Holding onto a string of hope

It was just about sunset. She loved to sit in her balcony with her cup of tea, watching the people taking a stroll, kids playing, the vegetable man selling on a cart. She just loved this ME time and craved it each day.

Today she seemed low. Her parents were fighting in the other room. She lived in a tiny 2 BHK. The screams echoed even till where she sat. It was a regular thing for her. She often wondered how they even survived being married for 26 years. She saw them fight for silly things and some days they escalated to abuse. She kept her tea down and meditated into her thoughts. She often felt burdened with responsibilities. Her family created such a toxic environment for her. She looked down – “Even if I jumped from the second floor, I would just break my bones. I don’t have the kind of money for a surgery.” She closed her eyes. Took a deep breath.

Just then a kite came flying and landed right on her lap. At first she looked surprised. She looked out and saw a young boy in the opposite terrace waving at her frantically. The boy was very young. He was anorexic and quite dusky. The sky behind him was a subset of orange and yellow. He looked so beautiful smiling at her and asking her to give the kite back. She made a hand gesture asking him to come and get it.

She felt like she had found a reason to smile.

A kite can’t really fly free,that’s just an expression. In order to soar high in the sky the string of a kite needs to be anchored. If the string breaks the kite drops back to the ground. The kite’s freedom depends on it not being as free as he thinks it is.      

She felt liberated and knew she needed to be that string and keep hoping. Taking one day at a time.

– Oishmortal