18 New Beginnings

Shirley felt someone shake her, trying to get her up from her slumber. She did not think much and just swatted the hand away. When the shaking persisted she woke up grumbling to who she thought was Aaron that next time he wakes her up like this she will put chilly pepper in his morning tea. The flight attendant who was waking her up was slightly amused by her reply. She was the same one who had met Shirley earlier at the bathroom door and offered her alcohol when she was having difficulty sleeping. When Shirley finally opened her eyes and have a good look at the person who just woke her up, she froze.

She was not at her home with Aaron.

She remembered that she was on a plane going away from the man she was trying her hardest to not love from now on. The words she just spoke kept ringing in her head. She was mortified at what she said. The attendant saw her froze and knew something might be wrong. So to ease the awkwardness she smiled and politely informed her that the plane has landed and she should get off. There was no need to rush and she could take her time.

Shirley tried to get up but her legs were numb from sitting in the same position for so long. She tapped her legs trying to get the feeling back in them. All the while she was distracted with her thoughts. When she was able to stand on her legs, she left. She was thankful for that flight attendant for not making things more difficult for her. Really, she was glad to meet her. She thanked God for these small reprieves. But her thoughts were still stuck on Aaron.

How could she still say his name, as nothing had happened?

Shirley was at loss. She was going through the motions, not paying much attention to her surroundings. After collecting her luggage she made her way through the crowd at her leisure. She was not in any hurry to look for a taxi or anything as the hotel which she was to stay in has already arranged for someone to come and pick her up. So there was no need. She stepped aside from the crowd and walked in less crowded space.

When she strode outside on the curb she was knocked down from behind and fell. This little stumble although it did not hurt something fierce, successfully it leads her mind to the present time. Nobody gave her a hand to help her up everyone was busy in their own world. She looked ahead and saw that the person who thumped her was not affected much. He was on the phone and kept marching to where ever he was heading.

On a normal day, she would have stopped him and berated him for his misconduct but today was not like that. She was not angry or irritated for that matter. She was already in a low mood, feeling numb from inside. So she just let it slide. It is like when you are already having a bad day and your boss dumps a load of paperwork at your desk. You were miserable and then someone added onto your misery. You are tired and don't have that fire inside you to fight back. So what do you do? You do nothing. You just go with the flow.

That's what she did.

She got up, dusted her dress off and again made her way out of the mass of people. She looked around for a placard with her name on it. She did not see any but a billboard caught her eye. The background was plain white and on it in bold black letters was written a message.

Let's put the past where it belongs, in the past and stop with the sufferings. Welcome the new beginnings.