When Life Brought 'A' My Way

I think Life has a wicked sense of humour. Every single time someone challenges it, she stands tall, shoulders squared, and says, "Are you sure you want to do this?" Now, the smart ones, they back down. But then there are some others, who are stubborn as rocks and say, "Nope, sorry, not happening." No points for guessing which category I belong to.

So then, Life, being the butt-kicking vixen that she is, sets out to make sure you pay for your ill-planned words. Let's call this particular concept we are about the speak of, 'A'. Now, I had imagined I would never succumb to A. Mind you, A can happen to anyone, and sometimes, if you're lucky (or unlucky) enough, more than once. So after the last round of A that ended in 2015, I had decided - no more A for me. Of course, Life heard me and challenged me; she warned me to take my words back, but I did not.

Six months passed. I was having a grand time, laughing, singing, dancing, hanging out with friends and generally being a merry nuisance. Of A, there wasn't a sign. There were shadows since end of last year, but so faint, I managed to convince myself I had been mistaken. Then, from early 2016, the signs became more persistent. I was still intent on ignoring them, and managed to pull through for a while until, in February, it became impossible to ignore these signs. It seemed like A had struck once again.

Now, I was furious - with myself, for coming across A again, and with Life, for throwing it in my path. But then again, I had challenged her. So the battle began. We fought hard, Life and I. There were almost times when I thought I was winning, that she was backing away, taking A with her. This left me a with a strange sense of relief and sadness, both inextricably intertwined. And then, suddenly, without warning, she would launch another attack. This happened a few times, until finally, one clear victor emerged.

Yes, Life had won. I had to succumb. And I'm deliriously happy that I did. But in the back of my mind, I can't wait for A to cause trouble again, and then I will have only Life to blame. All over again.