Inescapable Sadness

“There is this inescapable sadness that I go through every now and then.” She sighed audibly and continued. “At first, I used to know what it really was. I could tell the reason or use a label to name the incident I’m going through. In time, it got worse. It did not get better. And now, all I know is the pain is spread throughout my body.” She took a pause, not for an effect though. She recalled a quote she heard or read somewhere. “That’s the thing about pain: it pursues us until we are engulfed in a wall of misery and sadness.” She pondered on the quote internally. She remembered how much she did not relate to the quote back then. And now, she was amazed thinking how much she can rearrange the quote.

“Perhaps, you are wondering, is there an inescapable sadness?” She inquired her company wondering if he is actually listening to her whilst questioning herself why she is talking about this at all. He remained quiet trying to concentrate on her words. As much as he loves this friendship, he was almost always sure he did not get her. He was always amazed by her choice of words, though. He was sure she would go on if he kept quiet and considered the question as rhetoric. “Is there a sadness which can be completely replaced with true happiness and joy?” He was right, she started talking after a while. “Well, I genuinely believe there is none. My sadness hunts me down every now and then. Yes, I’m a pessimist. But isn’t that a reality?” She gave herself a mental note to stop talking. These were things to be thought, not said. She refrained from saying anything more. Then, she gave him a dashing smile. And with that, he was sure she was not going to say more.

He debated with himself whether he want to say something about what she told him. “From the looks of it, you’re a bird trapped in a cage.” He uttered a sentence and went on again. “You may fly around it, but you can never escape and get to fly in the open air.” She gave him a reassuring nod with much more enthusiasm she wanted to show. He felt better and continued. “You know, I do not have the key for the cage. I never considered sadness the same way you portrayed it. But, the bird got to fly even when caged. Till you get to fly out in the air, do not stop flying around. Otherwise, when the day finally comes to be free you might forget how to fly. And, that is not just worth it.” He stopped suddenly to give her a chance to ponder on the thought a little. Maybe he is feeling a little proud for making her wonder. 

She took what he said to her head, and her heart despite the irreparable damages she had made to both. And, she kept the words till the day she got to fly out in the air.