Humble Beginnings

I moved away from home a few months ago.

It was a major thing for me.

You see, I had lived with my parents all my life. I never knew a day when my mom or dad wouldn't ask me where I was going, and when I was coming home. It didn't bother me......until, of course, I turned 18.

I had a loose curfew until 12.00am at the age of 20. I say "loose" because my parents told me to be home by 12. I never did come home on time, though. Usually, I would be several hours late. Several hours. Maybe a day or two. I lost count after midnight.

Don't get me wrong - my parents are fantastic. They are two of the most loving, caring and understanding people in my world. I love them to bits. But I needed to spread my wings. And it bothered me a little bit that they were keeping tabs on my whereabouts.

So at the ripe old age of 22 and after graduating from university, I secured a job several hours away from home. At the same time, I bought my first car. (I had been catching public transport for as long as I could remember - I used to drive my parents' car once in a while, but I had never owned a functioning motor vehicle before).

It really looked like everything was set for me to commence my new life.

So I said a teary goodbye to my old life, and embarked on the journey that is now my "independent" life.

I cherished the first few months of living alone - it was a simple decision not to have roommates/ flatmates/ apartment buddies living with me because I really didn't know how well I would react with strangers sharing my toiletries/ clothes/ food.

I felt totally free and "grown-up" - I washed the dishes whenever I wanted, I ate whatever I liked, and best of all, I could come home smelling of alcohol and cigarettes without getting the third degree. I had no curfew. Life was sweet.

However, after a few months, the exhiliration of being "independent" slowly started wearing out.

Shopping for food and household necessities became a tedious chore. Vacuuming, sweeping, washing the dishes, ironing. Replacing lightbulbs. Unblocking the toilet/ shower/ sink. Getting rid of spiders/ cockroaches/ ants.

And then there were the bills.

Despite having the luxury of complete monopoly over my toiletries/ clothes/ food, and having the privacy to sleep with pyjamas that had seen better days, my decision to live alone came with its own unique (?) price - I didn't have much money to spare. After paying the necessary bills every week (including rent), there wasn't much left over for me to enjoy my newfound freedom.

So even though I could (theoretically) go out every night with no curfew to think about, I couldn't afford to.

On top of that, I actually missed my parents keeping tabs on me. I missed my sister calling me weird names. I missed chatting to my mom and sister about girly stuff. I missed having a curfew (and then breaking it!).

I missed home.