Striped Blue Shirt
22/11/2017 2:03pm
It always happens unexpectedly. I woke up this morning and decided I won't sulk. My thoughts ranging from "don't be delusional, happiness is a state of mind" to "what about the rest of the day?"; nevertheless, I awoke with a smile on my face, as the bright screen of my phone lit up. I sulked when I realized I had to bathe, I sulked as I brushed my teeth and I sulked when I was helping Maa dry the laundry. But, that is precisely when I began to smile from ear to ear. I noticed that familiar white shirt with light blue stripes, with the semi-faded marks that my peers had made on that fateful winter afternoon in 2012, better reminisced as ‘Scribble Day’. It was a punch right in the gut when I realized I was sitting across from a shirt that was mocking me, silently repeating and chanting "you've grown up", "you're old"; "Nah-uh!", I thought out loud and unfolded the crumpled mess that my old school shirt was. I took a second to admire the fact that it still managed to look brand new, except for the marks that it had been holding on to since the past 5 years.
The crisp collar got my attention first because only one person left his mark there and I called him up immediately. I came across some 20 inspirational, yet funny messages and decided on writing this post as I read each one out to this endearing friend of mine. We laughed at the irony that Maa washed away someone's pink ink and that I am still trying to figure out who wrote that to me.
Of all the beautiful scribbles, one nameless message that remains etched in a black marker is, I believe, from a beautiful lady I intend to meet very soon. We got back in touch almost a week ago and I’m even more ecstatic to meet her now!
Ah, the power of a fabric softener filled memory.
