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I hate summer. The season felt too hot. Rainy days with chilly winds were much better than a day when the sun's heat burns me alive.
I was in the tenth grade at Sunshine Academy in Limerick. The summer break of the academic year was in a mere month and there was excitement around the school. Because who wants to go on studying the whole year ? One thing I only like about summer is the vacation. And the rest ? I wish for Winter much more.
It happened two weeks before the school closed. Someone of my age moved into our neighborhood and Oh... There was something about her. Her smile, her eyes and her hair had become my favourite playlist to watch and listen to. She would wave at me, save a pumpkin-pie from the "Pie-e Shop". She was a special friend and my happiness, she was 𝘑𝘶𝘯𝘦 𝘔𝘤𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘺.
It was a Thursday in July ; the class had gotten over. I packed my books and every shade and color of my favorite pen. Throwing the heavy bag over my shoulders, I walked out on foot only to...see her. June had a package which she held carefully in her hands with a candy over the brown package. I couldn't stop my feet from running.
" Pumpkin pie ? " She shakes her head, then says " Sweet potato pie " for the seventeenth time. I clicked my tongue, " It's the same ". Who cares about pumpkin or potato when you can already feel the sweetness in your tongue ?
She handed the pie over with a choco-candy. Then looked around before starting to walk away.
" It's a sweet-potato pie ".
The summer break had started when I realized we had grown closer. She had unknowingly become 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘧. My hatred towards summer and the school had come to a change which I find uncomfortable. I hated the six hours of lectures and solves at school. Especially on scorching days when the current sometimes goes off. Even the school had the summer heat in its name. I would get a pumpkin pie every school day after class and that was why I didn't skip school before the summer vacation.
27 July—She told me the day was her birthday and I learned recently that she loved sunflowers. So, I made sure I got the flowers on time.
" Jordan Murphy, you are amazing ! They are my favourite " She jumped on me and yelled, " You are really incredible ".
I, too felt incredible because the three hours spent on getting her those flowers were worth it. I traveled by bus to the best sunflower florist which was eight miles away in St. Nessan's Road.
We had a chocolate-creamy cake and tea. There were sunflowers too, of course. By the time, the celebration was over, it was already evening.
I still remember to this day, how she had smiled at me. Of how her radiant eyes had lit up. Her smile was so bright, 𝘴𝘰 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 bright that I thought I saw the 𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦.
Every night, we would sneak out to the nearby park to play on the swing and slide. Because during the day, there are many kids around and the park never gets peace. We would either run to the park or to the willow tree on the side of the park usually because I had nowhere else exciting to go. And during the day, we would spend time in the library—talking in hush voices or truly reading who knows...
She had no father, the man died when she was around only six. Although our elders knew each other's parents and about how close we were, we loved to hide away in places where we were safely alone together. The vacation lasted two months but felt like two weeks and I thought I had known June for two years. The week before the school reopened, our families decided on a little trip to 𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺.
Everything was planned—a two-day trip and return with memories, the date too was set.
" Jordan, you'll miss your pie these coming days and I'm starting to miss the swing " She had said. But the truth was, she was much sweeter than the sweetest pie from Pie-e Shop.
We started off early at seven in the morning. I could see her in the back seat of the truck. The driver was said to be an old man with 45 years of experience but oddly, he looked quite young. The journey to Galway had begun and there was no music played. 𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩.
" Next time, I'll bring Mr. Uncle Pie-e and his shop with me "
" And, I won't forget to pick a place with swings and slides ". The whole car room laughed.
" You still think sweet potatoes are pumpkins "
Her mother would gently scold us once or twice, talking somewhat about busy roads or maybe about the chatter... But she only added to the noise.
But then, as we went on Highway H18. The driver took a sharp turn in haste. The truck dashed to the right and never moved.
I could barely think straight. I could feel my forehead wet and something warm flooding down. Maybe by habit, my eyes darted to the backseat and I saw them. My mother was barely blinking and she.... doesn't seem to be breathing at all, she looked 𝘴𝘰 still.
–
It took me three days to wake up at the mere sight of doctors and to the smell of the hospital. Four days to know my parents survived. And 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 to accept she was gone. I believed none of it. I wish I could once more wake up to the smell of sunflowers from next door and the sweet-potato pie from Pie-e.
I wish the sky could fall above me for it would not be heavier.
I could hear, " I'm starting to miss the swing " repeatedly like a broken record. I pray I could see 𝘩𝘦𝘳, June McCarthy one last time on the swing under the willow tree.
School had reopened and my head had recovered but my mind hadn't. Summer was over yet it was awful to live on rainy days without sunshine. Summer had ended but I couldn't move on. This time, I despise Summer for it had snatched away 𝘺𝘰𝘶 and your smile at once.
If you ever told me you would flee once Summer dies, I would pray for eternal summer.
Summer was over, and so were 𝘸𝘦.