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Tuesday, January 29, 2019

"Almost" by Melody L


Barely

There were a lot of things that came to mind when I think about the things I barely have finished.

I barely finish my homework on time, I barely made it on time to the plane when I was moving, and I barely sorted my affairs before I moved. 

Almost

A word so similar to the word “barely” but both words are used in different instances. “Almost,”

a word so connected to “barely” but it implies a negative consequence. Almost getting a job, almost rejecting love, almost making it in life. But, I know that almost achieving love is the worst.
I guess in the end, whose fault is it if love never existed in the first place? “... Therefore, we can’t be together anymore.” 

He blinked at me twice. I checked my phone for the time; I had five hours before my flight. I stared back at him. The atmosphere stayed the same. It was as if he expected me to say that to him a day before I left. I guess barely made it. He didn’t say anything, instead, all he did was nod and leave my apartment. After he walked out of my red door and I heard the familiar click of the door closing, I got up straight away to prepare for my flight to my new home. I hop into the shower, feeling a sensation of relief as the lukewarm water hit my head. Regretfully, a million new thoughts flooded my head as my shower dragged on. 

What’s his family like?
What does he do for a living nowadays?
What is his favorite color?
I know we’ve been together for long, but how many years has it been? When did we become strangers? 


We barely talked at night this year, but some time last year we almost talked everyday. Or was it last year we barely talked? Or was it two years before we almost talked everyday? I guess we have grown so apart until we both turned cold. 

I quickly hop out of the shower and change into comfortable clothes. To keep myself busy, I folded and folded the clothes in my luggage. I checked my phone for the time and I noticed a notification from him that read:
“Thank you for the past 7 years” 

The time told me that I had half an hour before my driver was here to pick me up. I just played on my phone until my driver texted me:
“Here, black toyota convertible.”
I looked outside and responded with “Okay.” 


After I situated myself in the backseat of the car, the driver turns around with a smile and offers me a can of soda. I accept it and drink it with gratitude. After his kind gesture he created small-talk until we got to the airport. I found out his name was Frederick and he absolutely adored talking about his wife and kids.
After checking in, I waited for my flight patiently. I listened to music and browsed social media. When my mind began to numb from looking at the screen for too long, I looked around. As I observed the empty spaces next to me, I wondered when the warmth of his presence ended. I guess the answer was that I can live well without him. 

I shake my thoughts away and realize that I needed to board the plane. After a rush of time, chaos and turbulence, I start to head to my new home. I almost never made it. I sit closely to the window and look out. My vision began to become unfocused as I began to think about him again. 

A million of empty memories filled my mind while I sat comfortably in the silence of the plane. Were we really smiling? Were we really in love? Why did we stay if scars get deeper over time? What did I give to you and what did I take from you? Was breaking up really a lost? 

I blinked twice and tears flooded down my face. Whose fault is it if love never existed in the first place?

20 comments:

  1. Melody, this blog piece really captivates the struggle and the tension going on throughout the mind. The repetition of the questions strongly helped convey the tension of going through the conflict of understanding the string of past events and whether love was present before moving away. This, along with the event of moving away, helps underscore the concept of “almost,” which highlights the negative connotation of that word along with how painful it is to look back and ponder. Your writing has left me intrigued with this concept, since all of us must experience change and leaving the past behind. Nicely written!

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  2. Very powerful words and use of questions. Time is an unfortunate thing that we ALL wish we could control so I sympathize, just in differing ways. This was such a great piece of literature that evoked emotion as well as thought! -Joshua Kidwell

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  3. Your story was amazing! The intensity of the details that you provided really kept me on the edge of my seat and I know that the story isn't about you but it was so well written that I really feel like it was all you and your experiences. I love how I felt like I was an onlooker of the main character's life but I just read about a short clip of her life.

