(Made-up story)
1964
Early in the summer following my birthday, the sight of the butcher selling salmon wakes unwanted memories. My mom was in the scene, interacting with the butcher, buying her favorite food, salmon, as vivid as when she was alive. My mom, my dad and I used to fest on salmon, thick slices of garlic bread and salad around the kitchen table. I could hear her laughing at the table. I could also hear her coughing a lot as she kept a handkerchief near her mouth.
Now that she is gone and there's nothing I could do about it.
I tightly held briefcase in my right hand, filled with lyrics, poems, short stories I had written for many years. It all started from the words came out from my mother's lips.
"I think you have so much talent in writing. You should pursue... pursue to be a writer. Just.. get something down on your paper. It will be the story and it could possibly move someone's mind. "
As I was hearing that, something moved inside me.
And that's how everything got started.
My mom had so soft voice that I could never forget about her.
"The more you do, the better you get."
She was always encouraging me to write more, and more and I was secretly wanting to be pushed even more.
I sat down by a small pond, put the briefcase in my lap.
I opened the case and jam my mom's picture into the case.
Suddenly, I could feel someone else's presence, who has an angular face with enormous brown eyes.
She sat right next to me.
I've never seen eyes that are that much big.
"You must be Sally." She opened her pale mouth.
"How do you know my name?" I respond while I raise my eyebrows.
"I'm your father's best friend. My name is Gwen Stacy. I heard from your father that you became so lonely since your mother passed away."
"Don't worry, I will be your friend. I will cook your favorite food, I will iron your shirts, I will.. do my best as I can to... be your closest friend." She said as she clutched my hand and it felt cold.
My curiosity towards her was obviously up.
Who is she..
One time, she cooked me a roasted lobster with fried asparagus at my home and it tasted like heaven. She also delivered apple pies to people of my town.
During the height of winter holidays, I was immune to the song that was currently number one, just about everywhere in the world, the title called my girl by temptations.
I listened to that song drifting out of the radio so beautifully.
'I've got sunshine on a cloudy day,
when it's cold out side, I've got the month of the day
I guess you say, what can make me feel this way'
While I was listening to that song, it also beautified my lyrics.
"Grace shone and the it unfolded before our eyes." I went on and on, with my pen and the song.
I heard the car pulling to my home.
I quickly turned volume down until I heard no sound and walked up to the window, hide myself by the silky white curtain.
It was my dad's car.
Gwen Stacy was sitting next to him.
She dressed like a naughty women who shouldn't have been let out of the house by her parents.
I couldn't hear anything, but I knew their conversation lasted for awhile and it flew in an interesting way.
My dad's face shone like a child's on Christmas Day, smiling from ear to ear, mischief in his eyes. Well, it was Christmas Eve, though.
All of a sudden, my dad kissed Gwen Stacy in the middle of her articulation.
Gwen Stacy burgled my father's lips as well.
I breathed my very breath and turned my back from the curtain.
I heard the sound of the wind against the window that night.
I covered myself with pink blanket much tighter.
After I came back home from school, I saw Gwen Stacy in the living room, heard sizzling with each slap of the iron.
"What are you doing?" I said as I realized there will be a good distance between her and me.
"I saw your shirt got wrinkled. So I ironed this for you."
"I never requested."
She tried to hold up my shirt to testify it or something.
And I tried to cut off her words before they even came out of her mouth.
"Why do you take my shirts out of my closet without my permission?"
Her face darkened.
She quickly delivered me a nervous laugh and continued,
"Why you sound upset? I just tried to make you feel more comfortable by doing this. I've done this for last whole summer. You didn't say anything at that time."
