IT'S A PANDAN LIFE ...!

Muse: The last time I ******, I left the States and came back to Malaysia. Now, where shall I run to? I'll leave for Indonesia, then! *Amused tone, probably joking* Me: *Thinking: 1. If he got a penny for every time he said he wanted to leave (he uses many variations of the word e.g. run, migrate), he'd be a millionaire now. 2. My heart stops every time he says he wants to leave - the ruthless manner in which the word is uttered sent icy-cold jolts to my heartstrings. 3. I don't think he is aware that the word is associated with loss. When someone leaves, either by death or by choice, it is a  great loss to the people who care about him/her.   4. I'll probably lose my cool the next time he utters the word (or its variations).*                      

Muse: ... Please do not assume my life is like a walk in the park ... Me: *Taken aback, thinking: Why is he talking to me like I am a stranger? Like I do not know him at all? When have I ever assumed any thing about his life? All this while, what he told me is what I know. My life is not a walk in the park either. Even if it is, it is a bloody lonely walk in the park!* Moral of the story: What we say can sometimes affect people for days and days.