I grew up between houses, always moving around between multiple fixed addresses. Whether it was Uma's house or Mama's, my Aunt's or my Grandmother's, I preferred the steadiness and predictability of my own solitary company. My relatives would struggle day after day just to get me outside for more than five minutes each day. I was so fixated on pushing out content and appeasing my friends half a world away I'd forgotten to take care of myself.
Each day, I sit on the smoking porch or balcony with music, discovering the world around me as if it were my first time outside. Discovering ways to get sun without lending myself to anxiety took so much time my skin became pasty and I became vampiric. I'd always been a night person, but morning walks became afternoon walks became evening walks became nothing at all. I'd stay up late and sleep in, all to avoid going outside under the guise of exhaustion.
Yesterday, I was on a call with a friend. He asked if I had eaten at all, if I'd gotten at least fifteen minutes of sun. It was the first time in a while that I could smile and say honestly that I had.
YOU ARE READING
Melting
Genel KurguA collection of short stories about love, loss, anxiety, and the roller coaster that is life while dealing with them. CONTENT WARNINGS: Strong language, potentially triggering content, LGBTQIA+ subjects Cover art credits to @MatthewsonGibs
