Eternity

Going home feels like an eternity. You are in no rush and no one tries to make you think otherwise either. So you walk down the street, amazed how a light grey sky can make the rest of the world so dark. You know that your trip is going to last half an hour at least. Half an hour is a long time. Enough time to think things through. You think trivial thoughts, like how much you have to study for the next day and afterwards how to procrastinate it for as long as possible. You make several small decisions that have been waiting for some time. You wish for rain. All these thoughts take up a different amount of time. But whether they are long or short, it doesn’t matter.

 You arrive at the bus stop and discover that the bus comes ten minutes later than you expected. More time to think. And then, your wishes are granted as the small raindrops start making their way down to the ground. You step out of the shelter and let the rain fall, taking in the scent and coolness it brings. You start thinking again, when one of your sappiest love songs starts playing. The rain has gathered strength and the raindrops aren’t small anymore, they have grown and fall at a slight angle because there is also a wind picking up. You let yourself get more drenched and start imagining all kinds of things in your head. The story you create is filled with clichés, but you don’t mind because this time, the main character is you. Lighting joins the rain and you still refuse to get out of the rain. You are the only one standing out there; everyone else is sheltered or searching for some place away from the rain. Chills are slowly running down your back and the Goosebumps start. And then, a minute before the bus arrives, a thought strikes you.

 What is your soul mate doing at the moment? Is he sitting somewhere indoors, grumbling about the rain? Or is he also somewhere out there, running with all his might while shouting with glee? You find this idea intriguing but the bus arrives so you momentarily accept the presence of reality. But once you are in the bus and seated, watching the rain, your thought continues.

 There is said to be a soul mate for others. Recalling a process of though from a book you read recently, you start pondering whether this person who you belong with is your complete opposite. After all, you are supposed to complete each other, so wouldn't it be logical if he was nothing like you? You can’t seem to be figuring out how that works and you are reminded that you can be very controversial. The next thought strikes you. 

He might be the same as you after all. Also filled with paradoxes, only of a different kind.  You sometimes long to be the cold and calculated person, sometimes you seek out the daydreamer in you, but in truth, you are neither of them. He might be the same, only that he might search for something different. Not exactly calculative and not a daydreamer either. Maybe he longs to be someone in between. Or both of you might be searching for the same things as you are. 

The bus ride ends and you make your way home, making sure to go through all the puddles because home is barely two minutes away and you want to take the last of this rain before returning to the usual everyday life. You get inside, make some small talk with your mother and change your clothes. Warmth slowly seeps into you but you still do not wish to study. So you sit behind the computer, recalling what you thought about. It seems interesting enough, so you start writing. 

You start writing how going home feels like an eternity.