Chin up, shoulders relaxed HA NA PATR IC IA RA J E . H AU T E A
The gears were jerked into motion the instant I retired my aching body into the welcoming embrace of my mattress. The delight that followed was reminiscent of watching fireworks— invigorating, albeit short-lived. And as the wisps of firecrackers faded away, so followed the blissful ignorance. The matter of fact became clear once more: it was 10:42 AM, and this frustrated writer had a noon-time deadline. Distraught at the complete lack of creative juices, I had to sigh. As the clock by my bedside drawer continuously mocked me with its steady ticking, I chose to be the better person and overlook the said bullying, focusing my attention instead on my two mouthy roommates. Alright, I told myself, Maybe this’ll do me some good. So I tuned in to the uninteresting jabber chatter of my sisters with the looming threat of 12 NN at the back of my head. I don’t know what Fate was playing at, but the more I listened, the more I felt my back sink into the pillows. I could breathe a little easier as I laughed along with them, played along with their odd shenanigans, and tossed around so many inside jokes it was like we were cooking up a salad. Now, this may sound all nice and dandy, but let’s be reminded of the fact that I had a deadline in T-minus 1 hour. With zero ideas on how to go about it. But interestingly enough, after this seemingly mundane moment, the thought of my impending doom didn’t bother me as much anymore. T’was almost as if the storm clouds hovering 6
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