The first theft
After a week of my workplace shutting down, I decided to look for a job. I would leave my house every morning on my trustworthy cycle, spend time in cafes, libraries, and recruitment agencies. Basically trying to create a 9–5 routine. Every Friday, I would head out to the party district to capture the spirit of merriment in the city. Neon lights, markets, people in their festive element- imprisoning them in my camera, forever.
Soon enough, I landed a job. The pay was great, but the timings were dreadful. I was new to the schedule and struggling to cope up with it. Within two weeks, my boss lost patience and asked me to leave. I was devastated. Losing a job so quickly shattered my confidence. I had been carrying the weight of a broken relationship for a year now. That followed by the loss of another job, gutted me.
I peeled the layers of my situation and realized that I was stuck in my job and the relationship. I was working only for money, and my boyfriend had been reduced to a habit. I hadn’t noticed, but he stopped coming to my place for quite some time. These realizations exhausted and at the same time, freed me.
It was a Friday, and for a change, I decided to stay at home. I felt detached from all my worldly possessions and emotions. I sat on my bed, trying to understand this concoction of feelings and wondering if I will be able to find meaning in anything.
I heard the back door click, but I was too tired to even be afraid. I saw a man standing in my room and discreetly keeping my laptop in his bag. I watched him for a few minutes and told him to take whatever he wanted ( Secretly hoping he wouldn’t steal the camera). He was taken aback by my request and hurriedly kept whatever he could.
I was consumed by grief and at the same time, in a Zen state of mind. Before he left, I blurted out, “ please.. also take my fear of not finding love, three favorite anxieties that I face every day, and the residual sadness.” Perplexed at this abstract emotional dump, he muttered something and ran away.
“It might seem weird to you doctor, but since that night, I have got a new lease on life. I am slowly settling into a new schedule. My new job as an assistant photographer is bringing me immense satisfaction. I moved to a shared house and have made friends. That was the first my first experience at getting robbed, and I am thankful that the thief took everything I asked him to.”
What happened to the thief ? Read his story, here.
