"Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope." -Martin Luther King,Jr.
I looked at the window, admiring the night scenery. The stars shined beautifully and the moon looked so bright tonight. I glanced at my clock and it stated that it was already 10 pm. It has been a few hours since I last saw Ivy. We parted ways after she let out her sorrows and feelings to me. We hugged one more time before parting ways.
"Thank you for today, Alannah. I'll call you once I have a free time and have sorted my mind. As you can see, I am in total mess right now." She hugged me tightly and then sighed heavily.
I nodded, trying to understand what she has been through. It must have been extremely difficult and exhausting for her. I walked towards the bus station and waited for the bus.
My mind recalled the moment when Ivy explaining her side of story and what she has been through for the past few months.
"So, I mentioned about this issue to you last week. How my parents seemed to disagree with my decision to find a job at the city." Ivy said.
She paused for a few second, taking a deep breath and continue her sentence, "Last Friday, I managed to get a job offer at a marketing company located at the city. The salary pay was quite reasonable and I was so excited to share the good news to my parents."
I nodded along, focusing every word that she said.
"I printed out the offer letter, went downstairs and preparing myself on how to say the good news to my parents."
"So, I was like, handing the letter to my dad first. Then explaining the job offer I received. I was so excited, my face lights up as I explained it. I told them that I can find a share house near by the company. The company is about 2 hours away from your place, Alannah."
She sighed heavily, "I was so happy and thought by accepting the job offer will be a huge benefit for me. We can meet up when both of us had a free time or even have a double date." I nodded enthusiastically when I imagine that thought.
Ivy smiled a little and she frowned a little before continuing her story. "As I finished telling my parents about this, their reaction was not as what I expected. It was so quiet and really nerve wrecking. Like really nerve wrecking."
She took a deep breath and exhale, "It was an awkward silence for a few minutes. My dad finally spoke and he asked how am I going to find a share house? Is it safe for me? I tried my best to convince him that I can do it. I can take care of myself. However, they didn't trust me."
"You know, I received quite a few job offers for the past few months and I declined all of them due to the same reason. Due to not getting permission from my parents. It really does make me feel frustrated sometimes."
Ivy wiped her tears, feeling confused, "I really don't know what I'm supposed to do anymore. I felt like I am wasting a lot of time and my anxiety keeps on coming back these days. Sometimes I felt so anxious and uneasy. It really does affect my sleep."
I remembered her last words before parting ways with me at the café. She smiled weakly and whispered to me, "Pray for me, Alannah. I really hope that I have enough strength to endure this pain. I'm not sure when but I hope there will be a time where I let go of this burden."
My heart still felt a pang of pain as her last words to me still stuck in my mind. I wondered and hoped that she gained more strength to endure this battle.
Unemployment, finding a suitable job, and family conflict really made Ivy's mood depressed.
I looked at the selfies we took today and said, "I wish both of us will achieve happiness in whatever we do. Especially Ivy. She deserved to be happy."
Fast forward and I already went back to my share house the following week. I met up with Ivy before I went back to the city. We had a bit of a chat and promised to call each other whenever we had a problem or need a listener.
