In life, you need to find yourself first before you can find happiness and contentment. That was what his teacher said to the entire class. Yet, there he was, scribbling, doodling and drawing on a piece of paper. But, he was listening- listened well- even though he doesn’t show his face to Mrs. Bridgett, maybe you can call it multi-tasking. No one paid attention, except for Max. The class got bored of the discussion and chose to play with their phones or look out the window until the lecture’s over. What would you expect from seniors? They know they’re graduating. It is the time when they can procrastinate, lie low, relax, and wait for days to become weeks, then weeks turn to months. Graduation will be on their feet in no time, painting a picture of flying corks and drunk teenagers.
But, it’s different for Max. He still wants to learn more, believing that each and every day will give him something new. He still thinks he can fill his cup of learning after the rain of knowledge has poured its final droplets. Max also put in mind that even if the cup won’t be full, he can look at the bright sky and search for the rainbow.
Mrs. Bridgett noticed the class’ inattentiveness through her black glasses. She decided to end the class because she was tired, and hungry, and all. She already dreamt about sweets and street foods and how a bigtime combo meal would satisfy a woman as plump as she. So, she hit the desk in front of her with the center of her palm, making a loud thump that echoed across the room. The sound of human scream and cellphones falling filled every corner of the classroom.
The big woman gave a sly grin, there was a brief silence, and then, she said “You’re bored, I’m starving, so I’ll just give you all an assignment.” Nobody disagreed, so she continued “Write your reflection about your high school life or maybe life as it is. Deadline’s on Monday. Let’s call this a day, then.”
The bell rang. The final bell of the week. Max went out of the campus and stayed by the gate. He was waiting for Taylor, his best friend, to come out of the school so they can grab a bite or hang out. Max suddenly felt a vibration in his left thigh and heard a repetitive ringing tone. It was a call. He reached for his left pocket and raised his phone, but, the screen was white with the light of the sun. Max cupped his right hand over the cell and saw ‘Taylor’ on the screen. He put the phone over his ear and said “Hey.”
“Hey, man. Coach says I need to practice, you know, shoot some hoops.”
“Oh, okay.” Max pondered for a while then continued “Just come over my place tomorrow instead.”
“Okay, man. See ya.” Max ended the call. He thought of a place to visit, a cool and peaceful place to go to. He scratched his long curly hair and he ended up thinking about the park that was just 5 blocks away. So, Max went there.
He strolled on the red-tiled pavements of the park and passed by the occasional couple by the bench. Max looked at the mowed grass at the side of the crimson cement, he even saw tiny mushrooms and thought about fairies and the existence of magic itself. The sun was setting. Yellow and violet strands ran across the sky. Birds were flying over to the west. Trees started to cast shadows, filling every corner with streaks of black.
Now, Max’ spindly legs were aching from the long walk, so he looked for a spot to lie down. As he continued walking, he saw a kid sitting on the bench, slouched, head to the ground, the features of his face obscured by the absence of light. Max didn’t notice that the kid was playing with something—a Rubik’s Cube. The kid was undisturbed, still twisting and turning the multi-colored plaything. With an expert flick of the wrist and rapid push of the fingers, he matched the colors second by second.
The teenager was amazed, the kid was just about ten years old. Intrigued by the knowledge of the youngster in pattern and logic, he asked the child on how he did it. There was a brief silence, then the kid spoke “I first pick one color to work on, after I matched one color, everything will be easier until the finish.”
That line had strucked Max hard, like a left hook to the chin. It was pure inspiration out of nowhere. It was close to what Mrs. Bridgett said earlier in class. The teenager’s fatigue was replenished by the recollection of his assignment and his enthusiasm to write what he learned. He rummaged his bag, got hold of the assignment and started writing. He wrote
“Life is like a Rubik’s Cube. At first, it seems messy, chaotic and unorderly. But, as you go further and find people who can be with you, and stay by your side, everything will be easier. Taking the journey of life will not be as hard as the beginning. At some point, you will be scrambled again, taken away from each other, but all that will be temporary. You will soon be together at the end, even stronger than before.”
Max closed his journal and looked at his right. The kid’s gone but the cube is still there. He picked it up, gazed at the cube for a brief moment and then laid it down. He stood up, looked at the vanishing sun and basked at the picturesque view of the sky that turned to a purplish scarlet painting. Max brushed off the sweat in his forehead, and tidied up his curly hair. He smiled as he went on his way, even as everything went dark. 591Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeCH7AbL8es
