Shinu turned on the TV and like every day sipped her Tea like it was a routine for her to repeat the same activity every day.Things these days aren't easy.She had been trying hard to keep herself engaged but it was hard.She was living away from her family for the first time in all these years.It took her just two months to realize that moving out is not a cakewalk as she has been watching in most of the series,she missed being scolded by her mom if she slept till late in the morning,she missed her discussions with her dad on politics and sports,she missed teasing her younger brother,she missed her small little room which she had decorated with all the lovely stuffs she had collected over the years,she missed her balcony which gave her the beautiful view of sunset,she missed her mom's delicious dishes,she missed being home,she missed being the carefree young girl.
Initially she used to forget to switch off the geyser,to defrost her little refrigerator that she had bought but time teaches you everything and she was learning gradually to manage office and home simultaneously.She was living all alone in her flat now and she missed talking to someone,her new flatmate was supposed to come a couple of weeks back but due to the pandemic she couldn't and neither could Shinu go back home.All these days she had practised calligraphy,tried her hands on painting,followed some online Zumba classes but she realized that one can only enjoy and be at peace when the mind is calm but for her she was constantly worried about her family there,she had seen situation worsening there daily and the news Disturbed her and she couldn't figure out how to not be worried about her loved ones.
Her mom used to call her and the same brother with whom she had fought over chocolates to TV remotes now has become her constant companion.She sometimes felt very guilty for all those times when she had fought with her parents, misunderstood them in those teenage days when she used to feel her friends understood her better than family.But she now wonders she was really stupid,where were those friends now? Do they call her up every now and then, tolerate her tantrums,shower unconditional love or walk that extra mile to make her happy.
She scrolled through her feed and looking at some of her friends who posted pictures with their families hastaging #QuarantineDays she felt jealous.She wanted to hug them tightly even when they had been tested positive and were kept in strict surveillance away from everyone.
She wanted to rest in her mother's lap and hug her father and say sorry for all the times she had let them down or have hurt them,but all she could do now was to wait for the storm to pass and she waited for the Brightest Sunshine to bask in with them.
She remembered her father's saying-"Every incident teaches us something",she realized that a pandemic taught her the value of family and Love above all.