14/08/2026
I went to an optical shop today, hoping to find the cheapest frame for my lenses because, as you know, I can’t use my phone or even read a book properly without my glasses.
First, I checked every frame, looking for something that would suit my face. Then I found one I really liked. But when the shop owner told me the price, I suddenly felt disheartened because I couldn’t afford it.
“Why is it so expensive?” I asked. “You don’t even have to make new lenses for me. You only need to transfer my lenses to the new frame.”
The old man replied in a gentle, slow voice, “Because this is Dior, and it really is expensive.”
“Mine was Chanel. Is Dior more expensive than Chanel?”
“Yes, dear.”
“Okay, then I’ll come back. I can’t afford that right now.”
He looked at me and asked, “How much is your budget?”
I smiled awkwardly. “Right now, I have nothing in my wallet. I only have ____ on my card.”
“Okay,” he said. “I will give you this one.”
He handed me the frame in the picture.
I put it on. It was okay. It kind of looked like Lacoste but of course, it wasn’t Lacoste. But honestly, what mattered most was that I could finally see clearly again.
He then told me to sit down for a while and wait.
While I was waiting, he gave me a bottle of water and a candy.
“Thank you,” I said.
I drank the water and quietly put the candy inside my purse.
While the guy was working on my lenses, the old man continued talking to me. He said something I couldn’t understand.
“What? I’m sorry, I don’t understand.”
This time, he spoke slowly and clearly.
“Why your face look very, very sad? Is everything okay?”
Ah...
I smiled.
But my eyes didn’t.
“I’m fine,” I said.
“Any problem?”
I paused.
“Life always has room for problems… and I’m stuck.”
I don’t think he completely understood what I meant. I knew his English was limited.
“Is your family okay?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
“Everything good?”
“Yeah.”
And right then and there, I wanted to cry.
I was touched.
A complete stranger-someone I didn’t know, and who knew nothing about me-noticed the sadness in my eyes.
A stranger asked me if I was okay.
A stranger smiled at me.
Sometimes, we don’t realize how much we need someone to simply ask, “Are you okay?” until someone actually does.
After I got my glasses, I simply said thank you and went on my way.
Then I saw a bus stop and decided to sit down for a while. I watched the cars and people going back and forth.
And while I’m writing this, I’m still here.
Just sitting quietly.
Alone.
And lonely.
A couple came and sat beside me. The girl tried to talk to me, but I didn’t respond.
Because I knew that if I opened my mouth, my tears would probably fall.
There are so many things going on inside my head.
Sometimes, I just get tired.
Sometimes, I don’t want to explain anything anymore.
Sometimes, I just want to shut down for a while and disappear from everything.
But as I sit here watching all these people coming and going right before my eyes, I can’t help but think...
Everyone has a story.
Everyone is carrying something.
Everyone has a chapter that nobody else knows about.
And in every story, there is a problem. There is pain. There is tragedy. There are moments when we feel like we have reached the end.
But somewhere between the beginning and the ending, there is always a turning point.
A solution.
A climax.
And perhaps that is where we are given a choice.
The problem may already be written into our story.
But how we face it, how we respond to it, and how we choose to move forward-that is what shapes the ending.
It could be a happy ending.
It could be a sad one.
As for my own story...
I still don’t know where it is going.
I don’t know what the next chapter will bring.
I don’t know how my story will end.
Maybe that is the hardest part of life...not knowing.
For now, I can only keep turning the pages.
One day at a time.
One problem at a time.
One breath at a time.
And maybe, just maybe, somewhere in the pages I haven’t read yet, there is a beautiful ending waiting for me.
It’s just a matter of time...
