"The secret of life is to fall seven times and to get up eight times." — Paulo Coelho
Hey everyone. This is my entry to the prompt 22 of the creative non fiction initiative. I have decided to write about my friend who was deeply in love but eventually failed.
I and my friend Saqib were classmate in university of Sindh. He had always been a romantic at heart kind of person, and when he fell in love with a woman named Aisha, he knew that he had found his soulmate. It was just one of those feelings.
For a while, everything was perfect. They were madly in love and could not get enough of each other. They se to talk for hours on phone. But as time went on, they began to realize that they wanted different things in life. Aisha was focused on her career and had little time for anything else, while Saqib wanted to settle down and start a family. He had a well settled hotel of his father. Considering that Pakistan has a patriarchal society, it was deeply engraved in his mind that Aisha does not need to work.
Despite their differences, they continued to try and make their relationship work. But eventually, it became clear that they were just not meant to be together. It had become toxic for both of them. They broke up, and Saqib was devastated. He truly was. I saw him going down which was painful for his family and for me.
For months, he wallowed in his sadness and despair. He could not imagine ever being happy again without Aisha by his side because he had imagined growing older with her. He was in total despair. He was unable to figure out what to do next. This critical juncture in his life was indeed a sign of failure. On the other hand, Aisha also faced similar situation because of the closeness and the bond they both had shared. However, she soon gathered herself and worked on her career
Slowly, he began to pick himself up and move forward with his life. He threw himself into his work, focusing on renovating the hotel of his father and achieving his goals by growing the business net. He also reconnected with old friends and family members, finding joy and comfort in their company. I was in constant contact with him through out his days of failure.
As time passed, Saqib began to realize that he had learned a lot from his failed relationship with Aisha. He had grown as a person, becoming stronger and more independent. He had also gained a deeper understanding of what he wanted and needed in a partner.
Eventually, Saqib met a woman named Nida, our junior from other department of the University. She was kind, caring, and shared many of his interests and values. They fell in love and began building a life together, filled with happiness and fulfillment.
Looking back on his failed relationship with Aisha, Saqib realized that it had been a necessary stepping stone on his journey to finding true love and happiness. While it had been painful and difficult at the time, it had ultimately led him to where he was meant to be.
Failure had taught him to be a better person. It is in human nature to feel low when failure hits. The good thing about failure is that it teaches a lot. It also lets us know about who stays by our side when we go through a rough phase of failure in our life. I myself have learnt a lot from my friend Saqib watching him go down because of a failed love and then his rise in a prosperous life.
Ps. the picture is mine taken with my redmi note 10
