A strange thing happened when I shampooed.

As far as I know, the day began with me grumbling. I had to cancel my plans with my baby niece and head to work like a normal Monday on a lovely Saturday. But before that, I stopped at a parlour for a nice, inspiring hair massage.

I know creative ideas are spotted in bathrooms. Inspiration can also be derived from politicians, messages can be decoded in dreams, love can be found in tattoos, reflection can be sought in malaria, but forgiveness while you shampoo?

While Mr Black T-shirt muscled his fingers to wash my hair, I let it all go. There were too many people living in my head, rent-free. Today, I politely asked all of them to find another place of living. I thought, it wouldn’t be easy at first, considering most of them hadn’t paid their dues. And honestly, I was a little tired trying to remind myself of who did what and when and why and how could she and how dare he?

I usually hold on to a grudge till I exact my revenge. I’m not the one to say, ‘I forgive you, we’re friends again.’ I’m the one that says, ‘Serves you right.’ But today, I’m ready to be the forgiving, more mature, sensible, charitable or whatever ugly-ass word you call it, kind of person. Now, that doesn’t mean we’re friends again. That certainly doesn’t mean, we can jingle to old times. That just means, I’m done with your loud music in my head and I need to turn off the noise, so that I can listen to better stuff.

So, there. You’re free to be with those who value you. You’re free to be with those who love you and care about you. You need to realise, that I’m not the one to catch you when you jump off a bridge. I’ll be the one at your funeral, saying, ‘We were really close in school’, or ‘He really was a star footballer’. So, there, get out of my head and invade the minds and hearts of those who understand you, trust you and protect you.

Tomorrow, if you swallow a bitter pill, there won’t be a thousand trumpets blowing in my heart.
Tomorrow, if you call for help, there won’t be a special prayer to see you fail or watch you run into a golden unicorn.
Tomorrow, will be easy and ordinary for the both of us.

We’re not friends anymore, remember that. But I’m okay if you wish to have an icecream sometime.
And there I was - done with my excess baggage. And my shampoo.