That I Swore I’d Never Become
We all understand it, eventually. By and by, life has a way of making you walk a mile in the very shoes you once tried to throw away. Back then, I was a fortress. A one-man island. Mr. Independent. I remember the day clearly. I was convinced my guardians were trying to monitor me; track my every move, invade my sacred freedom. So I shouted. I let them have it. “I am always safe,” I declared, my voice dripping with the arrogance of youth. “Why should anyone worry about me? About where I go?” She, my guardian, didn't argue. She didn't match my fire with fire. She just looked at me with a patience I mistook for weakness and said, quietly, “Well... you will soon understand.” I laughed at her then. I thought she was being dramatic. Fast forward years. The universe has a cruel sense of humor. Now, I am the host. And she - a young adult, barely older than my reckless, independent self from back then; is the one under my roof. Every minute of my day i...