Reflections

Yesterday Once More

• By fannieb
• November 14, 2014
• No Comments

It’s amazing that a taste or smell can take you to another time and place. Just yesterday while slurping up the last drop of my water that I’d flavored with a slice of lemon, I was transported back to my elementary school days and to a summer carnival for the community. That was the memory that came back to me – a summer carnival held on the school grounds of Stockton Elementary. As my mouth contorted to deal with the sourness of the more concentrated lemon juice at the bottom of my glass, I was transported to 1976. I was a child of about eight and I was carrying my prize goldfish in a plastic bag filled with water tied with a twist tie. My father had won it for me tossing rings around the tops of bottles. I was light in spirit and carefree then and for a split second I felt that same feeling of being happy and unencumbered. For a moment my mind replayed the carnival sights of children with their faces painted, the smell of cotton candy, and the taste of sweetness followed by tangy lemon juice. It was painful to sip, but as a kid I kept going back for more of this odd treat – a lemon with a hole bored into its top and a cherry rainbow candy straw inserted. As I drew upon the sweet straw a burst of sour lemon exploded in my mouth and imprinted in my memory banks this happy event.

Since that carnival, 40 some odd years ago, where I walked playfully around that fair, I have tasted plenty of lemons, so I’m not quite sure why yesterday the tartness of a lemon unlocked that memory, sweet yet sorrowful. That biting taste triggering memories and feelings that hit me like the lyrics of the Karen Carpenter song – her voice so sweet and mellow, yet the lyrics oh so sad. Though the memories of that school carnival are pleasant (after all Daddy won me a goldfish) the memories are mixed with both happy and sad emotions. Happy ones because I remember the innocent times I had as a child and sad ones because I know how parts of the story end – a broken family, dreams unrealized, and the responsibilities of adulthood.

Photo Credit: theilr