Nostalgia

One day while returning from the office, I sat near the bus stop and as I was waiting for my bus to arrive. I thought about buying sugar cane juice just to kiss the busy evening goodbye. As I was sipping my juice*, I glanced towards the garden which was opposite me. Children were playing on the see-saw and the slides while some were playing hide and seek. Among them, I saw a boy picking up the tire and rolling it using a stick and playing with it. As I was busy looking at the garden I was completely lost in my thoughts which drove me into a state of nostalgia where I could see myself and my friends playing hide and seek. I could sense the day when my mother was preparing me for the world I would face in the future with relaxing bedtime stories.

Suddenly my bus arrived. The lyrics of good old retro songs were still knocking in my ears through my AirPods. As I was thinking all this while, I was boarding the bus and I suddenly realized that an important client meeting will be held tomorrow morning. The idea of being in the room with the client gives me chills.

After boarding the bus I managed to grab a window seat where I could keep my head straight and relax for a while. As I was looking far out of the window I came across advertisement hoarding which was promoting a gaming console. The word gaming console got me flooded with my childhood memories.

In 2004

(flashback)

It was an era where kids used to gather around in one privileged friend’s house to watch and play video games. As I was preparing for my exams, one of my friends came by my house inviting me to go with him, about the new gaming console which got released in the market and he was about to make a stop at one of my rich friend’s home who recently got his hands on the console.

As I was hearing this my body trembled with excitement yet a bit of jealousy. I ran to my mother to get permission to visit my friend's place. As my mom ran her fingers through her forehead with disagreement and heard me pleading she looked around afterward and glazed at the clock and said "only an hour". Upon hearing this I quickly grabbed my bicycle and visited my friend's place. And as I was entering inside…

All my friends gathered around the television within a blink with wide open mouths which were filled with amusement and eagerly waiting for their turn to play which resembled a bunch of hyenas waiting for their prey. The more I watched the video games the more the urge inside me increased to own the console. As the dawn passed on, with shouts filled with emotions resembling the movements of the character, it was time for me to return home as I promised my mother. I began to peddle my way out, the thought of owning a console filled my mind as clouds filled the sky but the thought of thunder crashing which will be occurring in my house made me tumble as a cold wind brushed my neck. The movement I walked into my house I began to tell the whole story of our virtual adventure with a cheerful expression to my mother. As I began to continue more…..

A sudden sound made by the conductor at a distance drove my mind to the present situation. As I heard I grabbed my belongings and dropped them off at my stop. As I was walking to my apartment a sudden change of song in my playlist made me recall a dance competition in which I participated in my childhood. As I was opening my front door with a yawn to realize it was almost dinner time. Hurried up my pockets to reach for the keys with the cluttering noise.

Took a step inside of my house to notice my sleepy cat awakened and rotated its tiny head to wish me. I began to undress myself to get freshen up to wish the hefty work life goodnight. Thrown me on the couch with my supper and began to browse some standup comedy, through the middle of the set the comedian started to joke about her childhood where her mother acted strictly regarding unrequired items which she was able to understand after a little creature came from inside her. As she began to recall her mother telling her these golden words which sounded like a strict parent back at that time. "Happiness is meant to be found within but not from the fancy materialistic possessions", just because everyone is doing it doesn’t mean you have to do it too. A Sense of similarity made me realize my mother's actions on that particular day when I was pleading to have a console just because everyone owns it… Everyone has their way of teaching life lessons, just because their actions seem to go against your needs at that movement but make sense when you release the true meaning behind them.