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| Credits - Pixabay |
Coming back from the picnic having spent the whole day at the beach, one would imagine that most people are physically exhausted. The hot Sun, the waves' constant pull and push and the change of routine definitely create a feeling of what we call farniente in French, loosely translated as the sweetness of doing nothing. The body slows down with the memory of the waves and their undulations. The next sweet stop is usually an afternoon or early evening nap.
It happened to me. One day when I came back from the beach where I had spent the day baking in the hot Sun with my sister and her friends, I returned home with a huge headache. We reached back at around 5.30pm and my sister and I were alone at home. I quickly took a shower and instead of running downstairs to my friends, I lay down on the cool floor in our living room to calm my head. I don't remember when my sister left the house, but I got up and shut the door behind her. Our apartment was always empty in the evenings as all of us would step out of the house. My parents always left around 5pm to run errands and socialise and they never returned before 8.30pm at the earliest. I remember having switched on the TV and closed my eyes. Soon, I was far away, back at the beach, walking on the sand, looking at my feet as I walked, seeing the sand squeeze through my toes with each step. I could see the Sun far ahead in the horizon. I could feel the fresh breeze on my skin. The heat of the Sun seemed less and I walked towards the water. Soon, I was walking in knee deep water, the waves coming to touch me and then run away from me. Ah, I was good, I was happy, it was near bliss..I turned around and looked at the coastline because I heard someone far far away call out. What they were saying, I wasn't sure, but it seemed to get louder the more I concentrated on the voice. Yes, yes, it was a voice calling my name, but wait it was not calling, it was getting urgent and loud and it was urging me to listen...I listened so much that I suddenly opened my eyes.
But, I was on the floor in the living room of my home and I looked with confusion at the TV screen. I was still alone at home, but that urgent voice was still calling, pleading, no it was nearly threatening me....but it was behind me and I just couldn't understand how it was behind me as there was only our closed balcony behind me. As I turned my head, my groggy brain recognised that it was my brother screaming at me from the balcony...But, how was that possible? We lived on the 3rd floor. I looked out into the darkness and I could see my brother standing on the parapet on the other side of the balcony wall looking straight at me. He was holding on for dear life. I said, "What!!! How!!! Why??? Why are you there?!" and he screamed back "Go and open the front door, Amma (Mummy) wants to come in. She has to use the restroom". I turned my head to the front door and of course the latch was in the slot. I had unconsciously latched the door when I closed it. I ran to the door, nearly crying and highly in shock, having been dragged out of my beautiful reverie. I was dreading the moment my eyes would meet those of my mother.
#goraibeach #ninetieschildhood #eightieschildhood #oldersiblings #largefamilies
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