Retired is Re-attired
Retired and raring to go!
Alone? Yes. Wife no more and two daughters settled abroad.
Desolate? No. I'm rather excited. I yearn to learn guitar, sing, travel, cycle around and write all the fantastic ideas brimming out of my brilliant mind.
Forbidden from joining social media due to services’ protocols, I’m free now to join the virtual world. Hola people! Here I come!
I post my first thoughts with a photograph.
No, it doesn’t stir a storm. No likes. Not even by my daughters.
Ah! There’s one grammatical mistake.
My idea is absurd.
No, it’s fabulous! Let people notice.
A day after. Zilch!
Two days. Nada!
Okay! How silly! No followers.
I madly follow whoever I like and send friend requests to anyone whose face shows an iota of acquaintance.
159 Friends, 26 Likes, and 14 welcome messages.
Jubilant? Yes! This’s just the beginning.
I post my travelogues, anecdotes, photos, cooking thrills, and karaoke singing.
I’m not lonely anymore. People miss me if I’m not online. They’re all friends.
Six months later,
339 Friends, 57 likes, and thirteen comments. Insta and X are even worse. Very few followed me.
Disappointed? Yes, I want to grow, reach out and find admirers who seek inspiration through my posts.
I make my accounts public. There’s a tsunami of friend requests. I accept indiscriminately.
1038 Friends, 446 Likes, and 20 comments. A DM from a beautiful young lady, Maya.
“I love your writings. Your encounter with a ghost in Himachal was hilarious,” She writes.
“Thank you,” I reply and immediately check her profile. It’s interesting.
Next post.
“Wow! You’re a handsome hunk with brains. Loved your two cents on keeping fit,” She comments.
I bloat in pride and post my karaoke video.
“I’m floored with your soulful singing. Would love to listen to you forever,” Maya posts a heart emoji.
I post zealously and look forward to Maya’s flirtatious comments.
Adulations galore with promises to meet someday.
I smile and wonder if I'm ready for a relationship.
I loved my wife. Miss her! It’s been eight years. Busy routines and raising daughters never gave me a dull moment to ponder upon a companion. Nevertheless, I yearn for heart-to-heart conversations or a tight hug sometimes.
I post a reel cycling around the winding road. Floyd sings in the background, “I found love on a lonely highway…”
I laugh and reply to teasing comments.
Yet, here I am, lonely, holding a glass of scotch and a smartphone to keep me company.
Yeah! Social media is a lonely highway. Everyone is driving their point to seek validation. I’m also driving to find love in a virtual world.
I wonder, “Who’s she? Is she a honeytrap? Why go for an old man like me?”
Hell no! I’m retired, not old and gullible.
Caution words of daughters and friends hover over my mind.
No, I can’t take the risk.
I block Maya.
I re-attire and join well-known writing groups and activity clubs.
Get real! Meet people. Embrace new innings!