The beauty in Nostalgia
By : Kalifa Jordan
“Phone, wallet, passport, keys” I murmured consecutively on my way out. The cab driver peeped over his window at me, probably becoming impatient, this had been my third time sprinting back inside for something I had forgotten. Yes, I know you should always pack days in advance before your trip, unfortunately, I am one of those disorganized grown folk who waits until the last moment to magically conquer their tasks. I slid myself into the back seat with my handbag pressed on my legs. We finally arrived at JFK and the taxi driver assisted me with my luggage through the door. Thankfully, I boarded without any complications; overweight luggage penalties was the least of my concern as I was definitely not overpacking for four days. We were finally up in the air and my motion sickness began to rush in some moments after. My least favorite thing about traveling for long hours. I waved at the bubbly fly attendant who had been bouncing around back and forth attending to passengers. “She must’ve loved her job,” I thought to myself each time I saw her pass by.
“Yes, what can I get you?” she asked with her quirky smile.
I kindly requested a cherry seltzer water, this always does the trick for me. Two hours after, we finally landed and I pierced my way through the crowd to grab my luggage. I had hoped I would not have to be at the waiting area for an eternity but I immediately spotted my father’s bald head as he waved at me in excitement.
“Ok let’s get the mooching over with”, I whispered under my breath as my parents smashed themselves against my body. I couldn’t tell who missed my absence more because I almost couldn’t breathe under their hugs.
“We just need to make one quick stop honey, I need to deliver these centerpieces to Jocelyn” my mom informed me. My mom was a designer, one of the best in town actually. As we approached my hometown I couldn’t resist the farm and bakery smell which were major components of my childhood. I let down the window to allow my hair to flow freely, and as I tilted my head out of the window I reminisced at this simplicity of life that I had missed. Now I had been conditioned to live’s hassle and bustle in the big city of New York. We finally arrived at Jocelyn’s home and a sudden upset feeling hit my gut; you know that feeling which creeps up before an exam. I didn’t think I’d be bothered about stopping at Jocelyn’s house until now. “I hope mom makes this quick” I murmured as I laid my body across the back seat to disguise myself. Not much had changed here; Jocelyn’s broken fence, her wooden rocking chair which seemed to be functioning fine after so many years, and her beautiful garden which Jason and I always played in. As I lay there scrolling through my phone to kill time, I heard my mom calling out to me as she made her way back to the car, “Come say hi to Jocelyn!”
As I rose up to decline, Jocelyn spotted me, I definitely did not have a choice now especially considering the history we had shared. She was like a second mom to me and treated me like her own daughter whenever my mom occasionally dropped me off. Jocelyn ran towards me grinning “we’ve missed you!”
“What was it with everybody today and their aggressive hugs” I gasped as Jocelyn kissed my cheeks with flour decorated across her face. “She must’ve been baking,” I thought to myself. I loved eating at Jocelyn as a child, she was like those grandmothers whose aspiration was to get you fat.
“Jason is also in town this weekend, let me call him for you,” she yelled running back inside. At this point, my anxiety was through the roof and all I wanted to do was leave, this had started to feel like a setup. Jason looked puzzled as he approached the front porch alongside his mother who was holding unto his dear hands like a toddler. When he realized it was me who standing outside he immediately separated his hands from his mom.
“Nelly?” he called out to me in disbelief.
“Hi Jason” I responded trying to avoid blushing.
He gently held unto my hands rubbing his fingers against mine. Did this guy forget we were standing in our parent's presence or did he not care about giving me butterflies?
“It’s so good to see you!” he remarked stroking his shiny hair. I struck a smile at him as I found it difficult to form a sensible sentence.
“You should come over for dinner tomorrow!” Jocelyn interrupted.
“Uhh I’m not sure I can at this moment, I’m not here for a long period” I replied stuttering.
“Oh, nonsense dear, you’re parents' house is just a couple steps away from ours” Jocelyn insisted.
“Yes, I’d love to have you with us” Jason continued in a flirty manner.
“Ok, fine, thank you” I kindly give in.
Jason and I hugged as my parents prepared to leave but this was not an ordinary hug. I could feel every beat from his heart as we pressed our bodies against each other, his cologne smelled expensive, and I tried my best not to sniff too loudly. We eventually let our bodies drift apart slowly, it was almost like history replaying right before my eyes. For the remaining of the car drive I was deep down memory lane; reminiscing about the great memories I’ve shared with my childhood crush.