Dating : Sonder

A narrative

Sonder (noun): The profound feeling of realizing that everyone, including strangers passed in the street, has a life as complex as one’s own, which they are constantly living despite one’s personal lack of awareness of it.

A woman’s freshly manicured hands smooths over the pale velour of the divan in her closet. She sat on it with her legs stretched out, and her eyes fluttered at the rows of high heel shoes of varying heights that were neatly displayed on the wall of shelves. After a moment, she picks a delicate pair that she’d worn only twice.

The click of her heels on the hardwood floors echoed throughout the open space as she made her way to the kitchen to make her usual espresso and a decorative breakfast of yogurt and fruit. She brought her food outside to the balcony, sat herself under the shade, and gazed at the scenery that came with high elevations.

Clusters of skyscrapers and tiny moving cars from a distance came to view. She notices a large cloud of gray smoke in the air from a distance, which she quickly brushes off when she received a text message: “Can we meet for dinner? At your favorite place?”

She ate most of her breakfast with the utmost nonchalance, then went back inside to fix herself up once more. She applies a thick coat of lipstick, and double checks to make sure her makeup matches her neck since she switched to a low-cut top.

The woman picks up a platinum white-gold necklace that held a single diamond pendant. She gets a flashback of a couple weekends ago. Her parents had showed up at her doorstep unexpectedly and cooked her a lavish dinner — complete with Screaming Eagle cabernet from 1999. They had missed her extravagant birthday party just days before. If that wasn’t enough, they had also brought her a belated birthday present. When she opened it, she had never seen a piece of jewelry so gorgeous and opulent.

But not even the shine of the most grandiose jewelry could make her cease wondering when they’d visit her again.

The woman checks her watch and realizes that it’s time to go. She quickly secures the necklace around her neck, grabs her leather quilted handbag, and rushes out; the click of her heels echoing once more. Just like every weekday morning, the woman got into her coupe and went about her usual commute.

En route, the woman whizzes by a young man waiting at a crosswalk.

The young man on the sidewalk fiddled around with the drawstring of his faded hoodie. He occasionally glanced up at the sky to see how big the dark gray cloud of smoke was getting. He wasn’t sure where it was coming from.

When the pedestrian light changed color, he clutched a grocery bag and jogged to the other side. His newborn baby was all out of formula, and he had to quickly get some and get back before anybody else woke up.

He looked forward in a calm manner as a black and white colored vehicle drove past him. Shortly, he made it back and jogged up the concrete stairs. His hand smoothed over the worn down, paint chipped railings. He quietly entered through the shoddy doorframe.

Once inside, he places the container of formula on the cluttered counter and goes to check on the baby, who was still sound asleep. He carefully steps over all the toys and clothes that were spewed on the worn-down beige carpet and adjusted the curtains to make sure no bright morning light had the potential of waking the newborn up.

He tiptoed to the opposite side of the room, where his girlfriend since high school was also asleep. A half empty bottle of cough medicine and clumps of used tissues took up the side table. The young man gazed at her admiringly before gently putting a blanket over her. He then makes his way to the kitchen to look for something to eat.

His eyes quickly scanned the shelves of the refrigerator. He only found condiments, almost empty jugs of juice and milk, and left-overs from days ago. He glanced at the calendar next to the refrigerator. It was two days until Friday.

He downed the rest of the juice, then took the milk and a box of cereal, which was also almost empty. He takes a paper bowl and plastic spoon and pours everything out. He notices that the dishes were piled up, and he makes a mental note to ask her to clean it all up when he leaves for work later. If she couldn’t, he’d do it when he got off.

He positions himself comfortably on the sofa, which had sunken down seats from years of use. He turns on the small TV and switches it to the morning news. He made sure the volume was low. Right after his fourth spoonful of cereal, a familiar cry echoed throughout the small space. The sick mother groaned his name to check on the baby.

As he got up, the news program began to feature a tragic accident, which highlighted two siblings.

Pictured on TV was a girl and boy hugging each other. They’ve just witnessed something quite traumatic. Their father had just died from a fire in their neighborhood and they were terrified of the reality if their mother didn’t make it.

The family had migrated from their war torn homeland many years ago, leaving virtually everything they had behind. They were already familiar with destruction, but their new life offered another chance.

The siblings watched as various news people assessed the incident as they held their microphones and stood in front of cameras. They spoke of a huge neighborhood fire that had taken place in the early morning, and the origin of it was still unknown.

The duo was brought to the hospital where they waited for hours. The siblings were given pastries and juice, but they had no appetite. Only the assurance that their mother will be okay would ease their anxiety.

The girl smoothed her hand over her other arm and gazed at a bruise from when her mother had grabbed her days before in an effort to discipline her. That day, she got bullied at school and she made the mistake of carrying her attitude back home. A single tear fell and splotched her shirt. The echoes of her father’s gasps for air wouldn’t leave her head. Why didn’t she grab his inhaler? Why didn’t help arrive on time? she wondered.

Right next to her, her brother stared blankly out into space. The shock rendered him speechless. His arms were crossed and his hands smoothed over his lean muscles. He gazed at his thin legs.

He remembered that back at the homeland, everyone was fairly skinny from the lack of resources. Sometimes, he’d come across ads and pictures of male models with strong, attractive bodies. He’d stare at his own physique for hours and wonder what he’d look like if he had put on a little more weight. Even now, with access to more food in a new country, he still had trouble gaining weight.

Finally, a nurse came to get the siblings. When the boy and girl stood up, they gripped each other’s hands tightly and exchanged reassuring glances.