As I cut into the passion fruit (Spanish: maracuya), a familiar scent hits my nose. I scrape out the pulp of the fruit and take a small bite. As the familiar taste hits my tongue, a flood of memories rush into my brain.
C'est si bon.
Singing American songs along with the Spanish radio.
Never finishing my pint before Kelly finished his liter.
Being mocked for my slowness.
Walking down the street, listening to Spanish rock music.
Ben.
Feeling like I could stay there forever, and never regret it.
"Rating" the waitresses with Kelly and Ian.
The last visit.
Pretending like the end wasn't coming.
Laying on the roof.
Saying goodbye.
Walking to the gate, watching as Cesar leads Ben away slowly.
Flying away from Pucallpa, not knowing if I'll ever return.
I sit here, crunching the familiar tasting seeds and chewing the familiar tasting pulp. I know there are other things going on around me, I know that time is still moving. I hear people talking to me, but just barely. It seems to me that time has stopped, that I have gone back. The familiar sweetness of the fruit brings back so many memories.
The fruit is gone all too quickly. The memories, however, will never go away. I left my heart in Pucallpa, Peru. A piece of it will remain there forever. It's funny how a smell or taste can bring back so much.
11 comments:
You make me lonely.
It's a sign of a good writer, when she starts manipulating her reader's emotions.
Well thank you, my dear.
It was kind of a lonely feeling post...
I've written a few of those, myself.... :)
Gah! It's 27 degrees! I can't feel my legs!
It is pretty awesome how a smell or a taste can bring back so many memories. The one that gets me over and over again (you will laugh!) is the Axe body spray Kilo. I used that when I was in Brazil, and now whenever I spray it on a whole flood of Brazilian memories hit me. It's awesome! Needless to say, Ian does not have any such memory-thrusters since he didn't wear deodorant most of the Peru trip!
27 degrees? Psshhhh! It's supposed to be NEGATIVE 30 degrees with the windshield here.
....Windshield....?
Dude, we've gotten about a foot of snow in the past day - it started snowing the day after we arrived and hasn't stopped. Now it's all sheeted over with an inch of ice. Pretty sweet! My thighs are numb again.... Of course, I'm actually crazy enough to go out IN it.
Haha. I remember when you (Kelly) make me smell that stuff, because I had said I don't like Axe. And I had to retract my statement.
No, maybe the smell of sweat will bring it back for Ian. :)
Jenney- welcome to NOT California. haha
Oh, shut it. It's snowing in CA, too. Julian had two feet, the last I heard. We're coming up on two feet here, too. It knocked over a small tree last night.
Windshield is Chicagoan for Wind Chill Factor. We've got about a foot and a half on the ground right now. I went outside yesterday from like 6:30 until 9:00 in the -30 (with wind chill) weather. I was shoveling driveways, and I was bundled up and quite warm, except for the region around my eyes. The condensation from my breath froze onto my eyelash and my pathetic excuse for a moustache. No joke, my eyelashes and moustache were frozen solid! That was crazy!
Aw, poor you.
Oh, waste no sympathy on me, I enjoyed every minute of it! I guess I'm crazy like that...
Heheh, good to know. :D
THEY WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Man, what a game.......
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