Once there was a cat living in the bushes beside a house in a busy street.
She has lived there ever since she was born.
She witnessed her mother got hit by a car and she felt the most painful feeling there is in the world.
She was left all alone and hungry after that.
Some cats would pass by and would just look at her.
In order to survive, she must rummage through the garbage and look for leftovers.
She did the same thing every day. She felt the same feelings all the time.
One rainy day, another cat passed by her shed and looked at her.
She stared back, blankly.
This time, the other cat walked towards her and she was surprised.
“Are you okay?” the other cat said. But she just stared at him.
“I’m going to stay here for a while, I don’t want to get wet.” Again, she did not respond.
And so, he stayed beside her. They were not talking to each other, but she felt comfortable. Like home.
He kept visiting her after that and she started talking a little bit more each day.
One thing he noticed was she never smiled.
“Do you ever smile?” he asked one day.
“I guess I did, but I forgot.” She answered.
He felt sad. He cannot make her smile. He felt that she was apathetic and difficult to handle.
The next day, she saw him passed the streets with another cat going into the bushes. They looked happy.
She did not know why but she felt sad at what she saw. And her eyes were brimming with tears.
“I tried hard to remember how to smile last night, I thought I figured it out.” she thought and then smiled sadly.
For all the broken souls out there, I know it takes time and it is never easy. People may have difficulty dealing with us and people might give up on you but remember to never give up on YOURSELF.