"I can't wait for today to end."

"The pain that you've been feeling is just the dark before the morning."

She awakened to a new dawn.

The sky was dark, the morning still young. Not too far away, the birds were singing a new song. The trees danced with the wind as it howls from the East. She heard the frying of pancakes and soon its wondrous smell invaded her nose buds. Her aunty neighbour was yelling words in another dialect, probably hurrying the grandson of hers to get ready for school.

I should be getting ready too, she thought. With a swift motion, she kicked her blanket aside and got out of bed. Her alarm, still ringing, was silent with a simple swipe of her thumb. Let’s face it; the conventional alarm clocks were being neglected. Still in a daze, she made her way across her room–or at least tried to–because she soon tripped over her laptop charger’s cable. Grumbling at her stupidity, she got up clumsily and hit a button to off her air-condition.

Thankfully, she made it to the bathroom in one piece. The sound of water gushing out of the tap was heard as she began to wash her face. With every splash of water, she felt herself feeling more alive. As she wiped her face dry, her morning drowsiness vanished and she recognized the face in the mirror.

She remembered about the Physics paper she had to sit for, the assignments she had to complete and the tuition classes she had to attend for the day. Her lips formed a frown as she sighed and said, “I can’t wait for today to end.”

* * *

He knew he was late.

The sky split, streaks of yellow and orange were beginning to show. The moon took comfort in the light as it signaled the end of its shift. The people around him seemed to have noticed the change in time as well. They were working in groups, packing and gathering all of their goods–corn, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes and yams– in baskets. These produce were then loaded up behind bicycles and were ridden to the nearby town.

He quickened his steps and broke into a run. As he approached a familiar face, he flashed a smile. He received a wan grin in return and was ordered to hop on a bicycle. Nodding in response, he headed for the nearest bike. It was old and rusty but still working. He got up and fastened the basket of potatoes he received behind him. It must have weighed at least ten kilograms, but his shoulders were used to the burden, even though he was only a young fifteen-year-old.

Soon, he was paddling in a steady momentum, heading for town. From the corner of his eyes, he could see other young village cyclists balancing their bicycle with their respective loads. His mind wondered back to the time he signed up for this job.

It happened three years ago, when he was twelve. His father lost his job at the city, leaving him and his other four younger siblings hungry. Being the eldest, he felt responsible. So, he took up this job. He was required to transport goods from the village to town. The more trips he made, the more cash he will receive at the end of the day.

However, saying goodbye to school was the hardest part. Education intrigued him. He loved solving Mathematic questions and enjoyed the satisfaction whenever he saw a red tick next to his answer. Now, his days were filled with exhausting labour work.

As he approached town, the streets were packed with people whom were going about their usual regime. His eyes met a group of teenagers attired in uniform. They were laughing at something that amused them as they headed for school. Before his mind could recall his old schooling days, he shook his head violently. He shut the doors to his past. By doing so, he was flushing his dreams away with reality.

He knew he was in no position to babble or had room for self-pity. His family needed him and he was willing to go the extra mile to aid their survival. As he brought his eyes back to the road, he paddled harder with the desire to complete his first trip of the morning because his heart and mind were determined to make more trips.

The whole time, his mind carried a single thought, I can’t wait for today to end. He was excited to get his hands on the day’s pay. With that sum of money, he planned to drop by the bakery to fetch his baby sister’s favourite bun.

* * *

Two stories. Two lives. Two different perspectives of "I can't wait for today to end." 

1 day. 24 hours. 1,440 minutes. 86,400 seconds.

Treasure them.