Hope Springs Eternal

Kira didn’t have a room; she had a partition. A thin layer of cardboard separated her from her roommates. She lived in a cramped space that was only four square metres in size. The apartment was divided into six such box-like ‘rooms.’ A clothes rack and a worn-out mattress was all the furniture she had. The air inside was always heavy with the smell of damp clothes. There was no window in the depressing cubicle home. ‘I probably looked like a street urchin to you, huh?’ She had not washed her hair that week. Shampoo and hot water were luxuries she could ill afford. Austyn stared at her, unable to get a word out. How could she talk about such a harrowing past in such a breezy voice? How could she even be in the mood to crack a joke? Where did her cheerful spirits come from? Austyn realised that he had never truly understood his wife. Her capacity for hope astounded him. Frankly, he wasn’t sure if he could do any better if he were in her shoes. Kira didn’t just deserve his love; she dese