Alone in a big city

 Alone in a big city

Last Saturday morning, I had arranged to meet friends at an elegant and tranquil café. The place was perfect with cozy interiors and a verdant patio at the fore. Arriving early, I picked a small table in a chill corner where I could observe the splendid cafeteria.

When one of my friends arrived, she was pleased with the store but wondered why it was so deserted. While its atmosphere and drinks were awesome, the coffee shop could not generate enough profit with this amount of customers.

We chatted about some miscellaneous topics while calling for the last friend. The phone rang but she didn't answer. Firstly we thought she was riding on the street. However, after two hours and ten missed calls, we started to worry about what was happening.

We contemplated visiting her house to make sure that she was okay. But none of us knew her current address. I had visited her previous boardinghouse but just forgot the address, and she had moved to a new location recently. We also failed to connect with her sister who is living abroad.

The topic switched to how isolated metropolitans are. Although we have the technology that shortens the distance, we are more separated now in the vast city.

I thought about me and all adults who are living alone in urban areas. If something were to happen to us in our room. How long would it take for someone to find out? Our neighbors know nothing more than the number on our closed doors. It could take weeks until the organic matter becomes putrid and notifies nearby residents by the fetid air.

The flow of negative thoughts was only interrupted when our friend finally responded to us in a tired whisper: she had overslept that morning.

010 - jaken - 09/11/2023