Innocence

Innocence

Prompt 7/16

There was a time when...life was simple. Summers were long, hot and
dry, friends were true and decisions were easy.

Summer vacations.

The day started with breakfast which my mom had prepared for me - a
soft roll, chocolate spread, some jam, maybe a hard-boiled egg. She
joined me at the breakfast table so I wouldn't sit on my own (my dad
had gone to work hours ago, I didn't use to roll out of bed until about
9 a.m.) and we had a chat. We would talk about all sorts of things,
school, the summer vacations, my friends, gossiping about relatives,
but mostly she would tell me about her childhood.

I had heard all the stories before and kept asking for them again and
again. To me, growing up during the war seemed fascinating, a world
that was utterly alien to me and that I couldn't hear enough about. My
mom was happy to oblige, and my only regret is that I didn't follow up
some of the stories with older relatives. My grandparents were still
alive then, and I wish that I had got their side of the story
too.

After breakfast, I would lounge around reading a book, or maybe see a
friend, or go shopping with my mom. My children are far more demanding
than I ever was. I used to amuse myself a lot of the time, do my own
thing and let my mom do hers, while my children want to be entertained,
taken here, there and everywhere, spend lots of money. I was content
doing as little as possible.

My best friend was just as much into books as I was, and quite often we
used to visit each other, and sit reading a book. The only sound would
be the turning of the pages and maybe the occasional laugh when one of
us read something funny. My mom used to find that most peculiar, and
urge us to go out, which we did.

There was a small creek near our house and we used to spend long hours
sitting with our feet in the water, chatting about school and friends.
Sometimes, we went out on errands, doing either her or my mom's
shopping. We often had lunch together, always at my house because her
mom was working in an office whereas my mom was at home. One of our
favorites was spinach with egg and potatoes. Probably a bit of an odd
choice, but we liked it.

Just writing about this and recalling the memories brings back some of
the peace and tranquillity I felt then. I had a happy childhood, and
summer vacation was one of my favorite times.