Affairs of the heart.
#2. Back in the party...prompt by Hannah.
I had long ago come to really dislike travel. Let me explain.
I am from a country where life is hard, not that life is not hard everywhere, but who feels it knowns it.
I lost my older brother to a horrible illness, and met death face to face as he suffered. I watched him go from vibrant youthfulness to being a shell of himself, before passing beyond the veil. He had been quite healthy until he traveled abroad for work and returned home ill.
Still life continued on as it always does.
So after finally acquiring my Visitor's Visa to visit the United States many years later, I was so very excited. I had graduated high school, attended other courses, found a job in Telecommunications and was looking forward to a fruitful life. After working for a number of years. I was ready to treat myself to a well earned vacation. So off I went on my first airplane adventure in the skies.
Before I left, my father and I had a small falling out, it was a trivial matter and he refused to speak to me.
My birthday dawned while I was away, it was almost time for me to return home from the two weeks break and I had shopped and bought him one of his favorite things, a gentleman's hat, among other carefully selected gifts.
Sometime in the evening the news came that my father, who had spoiled me as his favorite child of the eight of his children (perhaps because I looked so much like his mother) had gone missing.
On my birthday. When I had been out of the country.
I flew back home, and we checked hospitals, friends, all of his usual haunts and found no trace of him.
Then we went to the police station, and they told us they had a John Doe at the Morgue. Hoping beyond hope that it was not him, we were bitterly disappointed. They had been announcing the news on the radio, but who would listen to such a thing and believe that it pertained to them directly.
The police said they knew he could not be homeless because he was well dressed and well cared for, so they had hopes that someone would come to claim his body.
My father, while walking along the side of the road, had died in a car accident on my birthday.
Irony situation story short.
Years later, I again traveled to complete paperwork for my transition to the USA.
My mother died of a heart attack while I was away.
So you see, I have a really bad love affair with travelling outside of my country, although my life has been centered around a lot of travelling back and forth.
Those years and the memories have faded to the parts of one's psyche where they rear their heads from time to time. Where one remembers fondly the ones whom they have loved and lost, but who have been a defining presence in the shaping of the individual into which one will evolve into becoming.
I have not allowed grief or anger to cloud who I am. I remember my people with deep feelings of loss from time to time. But as life progresses, and one matures, we come to realize that every life and death serves a lesser or a higher purpose.
Is it prudent to say that one is born for a purpose and when that purpose is fulfilled, whether young or old, it is then time to move on to a plane where your presence is needed in the weaving of the threads of time.
Will it make it easier then to believe positively in the evolution and or metamorphosis of the origins of humanity.
I was blessed to have known them.
Somewhere on that different plane they watch over me and beseech me not to mourn but to rejoice, for they are happy.
Alas, my travelling days are still not over. But I have moved beyond the ethereal shadows where the dance of events happening in between the lines and folds of time intermingle.
Penning these nostalgic overtures is a task rather left far away back where time once lived.
Everything is connected.
........................................................................................
Hannah's challenge
About the Creator
Novel Allen
You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. (Maya Angelou). Genuine accomplishment is not about financial gain, but about dedicating oneself to activities that bring joy and fulfillment.
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Comments (28)
Affairs of the heart are always so profound and complex—they remind us of the beauty and vulnerability of human connection. Taking time to reflect on them can be truly transformative. ❤️✨ Speaking of heartwarming things, why not treat yourself to something comforting? Wendy’s menu has some delicious options that might just hit the spot! https://wendys-menuprice.com/
This was one of the most beautiful stories I have ever read, Novel. Your love is deep and strong. And the lessons you learned and pass on are invaluable. So well-deserved of a Top Story!
Congratulations on the top story!! I'm sorry for your loss.❤️ Thank you for sharing. I was told as a child that feelings aren't good or bad. They just are. It is okay to have grief. Take a little time for it now and then. Writing and talking about it is healing.😉💕💗
Your dislike of travel is warranted-- events would not have been different but it is impossible not to feel there is a connection. I share the same dislike for planned holidays for similar reasons.
I don't know how I originally missed your heartfelt, bittersweet story, but I wanted you to know how poignantly dynamic I find it to be. It was a wonderfully well-deserved Top Story, and I'm very glad I was able to read it, though a bit late in doing so. You are an amazing writer who clearly details the pain and grief embodied in this story. I am so very sorry for the losses you endured, especially while away from your homeland.
Welcome to the community! Your story really touches the heart with its honest look at loss and how it’s woven into your travels. It talks about how the pain of losing loved ones and understanding life's shortness can affect us deeply. By bringing in ideas from Surah Yaseen, which discusses life, death, and how everything is planned by a higher power, you could add even more depth to your stories. This connection might comfort your readers and give them a broader view of how life and death are part of a bigger plan. Your strength in finding hope and meaning through tough times is very uplifting. Visit https://surahyaseeenpdf.com/
I missed this , but it is wonderful
This is a very special story to share with others. Congratulations on TS. Will look forward to reading more of your work.
Well done, this was a very special story, it deserves to be a Top Story.
Sorry for your loss, you must have a lot of resilience to go travelling again and separate it from your grief
ifeel the raw emotion in your words.It is important to talk about grief and loss. Your writing is very beautiful and evocative. It has really touched me. Keep sharing such beautiful stories.
Congratulations on Top Story!
Back to say congratulations on your Top Story! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊
They say the greatest people have the hardest lives, we are blessed to have you here on this earth with us. Thank you for sharing your wonderful and heartfelt stories! Glorious purpose is truly a heavy burden to bare. I empathize with your pain, sending nothing but love❤️ & I am grateful for your courage! Out of misfortune you create a masterpiece, the resilience is inspirational to all!
Aww Novie... So sorry for your losses. I wish I could change this part of life. This was so beautifully penned and deeply felt. Sending you another hug of comfort my friend!
Poetic prose with a deeper story I can definitely feel. Congratulations on top story 💕
Congrats on top story!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Novel, your narrative is deeply moving, illustrating the intertwined nature of life's joys and sorrows, especially in the context of travel. It speaks volumes about resilience amidst profound loss and the enduring significance of familial bonds. Your reflection on purpose and the interconnectedness of experiences resonates powerfully, capturing the essence of personal growth and acceptance. Thank you for sharing such a heartfelt journey.
nice work, you are so brave and sorry for your loss. lets support eachother and grow.
Novel, I can only imagine how this must have been for you. The guilt...but yes, feel blessed to have had them in your life and dwell on good memories, which I'm sure were in abundance.
It was nice to learn more about you! Im very sorry for your loss. Incredible writing and congratulations! 🎊
Resilient is your middle name. So sorry for your losses, Novel. You are trooper and thank you for sharing a part of your life. 💖
We're truly sorry for the heartbreaking experiences you've endured, thank you for sharing this deeply personal story, and we hope that through your writing, you find solace and healing.
😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 I'm so sorryyyyy this happened to you 😭😭😭😭😭😭 Your strength is beyond my comprehension. If I were you, I'd have just spiralled out of control and landed in an asylum. This must have been so difficult for you to write 🥺 Sending you lots of love and hugs 🥺❤️
Oh Novel… this is so poignant and beautifully written… so sorry you lost your dear ones so tragically. 💙