Life Happened

Tom sat alone on his front porch, his face resting on his hands. His family had left him all by himself. Life isn't what it was for him again. Life has carved a whole lot of hardship and wrinkles on his face and skin. His eyes were weary like he had seen it all.

Years back Tom worked in a factory in his hometown. He earned big and life was good for him and his family until the factory closed, the jobs vanished. His wife couldn't bear the hardship, she picked up their kids and left him In search of a better life.

Now all Tom does is stare at old photographs, holding onto memories. He applied for new jobs at several factories, but his age was already against him. As the factories didn't need old men but young and agile men.

He cried on lonely nights and toiled on rainy days. He decided to go back to his first love, painting. One hot afternoon, he went to the flea market seeking to buy cheap paints and painting equipment. In his lonely apartment, he began to paint again, filling canvases with different colors and memories.

And on days he wasn't painting he sold them at the market for a few change just so he could survive and eat.