All Men Are Not The Same

A Candle In The Dark

As the last rays of the sun vanished and the sky grew darker, leaving a barely noticeable horizon, mother and son, the two new best friends, left the garden - their only place of comfort, and hurried down the alley. It was getting darker and colder with each passing minute - a typical mid-August night in Mauritius, a small tropical island to the east of Africa, well known to some people and completely unknown to others.

All along the way, the little man kept thinking how his new best friend lit up the darkest days of his life. What would I do without you? He thought. Losing his old best friend was followed by days of intense pain. But then, he was blessed with a new bestie. The best he could ever have - his mother, his most reliable support, his new best friend.

His mother has always been there but he never thought of her as a best friend until that night where they opened up their hearts. Sitting in their poorly-lit living room, remembering the moments spent with the past best friend, tears welling up in their eyes, the mother asked, "And what if you found another best friend?"

"Do you really feel there is someone who can replace her mum? Someone who can remove this feeling of emptiness from my chest?" He asked, placing his palm over his chest, lowering his gaze, while fighting against the tears that were ready to roll over his plump cheeks with the smallest blink.

"What if there is someone, just like her, but somewhat older or perhaps just older?" She paused and cleared her throat, "you don't mind wrinkles, do you?" She laughed amidst her tears, trying to cheer him up but in vain.

"Mum, there is only one person who looks like her, who reminds me of her, and that's..."

"Me," she sobbed. "Can I be your new best friend?" She added, wiping off the drops of tears that started to fall with the tip of her fingers. The next thing she did was to wrap her crying son into a tender hug, knowing that all they had in this world was each other. Being each other's best friend would probably help to cope with the griefs that life kept throwing at them.

Since then, all they have been doing was trying to fill the void in each other's life. His mother started sharing with him the moments he had been sharing with his past best friend. For that reason, on that day, they went for a long evening walk with each other.

Each time he would be on the verge of breaking down, his mother's reassuring smile would lift him up. Each time he would cry, his mother would chase off the tears - be it by using the weirdest of means. Just like his past best friend.

"You are like a candle in the dark, mum. You bring me light." He used to say, but half of his thoughts were again not translated into words. But a candle does not last forever. The more light it gives, the quicker it melts away. The quicker it disappears.

These thoughts haunted him. He was afraid that he would lose his mother too. He always felt insecure because, at his tender age, he had already lost much in life.

Who would guess that these were the thoughts of a six-year old kid who could barely write his own name? 

Maddox Howard.