The Only Person Who Stopped Interviewing Me #291

I used to hate seeing or hearing my phone ring. Not because I was occupied with work. It was actually the opposite then. There used to be a period when work was not coming. Every day always starts with a good plan but nothing to show for it at the end of the day. I would send a series of applications, check my spam, and refresh my emails countless times and always assure myself that tomorrow will be a better day. But tomorrow kept on being the same with disappointment.

The most difficult part then was not the lack of money. But it was all this series of conversations. And all those calls felt like I was being interviewed. “Have you gotten anything yet?” “What is the update for now?” “What are the plans you are working towards?” Yeah, those were it.

And to be honest, they all cared because no one was trying to be cruel now that I understand better. But after every single call of asking me the same question in different forms all over, I had no choice than to stop avoiding some calls. I even had to save up an auto response in my head because I know someone will eventually ask me when we physically see each other or at a family function.

But one evening, I paid a visit to one of our close family friends from way back. I already had a detailed explanation in my head. But instead, he just asked me if I could help him bring down a pack of water he just went to the store to buy from his car. And that's how my visit started.

For the next few hours I spent there. We were talking about life. Bantering about each other's football club. And then my club, Arsenal, hadn't won an EPL cup then, school memories, and how the big goat we had been planning to kill for Christmas some time ago just went missing with no traces. We made a lot of jokes and laughed more than I can recall laughing in months.

And when I left his space to return to mine. Taking my night shower, I noticed something strange. No one had told me to defend my existence. And that realization hit harder than I ever expected.

The support this man gave me then was not money; it was not a long minute talk. He gave me something that I didn't even know I was starving for. And that is a place where I was not even being measured.

Taking a flashback now, I believe that it is not only financial problems that a lot of struggling people are only carrying. Some are overwhelmed with this thing I call exhaustion and concerns of constantly trying to overexplain and prove that they still deserve patience.

And I will say that back then, the only person who helped me most during my hardest time was this family friend who was the only person that let me rest from that burden. Even though it was just for a few hours one afternoon evening.

Thank you for reading.

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