“Extra!! Extra!! Read all about it!! Royal Circus is in town today!” cried the newspaper-boy from across the street.
He closed the drapes of his curtain from his hotel room. He went across the room and opened the fridge for a sip of his favourite whiskey. He took the bottle and sat on the edge of his bed. He slowly re-winded his life backwards.
Backwards, to the time when he had the most beautiful girl as his wife and a job that he loved. Life was so perfect back then. He loved what he did and did what he loved. He was his own master. He went back into the time when he could live life the way he wanted to, laugh to his heart’s content and do whatever came to his mind.
Then one day, he learnt about his wife’s sickness. He loved her more than anything in the world and would give anything and everything just to have her back. That’s just what he did. He gave up his entire life savings in pursuit of his beloved’s well-being. But nothing he did could revive her from fate’s clutches. Everything went downhill from that point. Subsequently he lost his job. He had to mortgage his house and property in need of money. Finally being unable to repay his debtors, he took up a job he hated. He had to do it to stay alive.
He was so depressed that he taken up drinking and smoking as an escape route. The only time he was sober was when he was working, that too just because he’d lose his job and end up in jail if he showed up drunk. He loathed himself so much that at times, he felt like killing himself.
