The Storm And A Resilient Sailor

Photo by Daffa Rayhan Zein:

It was a wet and cold morning, on the horizon, dark clouds still gathered, casting a gloomy shade over my heart. It was a storm unlike any other. How was I going to make it to work that morning in such weather?

Somehow the air around was a whirlwind of uncertainty and anxiety. It felt like the heavens itself knew what was about to happen, and decided to let down the rain to wash off my impending life's storm. And I could feel it approaching from the depths of my spirit.

It all started with a modest text, a short message delivered to my phone that unassuming morning. The words on it had a weight to them that dug painfully deep into my bones.

"Sorry Marriott, but we can't afford to pay you anymore so we're laying you off," it said, attached to the text was a receipt for that month's salary. I felt as though the cords that held me together and kept me safe were broken. I clutched tightly to my phone with quivering hands. A bolt of lightning pierced my consciousness, illuminating the road ahead of me, I looked dark with numerous uncertainties.

How would I support myself?. The looming weight of my school exams contributed to the pressure that built itself within me. My heart sank when I realized I haven't paid my fees. This storm had arrived unexpectedly and unwelcomely.

Somehow I really didn't blame them for sacking me. The company already was struggling, struggling to meet up even with funds for fuel to power up for each working day. I had always dreaded that a time like that would come but I never knew I would be part of those washed off by the storm.

Days become weeks, and I felt imprisoned in the eye of an already raging storm.

Luckily one day, a friend came to my aid during my worst hour. He introduced me to his uncle, who provided me with a lifeline in the form of a new job chance after I had narrated my ordeal to him. Gradually hope sparked within me as I began this new sunrise, clinging to the hope that the storms might finally be making way for the sun to shine.

I immersed myself in my new job with each passing day, grateful for the opportunity to recover steadiness and working hard praying for the pay day. I saved every penny and every tip I could in order to conquer this obstacle.

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I was able to save enough money to cover a portion of my school fees though not all and that was just days before the exams began. Relief poured over me like cold water as I realized I would be able to write my exams, and to continue my academic pursuit. In the middle of the raging tempest that had tried to overtake my life, it was a modest win for me. Thanks to my friend who I had confided in.

The exam day arrived, and I sat down with my school mates. Staring at the test papers in front of me, I remembered the storms I had passed through. It reminded me of the storms I'd weathered, the doubts I'd overcome, and the sacrifices I'd made.

Luckily for me, I was able to scale through the exams with flying colours. It wastan easy one considering I had to work on days I had planned on reading.

Now I Know that life will definitely bring its storms, but also I now know that even in the darkest of times, there will always be a ray of sunshine. The goal is to embrace that hope and seek out the opportunities hiding amid the chaos. For it is at times of the storms that that sailors are known.

This is a creative nonfiction prompt on The Ink Well.