Nostalgia – An Inevitable Emotion
“No…Nos… Nost…”, the six-year-old Anusha struggled to read the word from her story book.
“Daddy… Daddy….”, she came running to her father with the book in her hand, who was drowned neck deep in his newspaper.
“Yes Anu”, he looked at her briefly.
“Daddy what is this word? I can’t read it”, said Anusha with struggle written all over her face.
“Let me help you, spell it for me”, he asked her, folding and keeping aside his newspaper. He always suggested her to spell words out which she couldn’t read, that would help her build the vocabulary rather than just pointing at the word and him helping her out.
“N-O-S-T-A-L-G-I-C”, she followed her father’s instructions and spelled out the word with impatience, her base characteristic.
“Nostalgic”, he spoke slowly and then broke the word into three for her to catch the pronunciation, “say it like this, NOS-TAL-GIC”.
“NOS-TAL-GIC”, she repeated after him.
“Good girl, now repeat it five times”, he said.
She followed the instructions like an obedient daughter that she was.
Before continuing her story further she asked, “Daddy what does Nos-tal-gic mean?” Still struggling to say the word fluently.
“When a person longs for the good memories of the past, then he is said to be feeling nostalgic. For example, you remember your last birthday party when you had enjoyed a lot and today something reminds you of that event, and you want to go back to that event”, explained her father patiently, his base characteristic.
“Is it like missing the good times of the life?” she questioned innocently.
“Yes, exactly”, he smiled at her.
“Daddy I’m also feeling nostalgic”, smile has vanished from her face.
“Yes, tell me”, encouraging her to share her feelings. She had become quite reticent, which was unlike her chirpy self. He had started noticing this change a few months back after first dismissing the changes in her behaivour when they had moved to Seattle almost an year ago.
“I miss mom”, she spoke, her voice hardly audible but the but word ‘mom’ was enough to bring him back from his thoughts.
“I miss her too”, he reciprocated and pulled her into a quick hug, making her sit on his lap.
“Why are we here and she is not”, she asked, tears almost welling up in her eyes. She never told anyone that she had smuggled a picture of her mother and slept holding it in her hands every night.
He never had an answer to her question, how can he possibly explain the reasons of a broken marriage to a seven-year-old. He just embraced her closer to his heart as the memories started to burden it.
How did the things go so wrong, he wondered thinking about the drastic changes his life had been put through in the last 18 months. To everyone else, things had seemed to settle down but he knew better for the constant reminder of him not being in his own country, the lost chirpiness of her daughter, his parents nagging him for re-marriage, his lack of interest in socializing and most of all, the inexplicable reason of her absence from his life.
“Come, let’s have your favourite chocolate fudge”, he told her trying to cheer her up and also himself.
You can never escape some memories, his mind reminded him that it was Anusha’s mother’s favourite too. He let out a sigh as they walked to kitchen where his mother had made them the chocolate fudge. She had been trying hard to be a mother to Anusha than just a grand-mother but nobody can replace her mom, he was now beginning to understand.
I am taking part in The Write Tribe Problogger October 2017 Blogging Challenge
Prompt : Nostalgic
Nibha, a beautiful take on the prompt. It is true that we can’t forget some people and the memories associated with them. Anu and her father are trying to live without her mother and his wife but can’t escape her memories.
Even if a relationship doent work, there will definetely be some fond memories. Its difficult to forget those. beautifully expressed.
Kids are always the worst affected by broken marriages. Loved the way you connected the story with the word.
Oh, that’s sad! I feel so bad when I hear stories of broken marriage especially when a child is involved. There is only so much that a grandmother can do. Sigh! Lively story for the prompt, Nibha. ☺️
Loved the way you have woven your story around this prompt. Sometimes it’s beyond the parents to keep their marriage working for the sake of the kids. It’s unfortunate for the kids but all one can do is just be sensitive to the needs of the child.
What a situation! I wonder how he will be able to deal with the questions of his little one.
When in most of the cases custody of the child is handed over to mom..its interesting to see a man taking that responsibility. While i read this bitter-sweet story the question “Why?” prompted me repeatedly… Would love to know more about anusha’s mother and how the child ended up with father!
Very poignant, Nibha! I think kids tend to feel more nostalgic than us. It’s hard for Anusha but I do hope her father reunites with her mother, settling all differences aside. Anusha deserves her mother!
Lovely story…when relationships break down, it’s always hard and while it’s hard to completely forget, I think in the end, we accept the good, learn from the bad and learn to move on
I loved this little tale, Nibha! It tugged at my heartstrings!
When the word broken marriage came up, I said, thank God, atleast she’s alive. But it will be hard for him and the little one to move on with so much of unanswered questions and memories. Beautiful take on the prompt.
Wow you are quite a storyteller my friend and I had absolutely no idea of this side of your writing proweress!! Kudos on emoting so well through the tale of lost emotions and broken memories that haunt one all the life! Poor Anusha – my heart goes out to her more than anything!!!
It’s hard to be in that position, I think, and your narration brings that pain. I feel sad for that child, but it’s good that she has a supportive father, who explains some things so nicely.
This welled me up. Sigh, relationship, memories and the pain, sometimes it breaks us hard.
I wonder if those memories will ever fade, or if every time he looks at his daughter all the memories and regrets will come flooding back.
So beautiful & touching. It is indeed hard to explain incidents and emotions.
The innocence of the child contrasts well with the world weariness that exemplifies nostalgia.
You really have a way with words. I could so feel the child’s pain, and the father’s too.