I Remember When

• Lydia Spratley, Grade 10
• Short Story
• 2013

I remember when
We used to talk for hours
And hours

Dreaming what we’d do when
We were free of our parent’s grips
That magical number
18

Travelling the globe living like
Gypsies and hippies

Save the environment
Save the whales
Save the orang-utans

When really we needed
To save ourselves

I remember when
We used to talk about getting married
Kid’s names
What our house would look like

We’d elope to a place like
Bali
Or Vanuatu
Let our families know
Via Skype

Our first kid adopted
From Cambodia or Ethiopia
Because you like Angelina and I like Brad
Second a planned accident
All six with names
Like Rainbow and Sky and Indie

Our house
Messy
But in the arty crafty
We’re way cooler than you way
The whole thing screaming
We’re free spirits and we’ll
Die happy and
Satisfied

Unlike most of the world

I remember when
You used to look at me with those
Dark blue eyes of yours
And say
I love you

I remember when
With brown eyes
I used to do the exact same thing
To you

I don’t want to remember when
It changed

When your touch
Failed to raise chills
On my skin

When your lips
Didn’t bring that warm feeling
Inside

When your eyes
Failed to say what your mouth was saying
And we both knew it

And I remember when
I had to stop crying

And start dreaming
About a life
Without you