83 Brighter

A new day.

A new beginning.

Mia woke up while stretching her body. She slept well, though she twisted and turned for most of the night, in the end her mind grew tired as she drifted into dreamland. It was a dream that she haven't had for a long time.

A memory from her past, her childhood.

These precious memories that she forgot due to the passage of time, but came like the rushing tide as it flooded her conscious. It cleared of the hazy memories she had in her childhood. It was the times she spends with William that she probably forgot because he had not been a part of her life for a long time. But now that he came back, it resulted as a trigger to let old memories come back to her mind like a movie, though she was watching from afar it felt close.

She smiled feeling refreshed from the dream. Her steps were light as she woke up early to prepare for a long day ahead of her. She went to the kitchen while greeting her mother with a warm smile, they ate together while talking about what happened with her date with William. Although Mia was shy at the beginning, her words stated to flow out naturally once she started sharing. Her mother was happy to see Mia's blossoming smile each time she relayed her experience.

Her mother might only look with warmth and love with her eyes but deep inside she was worried for Mia. It had been a long time since Mia talked with her about her feelings. There were times when she saw her own daughter looking sad, as a mother her heart hurt. She wanted to comfort her daughter and protect her from what was harming her, but she could not protect her forever. She would not be able to grow if she keeps on depending on her mother on everything, and at the same time, she needed to let go and let her go and resolve her problems on her own. She decided to support whatever might happen in the future but she would never intervene in her decisions in life.

Looking at a Mia with a bright and cheery smile while sharing made the burden in heart lighten as she interacted with her daughter. Time seemed to pass by in a blink of an eye, when they are having fun. Mia needed to head out for work and said goodbye to her mother.

Mia started heading for work.

She once again dressed in a plain light blue shirt, jeans and sneakers. She did not put on any make-up on her face like when she went out with William but her aura which was now oozing with confidence added a certain charm to plain looking clothes. Her posture which looked forward with her head held up high made people see her appearance clearly.

For a long time, she preferred to not look at the eyes of the people passing by, rather she avoided any contact while walking and kept her head low. But as she exuded with confidence in each step she took, people took notice.

A simple thing such as confidence and posture can change a person entirely. The way one carried them really makes a difference. Some people could not even recognize Mia even though she was wearing the same thing, people know who she was as she grew up in the town while wandering around the shopping districts. They were familiar with her and her family, but even though that was the case, there were some people who had to double take just to check if she was the same person they knew.

Most of the people in the shopping district looked at Mia with gazes with the care of an elderly looking at their grandchildren as they matured. The shopping district was now made up of new and old establishments, but overall most of it is the same, all the people living near the area and basically familiar with one another.

Mia was now In front of the store.

She did not hesitate to step inside the opened door and greet the Doctor with a smile on her face.

"Good Morning Doctor."

"Good Morning Mia. You look different." He said with a smile.

Mia was surprised at first but laughed in the end. She did not know if what the doctor meant by "different," but looking at the same warm smile as always, she knew it was not a bad thing. She continued to smile as she started the day full of energy and vigor.

The day seemed brighter than before.

She hoped every day would be the same as today.

Original novel by Chuchuwachuwa.