Hold Tight
written by: Zsofia Kremer
On a dreary December day, Julie hopped into her car to go pick her grandmother up from the retirement home. When she got to her room, she saw her grandmother walking to her nightstand and picking up a framed picture.
Susan gets up from her chair cushioned with pillows that her daughter has brought her, although she has no recollection of this. She feels a little disoriented, but walks to the nightstand anyway and picks up the photo standing on it. As she is looking at the photo, she suddenly finds herself on a sunny day.
She is standing in front of Brooklyn University Library squinting by the sight of sun, as a young man in his mid-twenties is running towards her waving his hand exhilarated.
He says:
-Susan, Susan, finally. Where were you yesterday? You missed our meeting. I am so glad to have bumped into you. Here, let me carry your books. Would you care for a coffee in the corner cafe? It’s a wonderful little new place just opposite the bookstore.
Susan recognizes the man, and greets him with joy responding: Davis! Yes, a coffee would be lovely, thank you.
Suddenly, from the distance she hears a young woman’s voice breaking the idyllic scene:
-Gran!, Gran! Are you looking at Pop’s picture again? I am here. Let’s get you ready to go.
Suzanne feels confused as the surroundings start changing around her, and she finds herself in the shabby little room in December.
“No, Davis, I want to stay with you, don’t go!” – she cries on the inside, but nobody hears her.
Susan feels irritated, who are these people coming here bothering her? So she says:
-Why?
The young woman responds:
-Because, it is mom’s birthday and we all celebrate together. Remember?
Back in the dreary little room in December, she acknowledges the presence of this young woman. She feels a certain familiarity, a certain sympathy towards this young beautiful creature, though she is not sure who she really is.
The woman continues speaking to Susan:
-Alright, you can bring Pop’s picture just let me help you with your coat, it is freezing outside. I am Julie. Gran you remember me right?
And Julie’s grandmother held on to the photo like a survivor of shipwreck to rubble.
Julie made sure that Susan’s coat was buttoned up, then she placed her arms around her, and they started walking out of the room.
Susan is quiet, she doesn’t feel the need to resist as she doesn’t want to cause any trouble, the most important thing is that she has the photo with her.
Just as they were about to leave the room, her gaze wanders onto a medallion, she quickly grabs it and puts it in her pocket, next to the previously gathered photo, she holds onto both in her pocket.
– There we go, see this wasn’t so terrible Gran – said Julie.
and then she continued:
-We are going to take this car to mom’s place and have a nice meal together.
And off they went, but Susan was only seemingly in the car, in the flesh only. She pulls the medallion out of her pocket, and as it clicks open, a picture of her with two men transports her to 1932. She was only a little girl then, playing by a lake with her brothers.
When Julie tried to engage her grandmother, she robotically responded:
– Yes.
– Okay.
But she continued staring into nothingness. Or at least Julie thought so.
- Hold Tight - December 28, 2024
- Darling - February 6, 2024