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  4. Melody this was such a good read not only because the details of your thought process were so well explained, but also the use of definitions as symbols. It was so real I felt as tough I were watching this whole thing unfold before me. - Joshua Perez

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  5. Melody, this piece was so lovely! From the very first word to the very last, I was intrigued the entire time. I thought the story behind your piece was very interesting and I enjoyed it a lot. I also enjoyed how the piece consisted of your thoughts and your contemplation of love because it was really deep and made me think as well. -Chimi Nebedum

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  6. Hi Melody!
    First off, WOW! You're blog piece was truly such a well written piece and a very interesting read. when I became aware of the end of your piece, I seriously didn't want it to end at all. I wish it never ended so I didn't have so many questions about the characters, but besides that, I really loved it!

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  7. I love your imagery of this story and how I can see this person's perspective of heartbreak. This story breaks my heart as she reflects on what life is. Overall, this is an amazing story.

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  8. This was so captivating and a good way to express the feeling after someone is left heartbroken. The last phrase really got me in the gut after having read it earlier in the narrative, really sets the feeling and the emotions in stone.

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  9. Melody, I really loved the structure of this piece. Its kind of poetic in a way, reflecting the deep thoughts and emotions going through your head after heartbreak. Its bittersweet, as most romances are, and is heavy on the description, which gets the reader empathizing with you. Great job!

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  10. Melody, this was a very good piece and it really made me see the word "almost" in a new perspective. This felt really personal and as I was reading it, I felt the emotion behind the words and connected to the overall story. Great job! -Amber Rich

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  11. Hello Melody. I am impressed with your writing skills, especially the way you wrote the plot. I really like on how you emphasized the word "barely" and "almost" repeatedly and made it connect to the plot. I also appreciate on the usage of vivid imagery especially when you described the apartment it gave an insight to the character perspective. Furthermore I really like on how you used a first person point of view throughout the piece. It gave the audience an insight and made us feel the emotion the character is going through. Also the way you described the heart break really pulled my heart. I really felt what the main character was going through. Overall, this an amazing and beautiful story. Thank You! - Jean Andre Molina Period 4

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  12. Great job on your story! I loved how you had asked the question of love in the beginning and ended it with that same question, it had added great dramatic effect. I wished to keep reading and get more out of what was to happen next because of how the words were so beautifully written. Excellent piece Melody.

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  13. Melody, what an emotional piece you have written. Reading the story made me feel such a wave of sadness as if I myself was the character crying in an airport. You were beautifully able to illustrate the internal struggles of a character's love life and the emotions. Great work!-Paul Aureus

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  14. Melody, the piece was amazing! Because of the way you wrote, every emotion can be easily picked up from the connotation. You can really feel how the speaker was still processing what just occured at the moment. I also liked how you ended the piece with her finally coming to that realization. Good job!

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  15. Hi Melody, I really enjoyed your use of Imagery and pathos in order to portray her heartbreak. I also enjoyed how you made it into a flashback where she thinks about her ex.
    -Karen V.

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  16. I loved reading this piece! The emotion behind it and the thoughtful detail really put the reader in the mind of the narrator. I love the way you ended the piece with a question that left the audience thinking. Great job!

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  17. This was a heart wrenching piece that conveyed extreme sadness and emptiness in the most subtle of ways. I applaud you for your use of imagery and insightful questions. Great work!

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  18. I really liked how you defined and explained the words almost in barely. I think that it showed the effect of having diction with many interpretations. The piece flowed really easily and I enjoyed reading this. I think it’s really cool that you left a chunk of the story up for audience interpretation, in a way. Good job!

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  19. I really enjoyed reading this piece! I loved your use of imagery to set the tone and create such an interesting atmosphere. I could really get a good sense of the emotion that was felt throughout the piece and it really connected to the audience. It was very interesting to see a new perspective on how "barely" and "almost" coincide, yet differ. Overall, great piece!

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  20. First off, that was some really engaging writing and I loved every second of it. Your use of philosophical statements that set up your character's state of mind helped shape a nice picture of your character's emotional state. This coupled with your usage of imagery allowed the story to take on a bittersweet sense of reality that I could relate to. Thanks for the good read. (P.S. Maybe you should make a prologue to this or something.) ~Ryan Kang

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