The ending of this piece deeply resonated with me, especially since it speaks on this idea of temporality in the context of childhood. My perception of time as a child was far more elongated than it is today, as a 25 year-old, as stretches of time seemed to just feel like an eternity, especially when it came to waiting for my parents to finish a task, or an errand, or waiting to be picked up from school when my parents were running late.
I remember when my mom used to leave me and my sister with my aunt or other family members in the Philippines my first few trips out there with my sister, and my perception of time used to trigger a very intense separation anxiety, because at that time, I didn’t know when she was going to come back. So the idea of preparing to hypothetically start a new, imaginary life if she never returned is quite the ending.
Great short story! From just one quick snippet, you were able to convey your family’s experience as an immigrant family in a variety of ways. Keep up the great writing and enjoyable stories!
I remember a huge digger moving dirt at a construction site down the hill from the house. The hill curving away from my two foot tall body. I remember red ants crawling on my legs and lying on a towel on my parents' bed. A tornado: red digital alarm clock radio in the closet under the stairs in Texas -- a tornado was a person who might come into your home and attack you.
The ending of this piece deeply resonated with me, especially since it speaks on this idea of temporality in the context of childhood. My perception of time as a child was far more elongated than it is today, as a 25 year-old, as stretches of time seemed to just feel like an eternity, especially when it came to waiting for my parents to finish a task, or an errand, or waiting to be picked up from school when my parents were running late.
I remember when my mom used to leave me and my sister with my aunt or other family members in the Philippines my first few trips out there with my sister, and my perception of time used to trigger a very intense separation anxiety, because at that time, I didn’t know when she was going to come back. So the idea of preparing to hypothetically start a new, imaginary life if she never returned is quite the ending.
Great short story! From just one quick snippet, you were able to convey your family’s experience as an immigrant family in a variety of ways. Keep up the great writing and enjoyable stories!
I remember a huge digger moving dirt at a construction site down the hill from the house. The hill curving away from my two foot tall body. I remember red ants crawling on my legs and lying on a towel on my parents' bed. A tornado: red digital alarm clock radio in the closet under the stairs in Texas -- a tornado was a person who might come into your home and attack you.