The Snow of Memories
Duong-Nghe Ly
Pennsylvania, USA
December 15, 2008
It’s snowing…
This must be the first time in his life… Yes, it’s definitely the first time he’s seen snow ever in his life! He goes through the crowd, seizes the snow and holds it tightly in his palm. It’s so weird! It’s soft and smooth, way different from what he’s ever thought about snow himself. All of a sudden, something appears in his head. The memories of when he was in his country strangely pour into his mind…
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
February 13, 2008
A sunny morning…
He received the news that he would be able to live in the “promised land,” an opportunity that not everyone could have in their life! He had been looking forward to this for a long time, and now it was about to come true! He was very, very excited, although he didn’t even know when he would go. He immediately picked up the phone to inform his friends and everybody that he could remember. He thought he would have a better life there, and his future would be brighter, so he wanted to have everybody know about this. However, it was just a short time before he subsequently changed his mind…
At last, he officially knew exactly when he would go, March 15. He unexpectedly became scared. He thought of his future, not as bright as he had thought before, but a scene where he would live by himself without a friend. He became nervous and emotional. He was afraid that he would never see his friends again, and this would be a once-in-a-lifetime trip that had no return. He was afraid that his friends would change, both physically and mentally, as he usually saw on the TV series he’d watched before. He was afraid of being an adult in the future, since he thought people would not be as impartial as they had been in the past, but rather very realistic and selfish. He seemed to cry forever. But then, he slowly accepted the “severe truth,” since he knew he could not be that weak any longer. He had to be strong!
March 14, 2008
A gloomy night...
His friends held a going away party for him at a small café, with the attendance of nearly twenty people. He tried not to express his depression because he didn’t want to make his friends feel sorrow for him. He would have almost made it, if a girl had not cried at the end of the party. It was supposed to be a happy and non-teary party, but… he couldn’t stand it anymore, he started to cry, but his friends held his tears back. Afterwards, most of them left and there were only about 5 of them that stayed and went to his home. He talked so much, as if he would never talk to them ever again. He promised them he would be back next summer. He would take a lot of pictures to show them where he lived, a city named Philadelphia, in a state that none of his friends had ever heard of. He also talked about his excitement to see snow, which could never be seen in a tropical country like Vietnam…
It had been approximately one year since he left. Everything may have changed. He would never know what would surprise him when he suddenly realizes the existence of LIFE…
* * *
He still holds the snow, but it seems to be melted partly due to the warmth of his hands. He remembers everything, as if it had happened just yesterday. He now knows he would not be back to visit his friends next summer, as he had promised them. Nevertheless, he’s certainly going to go back, and it’ll be no later than after his high school graduation- he is very sure this time. After some time, the pile of snow is completely melted and flows from his palm. Then he decides to keep walking home through the crowd, which has become more numerous now.
And it’s still snowing…
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