Black and White!!

It was Christmas. The lights were there signaling that the festive seasons were nearby. The smiling faces of the people were telling that the fun season is going to start now.

There were no dull faces around; the employees were happy that the workload is finally off for now and they can enjoy a bit. The small children were happy that their wishes will be fulfilled with the gifts they will get.

The barren land covered with white pearls of snow and the mischievous snowman built all over had made it fancy; the adults as well as the innocent children were happy with the tantrums. There was Joe staring by the window, the happiness shared between others and the tears rolling down his eyes.

The lights all over the city were brightening the joy as well as inviting the happiness but the darkness shadowed his house and life. Christmas could never actually become “Christmas” for him.

It was a black day for him; he had lost his father on this very day of Christmas a year back. His father left him and bid him goodbye with an early departure from this world. He could never forget that day as it sucked all his happiness and made him a captive in the world of despair and losses.

The life took a U turn that day in Joe's life where he couldn’t believe anything and could just watch it with his hearts out and let go of the tears from his eyes. He tried to remain strong but he couldn’t as the power of emotions can’t be compared with the gathered strength in the bodies.

The smile that he saw on other people’s faces was the exact thing that was lacking in his life. His mother was working really very hard to support their family of two.  Joe’s education and the house all depends upon the little savings that she could offer in that age.

Joe ignored the world and devoted his mind to the sadness hidden deep inside, but Shyla was always there to interfere to divert his mind. Shyla was his classmate who always used to bring Joe to the real world, out of his thoughts.  She was always there distracting him to make him smile at least. There were his other friends too, on this mission but Shyla was the only one who would sacrifice herself to him to a much higher extent.

The sunset then welcomed the darkness with Joe still staring outside, keenly observing the smiles of others. The city was covered with lights but his home was still dark. Shyla was there downstairs heading towards his home as fast as she could.

She entered like the lights that would drag him out of the hell hole where he was friends with loneliness. She switched on the lights; Joe’s mother had to work somewhere else for the Christmas as her usual job had a break and she couldn’t afford wasting her time doing nothing.

Joe wanted to work and help his mother, support the family but his mother wanted him to concentrate on his studies and didn’t want him working. He was tall with fair complexion and physically fit but mentally devastated from inside at the age of nineteen.

His lost eyes could only be directed by the voice and irritation of Shyla. The atmosphere would leave a different air when they were together. Shyla was fair with an average body filled with all the accessories that would attract men and most importantly, she had a heart which is too rare in the present era.

Shyla sacrificed the Christmas celebration at her home to be with Joe, she also had brought a gift for him but his mind was somewhere else as he hated this day a lot. He used to love it and celebrated it with his father with all the expected gifts and their house twinkling like the brightest star in the sky.

Joe could never let the pain go away, he could never feel the love shown by Shyla as he was concentrating on his sadden feelings only.  The Christmas was the reason for smiles for many people and Shyla was trying her best to help Joe revive his happiness back.

Shyla finally forced Joe to open the gift, she brought for him. It was a locket, silver in color with a heart shaped with his initials scribbled on it. It was too special for him as only his father used to gift him on Christmas.

Shyla actually wanted to let him know that he must not get busy with himself thinking about the things he could never change but live in reality and let go of the feelings and be happy for the one who cared for him and loved him.

“This- This, I never received gifts from anyone else but my father on Christmas.” Joe pour out his feelings in tears.

“I know I just tried to find a place in your life but no matter how hard I try, you just are busy with yourself and don’t notice anything.” Shyla said with her heads down as she couldn’t look in his eyes.

Joe was still in tears, he finally had realized it that he was too lost regretting things that he could never change as he knew we were all bounded in the rules of life and we can’t mourn for the loss forever.

It just didn’t take all those years to let go of those feelings but a person to change his mind by sacrificing her life to that extent for him. His mother could try to comfort him all the time but she had to concentrate on her work too to support the family so it had to be Shyla to bring the change in his life.

Joe could only smile with all those tears and go to the balcony and look up to his father and shout, “Hey big old man, you alright there? I just couldn’t let you go for all these time but you just couldn’t haunt me forever as I know you want me to shower in happiness. Dad, I am your son and just pat me on my back from there when I’ll make you proud someday. Just wait for it.”

He took out a pack of cigarette from his pocket and started lighting one, and inhaling the smoke still looking up at the sky, “…and sorry about this, Dad!”

Shyla was still standing there behind him watching him go crazy and feeling too glad that her hardwork for all these months gifted her something; it just took a moment to change him completely and push away the sadness after all and she would never be able to forget that moment.

Joe looked back at her, she was actually happy for him; he couldn’t resist anymore and could only walk towards with his arms wide open to hug her tightly and rest his head on her shoulder and cry out like a lunatic.

It did take a lot of time but finally he could let go of the pains he was forcing himself into and he was a changed man now in a matter of seconds. Shyla had already expressed her feelings and Joe did with an unexpected kiss on her lips. She had to react instantly, and of course she would co-operate.

The kiss lasted for some minutes and they finally returned back to the reality. The house was still dark on Christmas and they wanted to drift away the darkness like their hearts were shining with happiness then.

The lights were stored in the basement unused after the last year’s tragedy; Joe finally took them out and started working on re-designing the house before his mother returned from the work.

It took them an hour and a half to finally utilize the lights to make the house to finally brighten and make it look like it was actually Christmas. The death anniversary finally took away his tears and his father gifted him his life back finally on Christmas.

Joe’s mother finally returned from her work and was surprised to see the lights in her house as she never expected her son to actually be happy on Christmas. She returned with foods for dinner and her tears of joy showed that how much she was happy to see her son smiling after a long time.

She thanked Shyla and hugged her. They were about to have dinner but Shyla’s parents scolding call intervened their plan and she had to take an early leave as it was Christmas and family must be together on Christmas.

Joe decided to walk her home and walked with her till the end of the street until they reach to the last turn which would lead her to her home.

“I don’t have enough words to thank you, I am sorry that I was too devastated from inside and I couldn’t realize a beautiful pearl that I already had in my life, I am never going to let you go out of my life now. Now my happiness starts from you and I want to be happy forever.” Joe said it holding her hands finally bidding her goodbye for the time being with a kiss.

Shyla couldn’t hide her shy face and left him with a shy smile on her face and joined her family finally to celebrate Christmas after her father’s scolding for getting lost on this auspicious occasion.

Joe finally returned back to his house all happy and good and hugging his mother that she was trying her best for the family to live and had become his father and mother for him. The smiles on the face of his family were the perfect gift for him up there and his soul was grateful to Shyla too.

Christmas can actually become black and white for people but regretting it all the time and ignoring the colors of this day is not the only option, you just gotta let it go one day and actually live with happiness at least for the people that actually care for you in your life.
The sky is vast and blue like the moments that we need to snatch is too large in quantity but the selected ones are captured by our life that we cherish and preserve it as memories when it’s gone. The sad demise also became a moment and has turned into memories by now.

Joe was never a loner then as the flowers of love was planted in his garden of heart and he was showering waters of love, care and happiness to keep it all alive.

Sometimes you just need love to change a person’s life from black and white to something colorful, someone to paint the life with colors.