It's wonderful how intertwined our experiences are with our senses. Every memory is tagged and triggered with sight, sound, touch, scent and taste. The other day I was driving and my mother and daughter were riding in the car with me. I had to stop short and instinctively my arm flew across my mother's chest as she sat in the front passenger's seat. Now I know within reason that my arm could not defy the laws of physics and undoubtedly anything that is set in motion will stay in motion until it meets an object of equal or greater resistance. The resistance not being my arm in this case.
The scenario did however; illicit a memory of my late cousin David. David died in January and I'm having a difficult time understanding the finality of it all. He was the brother I never had. Anyway, it was a good memory and my knee-jerk attempt to hold my mother back in spite of the fact that she was wearing a seat belt was followed by a, "Remember when..?"
She hadn't remembered when, so I told her the story.
David, his twin sisters and I were always arguing about who would ride in the front seat whenever we went anywhere together. On this particular day we were all going with my aunt somewhere, I can't' remember where, but we were arguing about who would sit up front. My aunt, frazzled to her last remaining nerve, blindly pointed to me and David. Elated we jumped in the front seat, I sat in the middle and he sat at the door. I'm dating myself here, but back when I was a kid safety was not as big of an issue as it is now. Yes, we rode our bikes without helmets, climbed trees and hung by our knees out of them, and no one wore seat belts. Not smart, but that's the way it was.
So all of us kids and my aunt were crammed into her orange VW station wagon putting down the road when for some reason my aunt slammed on the brakes. Out came the arm right across my neck and because David was younger and smaller than me; right across his mouth. Everything was quiet except for the sound of a lip being split and David crying, "Maaaaama?!" He felt his lip and looked down at his hand to see the blood.
My aunt took one look at the blood and freaked out, she turned the car around and drove straight back to their house. The rest of the day was a bust because we didn't go anywhere. Well, not a total bust, at least not for David because for the rest of the day he got all the ice cream he could hold.
I wonder if he remembers?
;)
4 comments:
My late father had the same automatic reflex too, even when we were wearing our seat belts.
I am sorry about David. Always remember the great times you shared with him. (Hugs)
And lastly, of course he would remember! Who would ever forget the day your dear mother whacked your delicate lips all bloody in an orange van and later you get to have all the ice cream your little hands could hold ?
Awe, thanks Blue. :) Hehehe, I guess you're right about him remembering, that kind of memory stays with you not matter what diminsion you're in.
Oh man, I was nervous thinking that David didn't make it and you were saved by the outstretched arm. All the same, I'll bet he does remember getting socked in the mouth, and being rewarded with all that ice cream!
Didn't mean to make you nervous Scott. Chill man...chill. ;P
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