Rain
When the rain finally came, we sighed with relief It wasn’t just because the hotness that plagued the days would finally reduce, but because we knew the effect it would also have on our relationship.
The past season had put a strain on us more than we expected. It was our first year together and while things were always manageable when we visited each other over the years, living together was trickier. It found ways to press buttons we both never knew we had. Yes, the heat didn’t help, too.
We loved each other dearly but living was tough when the temperature was high. But I was glad the rain was coming. Five years ago this season, we met for the first time.
We promised we would build our lives together one layer at a time, strong and firm enough to withstand the storms that would come.
It seemed like we had survived the first one and we might come out stronger now that the rain had started. Such relief!
Dry
August seemed to be the best time to be outdoor for most people but not me. I hated it as much as I hated hot foods. And last August didn’t make things better. It was the time everything went to shit.
I had come back home from school after three years away hoping to reconnect with my family. My father was the kind of man one wanted to hate but couldn’t. He deserved the hate but deep down, thinking about things he’d done before everything changed for us, I couldn’t bring myself to hate him.
That was why I decided to put everything to rest, let go of the hate and talk it out like grown-ups. Mama was proud of me when I told her the plan, she shed a tear, even, at the thought of us ending our age-long dispute.
I had prepared his favourite meal while I waited for him to get back from work. And I felt good because it meant progress for me
When my phone rang and I saw his name, a part of me just knew things had gone bad. The caller said my number was the last dialed and the owner of the phone had been in an accident…
I promised Mama I’ll forgive myself for taking too long but maybe I’ll try again next year.
December
Do you know what it feels like to sleep in an open space on a cold December night? No shelter, no jacket, no head warmer, nothing. Just you in your skin waiting for daylight.
And not that daylight promised much relief because the sun could refuse to warm things up. But the night was hopeless. It was torture and no one should ever have to go through that.
But it was child’s play compared to being out at sea in December. It was my first voyage and I couldn’t have picked a worse time for that travel. But it was part of the plan.
After a whole year working and toiling and doing the same things I did every year, I started to feel trapped and lonely. The love I got around me started to feel so fake I became paranoid.
I needed an escape, a humbling experience to remind me of my smallness in the world and how important the love of family and friends is.
So here I am, looking out on the deck into a dark freezing space ahead and shivering to my bones. But taking it all in. These are the nights that will see me through the next year.
Prompt: Seasons
