Usually, on Thursday afternoons I have PE sessions - set against the backdrop of an indifferent school routine, are less an event and more a whisper of time, fleeting and insubstantial. Yet, one such day drift by with the nonchalance of a cloud, a respite in the midst of a relentless study marathon. The weather colluded, offering a brief interlude of gentle sunshine. It was as if the universe had paused, suspending the impending finals week in a tranquil tableau.
Stepping onto the playground, my usual sense of disquiet seemed to dissolve into the air. The tests, once a source of dread, now flowed with an ease borne from recent discipline and self-care. I was even wating without impatience. There, at the edge of the football pitch that me and a friend zooning out on the grass, the world seemed to hold its breath. The sunlight, possibly the last dance of warmth for the year, bathed everything in a surreal glow.