Amidst the debris of clutter, among the years of things piled upon, chaotic shoving in of spaces, of things of little to no importance due to the distance of time, papers of pain were uncovered. A history unfolded in short passages, messages, of people passed on, most forgotten or unknown to the one riffling through the quagmire of emotions that the refuse brings.
Losing one’s parents is hard enough; uncovering aspects of them that you only thought you knew becomes the harder part to take in.
“Please forgive me…” began way too many letters, or messages in holiday/birthday cards, found among the leavings. Reading what he did was painful enough, so Bill only skimmed along, tossing, tossing, tossing…keeping a short pile that he knew he would confront at another time. Not now, not so soon, and maybe…maybe never. Private thoughts that now are laid bare, never for his eyes in the first place. He thought: Do I have the right/need to know any of this?
Short words of “Love,…,” saying so little, punctuated by messages that left messages of hope and caring, of hurt, pain, and an end to suffering. Is that how they lived for so long, Bill thought, even as he knew the answer. He hoped to escape the yelling, the push and pull games, the neediness from such a young age, and he ran out as fast as he could when he was younger. He knew, though, he could not just abandon, for their world crashed down upon them, and with that crashing he became one of the broken pieces, held together with glue and tape, shattered enough, strong enough. At times.
And then…then, buried snatches of the other. There were the messages of love he now found. They were concealed among the many non-meaning platitudes. They were not long, snippets only, words of caring, of hope, of praise, of cleansing. Bill read these, everyone of them, in full, sometimes again and again. He weighed these few against the pile of pain, and while his own heart was heavy, his chest tight, his stomach roiling…he weighed the messages of love against those of suffering.
Shaking his head to clear the conflict inside, Bill put them all together in one bag, sealing it for now. They could lay still and silent, or battle amongst themselves in the bag. He held his parents in his hands, their words, their wounds, and their care and concern for each other. It was one weight, one mass, and he felt it was equal, balanced enough, as he carried it away with him.
This is a brilliant piece, and I feel like any comment I leave will seem banal. It’s an exquisitely rendered account of what we leave behind and its effects on others, whether it is physical relics, emotional scars, or memories. It can be an unsettling, curious and often sad feeling to be given a glimpse into the private and intimate lives of those who were close to us, wanting to know more, wanting to turn away, maybe even wanting the new knowledge to become unlearned.
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Thank you, honey. Nothing you say is banal.
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What a powerful post. It’s funny how we sometimes don’t truly know the people we love. We all have our secrets. And you express the pain so deeply during the discovery.
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Thanks Sam
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When my mom died I discovered my grandmother’s journal in her night stand. In an instant I knew the pain my mom endured for the secrets she carried and tried to protect us from.
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When my mom died, I found my grandmothers journal in her night stand. There’s a reason she never told me of its existence.
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I hope that you have been able to let it go, Marie. I know I’m still in the midst of it.
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Beautiful post, sometimes not knowing is as traumatic as being confronted with the truth. It is heartbreaking at times and exhilarating other times.
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Yes it is. Thanks Sulekha
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This was a touching post. I find that reading another’s words, be it an author’s book or a friend’s letter brings the most intimate of moments. Our thoughts are such an integral part of us, and to see another’s thoughts on paper brings a certain closeness.
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It was just too close, and there needs to be some things left unsaid…or for much later. Thanks Riki
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Very touching.
-Portia
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Thanks Portia
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A moving post. Thanks, Stuart.
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This is indeed touching. Sometimes we have to let people close to us know how much we love them and how life wouldn’t be the same if they weren’t in it.
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