To Ease the Passing of Time

Like many of us, the old man was always busy talking to himself.

Not in a loud voice, but in his head, silently.

It was as if he was talking to a reflection of himself inside of him.

And it was as if there was a little voice talking back to him in his head, silently.

Together they made plans for the future and they reflected on the past.

Together they tried to find a meaning for their existence and the fact that they were stuck together inside that body, on this tiny little planet lost in a multitude of stars and other planets that are too many to even count.

The old man discussed about serious matters with the little voice inside of him, but he also made jokes that made his little voice laugh.

But sometimes it was the other way around; it's the little voice that made the old man laugh.

They commented about everything that happened to the old man and to the people close to him.

But they also discussed about everything that happened in the world ever since the old man was born and even long before that, about everything good and bad that happened in the history of the world, about philosophy, science, war, psychology, sex, money, politics, sports and religion.

And it had been like that as long as the old man and his little voice could remember.

After so many years spent together, the old man and the little voice inside of him came to know each other very well.

They knew exactly what the other was thinking and what each of them was going to say.

The old man could not fool the voice inside him about his true character and motivation.

He could not make himself look better in his own eyes the way he used to when he was younger and they hardly knew each other.

At times, the little voice could be pretty sarcastic saying things like, "What the hell do you want me to tell you now, that you are such a great guy, good-hearted and talented, that people should like you more and life should give you more?"

One day, after a particularly hurtful remark, the old man got fed up with his little voice and told him to hit the road and not to come back no more, no more, no more.

After only a few days, the old man felt lonely inside and regretted what he had said.

He called his little voice back and said, “Please come back! For the better or the worse, we’re in this together…to the end.”

The little voice came back right away because it also felt terribly lonely.

They walked in silence for a while.

But not long after they started talking again about everything and nothing…like before.