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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: GOING HOME (from vacation) (09/03/15)
I'm sitting in this railway station, got a ticket for my destination. Of course, it was entirely my choice. I could be nursing an over-priced coffee in the departure lounge at the airport, pretending that the middle-aged couple with the bad sunburn belong to someone else. I could be rolling my eyes as my father steals one kiss after another from Mum. They're still crazy after all these years, no matter how how embarrassed they make me. Not that my kid brother would notice. He'll be on his Nintendo, slurping some sugar-laced soda that will probably rot his teeth before he's thirty.

It seems to take ages before this sorry excuse for a locomotive builds up enough steam to start moving. I can't believe that I left my mp3 player behind. I've got my phone and my passport and enough Euros for the journey. But all my music is on the mp3, so there's nothing to do but listen to the sound of silence as the interminable countryside rolls by. One sheep. Two sheep. A cow. Wow!

My boyfriend hasn't been in touch and it's freaking me out. His name is Alvin but everyone calls him Al because of the chipmunks. We've been going out for six months and that's, like, forever. I used to text him every day while lying on the beach. But then yesterday morning I get this weird message. It's full of the usual hugs and kisses but the name isn't mine. Whoever is Cecilia, I text back. Maybe he's out of credit, but I haven't heard a peep from him since.

I am bored beyond tears. I thought our family holiday was tedious, but this is far worse. I can't believe I made such a fuss about spending an afternoon at the zoo. Or how irritated I got with Dad and his rolls of 35mm film. When I want a photo of something, I tap my phone and it's done. But my father is so old, he pontificates on the superior colour palettes available from using Kodachrome. I only ever followed one word in three, but right now I'm kind of missing his familiar, impassioned tones and his warm, reassuring embrace.

It's bizarre how most people act as if you're not even there. No eye contact. No hello. Not even a shy apology when they let rip a noisy one. Of course, not everyone's so unfriendly. A couple of stops ago, this old lady came and sat beside me. She introduced herself as Mrs Robinson and explained that she was en route to visit her grandchildren. Within ten minutes of starting our conversation, you would have thought that we were old friends. Only, now that's she's gone, I'm empty and aching and I don't know why.

It's late in the evening when my phone beeps with a text from Mum. “Darling Lorraine,” she writes, even though I've asked her a million times to call me Lori. “We're home safe. Flight was fine. Would you like us to meet your train?” I hesitate before replying. It was my idea to travel back independently, to show that I don't need to hang on to her apron strings. You're a rock, I tell myself, you're an island. But I don't feel it. A big part of me wishes I could just walk through that carriage door and step into our front room. If I could, I surely would, but the world doesn't quite work that way, does it?

I see them from a distance but allow the crowd to flow past. Mum is staring frantically, conjuring up every calamity conceivable. My brother is demonstrating his latest karate move while Dad stands at arm's length like some Neanderthal boxer. Then I'm swallowed up in a mother and child reunion and I'm quite sure that my ribs are about to crack. And just like that, all the adrenalin leaks away and I'm dappled and drowsy and ready to sleep. But, hey, life is groovy!



______________________________

Author's note: with a nod and an acknowledgement to Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel.

P.S. I have hidden references to 17 S&G songs in this story. Can you spot them all?
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This article has been read 601 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Noel Mitaxa 
09/10/15
You've had a lot of fun with this one, and thanks for sharing the singalong with us. I think I picked up twelve or thirteen G&F references (unless I'm under some kind of allusion.) Very clever and creative.
Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom 
09/18/15
I love your sense of humor. You had me giggling throughout. I do have Homeward Bound stuck in my head right now though. I did catch quite a few, but don't think I caught 17, but to be fair, I don't think I know 17 S&G songs! Well, I probably know the songs, just not who sang them. My only red ink was the mp3 player sounded slightly dated to me. Ipod or even listening on her phone seems more likely to me, but that could be the difference in the countries too. Otherwise, I think you nailed the ramblings of a teen girl. I enjoyed it thoroughly. Congratulations on ranking 14th overall! Happy Dance!