That quiet condo

Liza sat at her small kitchen table, dinner set for one. Steam from her soup and mashed potatoes billowed up in silence. The honking of cars, and the wail of sirens was the only thing to be heard. Then a chattery group of girls passed her condo's front door. The moon glistened high and proud, peeking through the curtains of Liza's condo. She sighed.

She wasn't very connected to her family and friends. Her adopted parents had helped her throughout life, taking care of her and eventually, helping her afford a condo in the famously expensive New York. But other than that, they never really communicated. When it came to friends, she only really had one friend, Acacia. Acacia was a bright and shining sun while Liza was that small speck of a star. Of course, Acacia had many other friends beside Liza. She remember how she met Acacia, at a local coffee shop near Liza's condo and Acacia was behind her. Acacia was super friendly and waved, "Hi, I'm Acacia!"

"Liza." Liza smiled back hesitantly. Once Liza got her coffee, she sat down at a one person table.

Then there came Acacia, pulling an extra chair, "Can I sit with you?"

Liza looked surprised but she nodded, "So...do you live around here?" Liza asked.

"I actually live in Rhode Island. I'm just here for one of my friends' wedding." Acacia smiled and sipped her coffee.

"Oh."

"You know, I love your short blond hair Liza! It's really chic!" Acacia beamed.

"Oh?" Liza fluffed her hair proudly, "Well I think your red curls are gorgeous." Liza replied. That was the first time Liza really opened up. They talked for an hour, then exchanged phone numbers and bid each other goodbye.

After that, Acacia was barely heard of again. Soon enough, Liza was forgotten. Sometimes Liza wondered why Acacia, that outgoing, bright and shining sun, lived in the smallest state there was in the US. Why Liza lived in a big city. Sometimes, Liza started to think, she was probably better off living at Rhode Island. Acacia could come and live in this big city, New York, fitting in perfectly. Liza remembered those chattery girls who passed her door, Acacia would probably be with them. If she were here. Liza started spooning soup into her mouth. Then she stopped and just gulped it down.

Her eyes were drawn to the empty, dome-shaped cage on the floor. Her ex-boyfriend Tom, gave her a green cheeked parakeet* after it misbehaved. Two weeks later, he broke up with her because of some business opportunity in South America (out of the continent). Having Tom's parakeet was a painful memory of him, but she loved the chirpy parakeet, no matter who his previous owner was. Everyday she took care of Tom's parakeet, she was planning what to say if Tom came to her door and asked for him back. A snarky comeback or a silent giveback? Her eyes focused back onto the cage. Now Tom's parakeet was dead. She brought her hands to her face and warm tears slid down her cheeks. Tom was gone. Tom's parakeet was dead. She was forgotten. Her throat felt pinched like if she was about to burst into tears. Was she like this because of that loser of a boyfriend? His bird? And popular Acacia? No...she was just alone. She started crying as she continued to her mashed potatoes. How could she solve her loneliness? Was there anyone out there who truly understood her? Anyone who would be her true friend, her companion? Would she ever get married? Have a best friend to be her bridesmaid? Her adopted father walk her down the aisle, if he even cared?

She scraped the rest of her mashed potatoes into a trash bag and walked to her backyard to throw it out. Harsh wind blew against her wet cheeks, making them feel cold. She tossed the trash bag in the bin, then wiped her cheeks. She was about to go inside when she noticed that many stars were visible tonight. She looked into the night sky. The sky was filled with countless stars, faint from the city light. She remembered, she was like that small speck of a star. Then she realised, those small specks of stars were surrounded by other specks of stars. Not bright and shining suns'. Acacia was like a sun...a unique one and only.

Could it be that... Liza was like many other people? Were those other stars like her? Lonely? Liza smiled hopefully, gazing into the stars. Maybe she would find a true friend, a companion. Soon. Soon.

Author's note

This story is dedicated to my friend Liza L, she moved almost a year ago and I lost contact with her. Now I've come to realise how lonely it got without her. Liza looked like the way I described this story character but unlike this story character, Liza was similar to Acacia: funny, kind, and she had many friends and was quite the opposite of this story character. It also seemed like she had a normal life/family. Even so, her name gave me inspiration.

The main character, Liza is one of those introverted characters/people who usually keep to themselves. If you were paying attention, you would find out that she also is/was a adopted child.

The story character has trouble making friends because of her mild social awkwardness. Sometimes it just takes time for people to open up to one another. I'm sure there are people like her out there so she can finally have a companion.

Breakups, deaths, and being a adopted person are very hard to handle alone. You can see why it was hard for her since she wasn't very connected with her adopted family and had few friends.

If you ever meet someone like this, reach out to them, be kind.

If you think you are a bit similar to this main character, get some support. You don't have to be alone. That 'I'm lonely' vibe shouldn't last long if you do those steps.

Loneliness is extremely depressing. During COVID-19 right now, loneliness is SUPER common, believe me, so you're not alone.

Tips to staying connected: Social media, social distancing hangouts (outdoors), online video calling, and so on!

So please, hang in there! :)

*Interested about Tom's bird? Story coming soon!