Remedy

Basketball.

"People come and go, yo. Some to change our lives, but we are also the change man." he says while wiping the sweat on his forehead. His shoes squeak against the shiny floor as he bounces the basketball before a quick dribble with the force of gravity beat-beat-beating the ground. His arm flies into the air and moves faster than speed cars, leading the ball to finally land in the net. His feet springs like a kangaroo, and Whiploosh. 

"Yeah, people come and go, some to bless us, and others to teach a lesson," he replies as he snatches the basketball out of the hoop. He looks deeply in the eye of an determined eagle. Focus, focus, he thinks to himself. The ball spins in the air counter-clockwise, heading inside the hoop. Slow motion, quick again, 360, and there you go. Whiploosh. 

"How?" Before a quick answer, his opponent watches the ball come down, instantly grips it in his hands, and dribbles it once more before his next shot. Sweaty palms, salty lips, liquid dripping down the forehead. Furrowed eyebrows, pursed lips, and a rapid beating heart. He licks his lips and takes two steps near his opponent, and with a grimace he shakes his head. "I don't know if I can believe that. What lesson would she have to teach me by leaving?" 

"Come on, man. I lost my best friend, you know. It may seem like a dispute for sure, but when I look back, it touched me so deep, leaving a gap in my heart. You know, I was in love with her, never able to tell her how much she meant to me.. That hole in my heart, how did I fill it in? By thinking about what she would want me to do. Somehow when it heals, you become stronger..I mean, when it pertains to blessings on the other hand, some just come in and seek to nurture your hearts and care for your own needs.. Yeah man, when it's really genuine, it leaves a mark in your hearts forever anyways. " He allows his opponent to go for his next hoop. 

"Stronger? After a heartbreak? How? She didn't leave you on purpose! While Polly, just left me without a word." he shakes his head, grits his teeth, spits on the ground, clenches his fist, and throws the basketball straight to his mighty chest. 

"Awwwwww bro, man up. Come on..  You are not heartbroken. You are an explosion, a confetti that boomed with colors jumping in different directions. You were a bottle filled with so much crap inside that eventually it stored up for a while, and boom, everything came out all at once. Well, it came out good man. Remember that last game? We couldn't have done it without you...Pst. You have been blessed in disguise, and you are not the same anymore. Your perseverance is going to leave an impact in your life. Problem, man? Chin up, and prove me how broken you feel. Put it in the game, yo. Think it through, hurry up. We gotta win the next round." He pants while touching his knees, looks down in self-pity, and instantly stands back to his usual confident posture. He walks a few steps near him, hands him the ball, smiles, and says, "She's here man. She's in the game man. You gotta give it your best shot."

"Alright," he relaxes the tension of his muscles, wipes his forehead, looks up and mutters a few words, and grabs the ball. "ALRIGHT!" a tear streams down his eyes, dripping from his chin, softening his eyes. 

"ONE. TWO. THREE. ONE. TWO. THREE. PUT YOUR ALL IN IT. THAT'S RIGHT!"

Whiploosh. Whiploosh again. Dabble, dabble. Once, twice, three times. B-b-beat. B-b-bounce. 

In, out. Score. 

The whistles blow loudly, it's time.