A Daffodil's Echo | KNJ

intro

Intro
When I was 18 years old, I traveled abroad for the first time. It was fascinating and left me wanting more. About 10 months later, I went to college. I met new people and enrolled in classes I wasn't yet sure mattered a big deal to me. Sophomore year, I got my first boyfriend; he was sweet and didn't pressure me into doing things- we broke up 6 months into our relationship, after realizing we weren't the people we each thought we were when we'd first met. In my last summer as a junior, boyfriend-free, raven-haired, and debating whether I still wish to become an engineer, I decided on graduating in a city far away from home.

    My parents were not very happy about it. I begged for their approval and spent many nights crying myself to sleep, promising myself to never talk to them again. We hugged it out and I apologized for being a brat, whilst still hoping they'd let me run away with nothing but a dream in hand. Dad said he'd only agree if I'd promise to graduate on time. Mom agreed on the terms of me not living off of instant ramen and chocolate bars. We made a fair deal.

So I packed my bags, said my goodbyes to my loved ones, and got a pay-rent job in a city 12 hours from home. Life made sense again. I was ecstatic to wake up each Sunday and greet my cats, water my plants, and take long walks to the beach. Reading poetry was healing to my soul, and painting abstract sunsets on small canvases helped me sleep when midterms would get too heavy to handle.

Living alone for a year led me closer to discovering parts of me that once existed, but were too damaged by people and time to come up to the surface again. I was nowhere near to finding myself, (past or present me, does not really matter) but I was almost certain that every day I woke up, life was less of a burden; it actually was rather endearing.

On the last day of November, I met a boy.

It all happened on a rainy Friday. Weather forecasts admonished the citizens in advance, alerting them not to wander around if not necessary. Lucky for me, and hundreds of other busy working people, I had to wake up early to get to my morning shift on time. Fridays were the only days free of classes, yet the most tiring days of the week for me; working at a cafe where people would enter every other minute and all.

That day I woke up looking disheveled; puffy-eyed, I kicked the soft cream bedding with my freezing feet, and set the two heavy blankets to the side. Groaning with discomfort while doing so, I got off my snuggly bed and furiously wrapped my body with a hoodie that laid on top of my beloved teal colored sofa. Ecstatic at seeing my cats awake, I grinned at the sight of their two beautiful, precious furry figures and cuddled them for a couple of minutes. Lastly, I put some food and water on their plates before preparing myself internally to start getting ready for yet another challenging Friday.

Making my way to the bathroom, I hummed to a song I listened to the previous day to get my voice going. Gasping at my idol in the mirror, I started slapping my cheeks to wake myself up before doing all the things a human being does in the bathroom when they wake up.

I got back to my room, ravenous with the evidence of a growling stomach. I debated on wearing the clothes that kept on piling up on top of my dearest sofa but opted for cleaner clothes out of the closet. I gathered a black, soft turtleneck that wrapped tightly around my upper body, and tucked it in a pair of grey checkered trousers that kept me warm enough not to make my legs suffocate. After messily ironing a very rumpled white shirt, I threw the classic, strict piece of clothing on top of my shoulders and quickly buttoned it up for an extra layer.

    I got inside my glacial car, already feeling the effect of the first cup of coffee I had just a few minutes ago. Rubbing my palms together to fight the cold, I sank further into my seat and nuzzled my chin inside my wool coat's collar. My eyes stung like hell due to my sleep-deprived state. Winters were, indeed, jolly. Just not for anyone working this early on Fridays.