lives. It’s all about who you chose.
It was a Friday evening. The slanting sunlight created a warm vibe in the chilly winters. My heart wanted to ride a bicycle today. But there’s obviously a huge difference between what we want and what we end up doing.
A group of friends (everyone dressed up according to their own level of maintenance and laziness) entered the club. It was Sejal’s birthday today. I have had an extremely hectic week. Despite having thought of multiple excuses for not attending the party, I finally gave in to the peer pressure. So here I am, wearing a dress and converse shoes, carrying a gift box with a big smile smashed onto my face.
Happiest Birthday girl! Let’s have some shots, rock the dance floor with the twerks and blind our thoughts with the loudest of music.
Ah I already feel tired, thinking it in my mind. Let’s get inside quickly and divert myself with the ambience. We instructed to join some tables to accommodate our large group. Big party eh? Okay, so we make ourselves comfortable, start with the mini conversations and head onto the dance floor and drinking part. The dj is trying to combine all of our requests and make our day to the best of his capabilities. I sneak out to make some random calls and get the screaming sounds out of my head. Most of them already start to feel a bit trippy. I slid my drinks to the thirsty plants on one side. And, as I see everybody being lost into the blinking lights and deafening music, I couldn’t help but desperately wait for the food. Oh God, have I grown old already? I don’t think I belong here. I feel too far away from this seemingly endless excitement of young people. Or have I just turned into a boring person? Yes this might be it.
I sit in a corner texting, sipping soda and eating fries. Oftentimes I pick up my phone to capture their happy moments, taking utmost joy in doing that task. At least somebody out there is having a blast. My mind wanders to life thoughts in the midst of all this business. I certainly am turning into a crazy person. Who does this? But I’ve been happy at such places once or twice with my school friends. Maybe it’s in the vibe that is created with the right kind of people. Then be it anywhere, it feels like you belong. Somebody told me this. I can’t recall who though.
Why don’t we find interesting ways to celebrate birthdays? Don’t they get bored with all this meaningless clubbing? And on top of that, so much money is spent! At least I should not be feeling this way for the host given that she’s spending for us(rather say me right now). But seriously, can’t we like plan a trip per month, pitch in and celebrate all the birthdays of that given month together? I would definitely not hesitate to cut off my month’s expenses for such plans. Or maybe we could spend the day pouring our hearts out through music or speeches for the birthday boy/girl instead of the texts. Or maybe we could play something. Why are there so many clubs around and not enough sports’ and fun activities’ arenas? I need more creativity! Oh I also miss my mom’s fritters on my birthday back at home and even the pooja which I considered a waste of time as a kid. “It is not your birthday!”, I try to shut my mind. But why don’t I like this current situation when everybody around me does? It would be so difficult for me like this if I don’t change while I move ahead in my life. What nonsense am I thinking while being amongst my friends. “Hey. Yeah yeah I’m doing good. Just catching my breath of all the dancing.” Nobody would like to hang out with me soon. I would be painting somewhere alone, eating cakes, listening to music. That doesn’t sound that bad though.
I think it’s my no social battery day. Many others might be feeling the same too. And, I think that I should be more involved in the entire scenario for the birthday girl instead of making the choices and happiness about me. At least for this particular day. For her. Okay, so let’s try and keep my mouth shut for now and focus on the eating part. At least that has remained the same way as we all enjoy it together. “Happiest Birthday Sejal! Let’s dive in everybody”, my mouth and soul cheered simultaneously.
It was five in the evening. Our car halted at the uphill turn. An endless queue of traffic lay ahead. I sighed wondering how to kill the time. Peering out I watched the shops by the road. It’s a perk of a hilly route to have a large number of tourists. The localists looked excited interacting with the buyers, winning their hearts with funny anecdotes. As I was navigating around, my eyes went to the other side of the window. There was this little café-cum-bakery which dragged me to that side of the car.
The place had huge glass panes from which the customers inside were visible. Some sort of sitting arrangement was present outside as well. The golden hour added to its beauty, bringing a glitter to its infrastructure. There seemed a decent amount of crowd at the place. Suddenly, my eyes got stuck to this girl juggling a dozen tasks at once smoothly, from mixing, scooping and weighting loaf after loaf on one side with an old lady (probably her grandmother) to greeting the customers with a brightest smile on the other.
She wore a yellow dress and a multi-colored apron, her hair up in a messy bun and face lit up with the kind of happiness we all wish we could have within ourselves. From afar only I could feel her light warming me up. How amazing the people there must be feeling, having a chirpy beautiful waitress around. My mom told me that people can often be judged by the look on their face. Calm down, it’s nothing complicated. Positive people always have some kind of peaceful look and negative people always with a kind of vibe that our mind might overlook but our gut can somehow sense. The girl my eyes couldn’t unsee was definitely the happy soul one. She loved being busy. It felt as if she had her dream job at her hand. I couldn’t help but go there with any random reason. I appreciated the traffic now as it aided my decision.
Ah the smell inside was delicious! A soft music played in the background. I said at the counter, “hi, what’s your specialty take away eatable?” The guy pointed to the table beside, “Anvi here is the genius making these wonderful cupcakes everyday. You definitely should try those.” I wondered if Anvi was the same girl who I was admiring all along. I bought some of those cupcakes along with a few chocolate chip cookies. My eyes however kept on following her. My heart wanted to talk to her, but I heard my dad calling me to come back and the cars honking for ours to shift ahead. I rushed back with the unfulfilled desire to compliment her. I glanced at the café and the girl for the last time while sitting in my moving car.
She was there. All shining. Right in front of me. I had just seen the living version of one of the characters inside of my head that I want to be someday, myself. And I realised that they do exist!
Antriksha Bhandari 
