Artful Awakening in Mystery of Life & Purposes

Chapter 2: Canvas of Struggle

Each day was hazy in weeks, months and years, he found himself caught in the cycle of survival to offer a short period from the harsh realities of life. With bills piled up and his savings becoming steadily less, he was forced to take on odd jobs just to make ends meet.

But none of these jobs were like office jobs or food services which brought him any joy or fulfillment. From tasks as a waiter in grueling shifts in a bustling restaurant, Bob struggled to find his footing in a world that was determined to grind him down.

One evening, as Bob rushed to deliver a tray of drinks to a table of impatient customers, a disaster struck, with a clumsy misstep and stumbled, sending glasses crashing to the floor and drinks splattering everywhere. The restaurant went into chaos, Bob found himself at the mercy of his furious supervisor, his face burning with shame and he endured a torrent of angry lion-tone words.

It was unbearable in the humiliation any longer, Bob made a decision to quit his job on the spot and his heart was heavy with defeat. As he walked away from the restaurant, he felt a sense of relief wash over him by knowing that he was finally free from the suffocating grip of a job that drained his spirit off.

But freedom came at a cost. With each passing day of unemployment, Bob's sense of desperation grew, his savings kept on shrinking as he struggled to find another job. Amid the uncertainty and despair as his passion for art burned brighter than ever before.

 In the silent moment between job interviews and endless rejections, Bob found confidence in his sketches and drawings, with each stroke of his pencil, he poured out his heart and soul onto the page creating masterpieces that spoke to the depths of his being.

However, his newfound passion did not go unnoticed by his mother, Hua Zhe Ying, and his stepfather, Nestor. They viewed Bob's art with disdain, dismissing it as nothing more than a pointless hobby, a waste of time and energy that could be better spent on more practical pursuits.

"Ah-Bob ah, you need to concentrate on finding a real job,"Zhe Ying would give a roasting with her voice frustrated. 

"Art won't put food on the table or pay the bills and house rent."

Therefore, Bob found himself torn between the expectations of his family and the yearnings of his heart struggle and strife, he refused to give up on his dreams. 

 For he knew that within the depths of his soul lay a spark of creativity an ember of hope that refused to be extinguished. Bob continued to sketch and draw, his art becoming a beacon of light in the darkness to prove the strength of the human spirit and the power of passion to overcome the greatest struggle and find a  job.