No Pill for Loneliness
It was one hot summer day in 1998. I remember the year clearly because it was one year after mother left me for Paris. She was pursuing her career abroad and was only returning briefly to visit me and my grandparents for one week. I moved back to our own home to stay with her. During the day, she would ask me about my new school, do laundry and cook, just like old times; I would answer with simple sentences like “it’s OK” or “I’ve made friends” and help her with the chores. When she went out for grocery shopping, however, I would insist that I stay at home and read. As much as I enjoyed reuniting with my mother, I somehow thought reading alone was what I preferred to do. I would randomly grab a book from the bookshelf and sit at the edge of the bed to devour it.
This time, a green covered book on the top shelf caught my eye. There it was, the Greek Mythology, a ginormous book for an eleven years old with the illustration of Zeus holding the lightning bolt on its cover. I had heard
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I felt less clingy, less irritated and much more self-reliant. Reading kept me busy so I didn’t have time to indulge in self-pity. More importantly, I could interact with the characters from great books and absorb strength, wit and courage from the best authors of all time. There was also an unexpected twist in my reading journey. By bringing my book collection to school and exchange with my new classmates, I established long lasting friendship with those who shared the same passion for reading. While I still needed to rush home after school, we now spent a lot of time between classes discussing book plots and characters. One of my new best friends, a witty girl with Bob haircut and cat-eye glasses, introduced me to Homer and the Greek Mythology which sparkled great interest in me and I had always wanted to read its entirety ever