Dear diary by susykes

Different

Dear diary,
Just call me jess, but just to let you know, it's jessy Walker!

Lived on earth for 3 decades and am still stunned by different surprises I get everyday. You should know that, I love meeting people. Be it if they are from China or South Africa, if he's black or white, if she's rich or poor, if it's for business purpose or just a casual chat! I was always meeting people. Some may say that I'm lucky because my boss sends me to different cities or country every 2 weeks to explore and bring back juicy news, I agree! But it has it's pros and cons, being a writer could get tiring sometimes. But I come out as a whole new person after the trip. I learn new things and even learnt to be more appreciative.

You will meet different types of people on your journey. You will meet delicate flowers, raging oceans, quiet forest, monumental mountains and colourful skies. You will meet thunderstorms and lighting. They will knock you down and leave you breathless. You will meet sunrise and garden. They will give you light and take you on adventures. Don't be afraid. Explore them! Get lost with them. They all have something different to teach you.

It was the 4th of February, and I was seen sitting on a couch with 2 tubs of ice cream and tissues everywhere. I had a good cry after breaking up with my boyfriend. He was so not worth my tears but I'm a human, and it hurts. My eyes were puffy red and my mind was somewhere else. I had the remote in my hand and was changing the channel every 10 mins. All these channels were full of idiots who were either blabbering shits on the news around the world or it was playing some sappy songs that were teenage girl's favourite. I just finished my 5th tub of my favourite Choco cookie dough ice cream, don't even ask why I love them. I should probably head to the store to get some more. After a drama, a girl need her dessert- and lots of them. So there I was in my pj pants and a hello-kitty top and my rabbit slippers which squeaked with every step I took and a blank expression.

I walked down the aisles to find my ice cream and my eyes landed on a la' Creme caramel ice cream. I heard some girl talking about it on the tv. "Can you really trust what they say on the tv?" I shrugged. They do look delicious so I took 3 and made a beeline to the cashier. There was only one counter open. The cashier- a teenage boy with messy hair and an not-ironed uniform stood lazily. An old lady was paying for her stuffs, her head was big and yellow and it reminded me off a beehive. I chuckled and stood behind her patiently waiting for my turn.
The boy smiled at her and scanned her things.
"Are these good? I never tried them but they are always on sale." He attempted to make a conversation.
"Oh I don't know, I could make them at home for my two kids and my husband but I'm lazy" She replied.
"You're not lazy! You are a Mother." He began defensively "you work full time and run the house. Trust me I know what you do." She was startled and so was I. Just when we thought he was done talking, "I'm sixteen, my dad committed suicide when I was 11. My mum works here on the same salary as me and raised 2 boys." Despite his somewhat dirty appearance, this boy was wise. I almost forgot about my misery. He knew what he was on. He smiled again and handed the women her receipts. I turned away pretending not to look like i eavesdropped their conversation.
The women held back her sobs and said "thank you, it feels good to be appreciated!" As she pushed her trolley away and smiled. I was blank for a minute, realising his eyes on me. He attempted a conversation but I was too distracted. I left the store with dismal thoughts, it was evident that my mind was processing something heavy.
I reached home and even forgot why there were so many tissues lying around, until I realised that I was crying over stupid boys. "Now I have to clean his mess up." I cursed under my breath. My issues seemed nothing to what he went through at such a young age. My heart went out for him. The fact that he was still smiling despite his situation made me feel something. I couldn't apprehend, was it pity? Appreciativeness? Gratefulness? Maybe.
My thoughts/attitude have changed since that day. I was too selfish back then to be thinking that I was having the worst day when others were having even worst days. I learnt to be selfless and it was all thanks to that cashier.
I went out more to hear their story, their feelings. Some felt like a huge burden off their shoulder by telling me their story and some felt happy to share them. I felt happy to hear their views on life. I'm glad to be of some help even if the only physical thing I could do was to give a hug. I love my job. Sometimes all we need is for someone to listen to our pain. I gave my ears to listen, a tight hug to comfort them and encouragement words to soothe them as I write down what they say and hand in to my editor, to be published in the magazine for the next month issue.