Copyright Ted Strutz
Leaving the island is always easier than it is to return.
It seems life arrests mid-stroll, mid-conversation, mid-everything the moment my plane skims away across the waves, only to lurch into motion as I step back onto the jetty years later.
I chatter, to fill the silences.
“Really?” they murmur languidly, eyes glazing, and “…how lovely”.
I steer the conversation to them.
“Oh, you know…” they say, and “… pretty much as ever.”
Why do I feel they’re politely waiting for me to leave again?
And is that a collective sigh of relief I detect above the sea-plane’s accelerating engines?
Two thirds of the way through summer already. 😦 But Friday Fictioneers marches on, whatever the season. Thanks to Rochelle.
castelsarrasin 
Loved the idea of it being easier to leave the island than return
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Thanks for reading, Neil.
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Hmmmm…a welcome outstayed, lives that don’t synch
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Not any more, I guess. 🙂
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Indeed
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Well, this is intriguing.
And the big question – why go? – is left unasked and unanswered.
But I love how ‘they’ are depicted…
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I think people always think ‘going home’ is a big deal. From my experience, it seldom is.
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Laughing. I leave tomorrow for my annual trip ‘home’.
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Dear Sandra,
They say you can never go back home. An overall feeling of discomfort well described. Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks for reading, Rochelle. Safe travels and enjoy!
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Love this. Something about seaplanes has always appealed to me. There’s inherent romance in them, a sense of possibility. You’ve added a layer here.
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Sea planes appeal to me so much I would never dream of setting foot on one. 🙂 Thanks for reading.
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Definitely not a positive experience.
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A duty fulfilled, I guess.
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Gosh, this really reminds of some of my visits to friends in the UK when I was living in Fiji!!
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
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Yes, we’ve made our ‘homes’ in several places, both here, on the continent and in South Africa. Going ‘home’ has seldom fulfilled expectations. 🙂
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As Rochelle said, they say you can never go home again. Makes one wonder why she would bother. Then again, she might be searching for that connection that is not on the other side of the flight and in her new life…
Excellent, Madame!
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Sometimes a sense of duty prevails, and then you realise it wasn’t necessary at all. 🙂
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So true.
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I see a strong metaphor running through it.
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Thanks for reading, Reena.
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Interesting, so much more to this story, which reminds me I must be off😉
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🙂 Bon voyage! Thanks for reading.
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An awkward reunion, perhaps the last time they will make the trip.
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Until the memory wears off, perhaps.
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You make me curious as to the underlying motivations.
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I think people feel they ought to put in an appearance, while for other people, well perhaps they’ve just moved on.
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Went back home for a visit, felt the same. Great capture. It’s true, you really can’t go home again… everything, including you, have changed.
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Glad you recognise the feeling. Have a good week.
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Outsiders not welcome, i’m thinking..
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Someplaces you’re an outsider the moment you step foot off the island. Thanks for reading.
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Reunions can be so awkward. It’s horrible if the comfort zone is never found.
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I agree. 🙂
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I had the same feeling reading this, that it was a return to her homestead, her abandoned and perhaps slightly neglected past. An intriguing intro to a longer work I hope.
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These days I don’t do longer work, sadly. Hard enough sometimes to string 100 words together. 🙂 Thanks for reading;
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Its a jewel as it is. 😊
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I love how you so effortlessly encapsulate the emotions and feelings of not just a person, but an entire community.
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Thank you!
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Some things are better left behind.
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And remembered as they were, perhaps. Thanks Danny.
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Not long ago I returned to the village in France where I lived for several years. I can so relate to your story!
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Thanks for reading Keith. Glad it struck a chord with you. 🙂
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They’re an “outsider” now, I guess.
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Doesn’t take much, I guess.
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This sounds like an insulated group of people. She’s become an outsider. She’s moved on and they haven’t. I’d bet their young people leave when they find it possible. Good story and well written as always, Sandra. 🙂 — Suzanne
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Thank you, Suzanne.
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You portrayed the awkwardness so well, of the one who lives “away” and visits, while those who remain move on without them. Amazing story as alway!
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Thanks for reading, Brenda.
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No nuance of human behaviour is too small for you, is it, Sandra? You’ve turned the trivial experience of returning, marked by embarrassment on side and apathy on the other, into a wonderful story. Kudos!
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Thank you Penny. I always look forward to your visit.
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it looks like a sign she has overstayed her welcome. they just don’t want say it loud.
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I think so.
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An awkward situation, when people just don’t have anything in common any more. I could feel the strain.
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Time to move on, I guess. Thanks for reading.
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May be people from a small island has nothing much to offer in the way of conversation to a city dweller. They may not be able to open up unless they consider a person to be one of them. It happens quite often. Mind is able to pick the vibes.
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Very true.
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A stranger in your own homeland comes to mind. But this is reality, and an experience I have encountered frequently – people just can’t wait for me to leave. Well captured.
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Aww, I’m sure that’s not the case. 🙂
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Leaves a lot of questions. Great read.
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Thank you, Lisa.
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Too bad she has to leave, but Everything and Everyone change. People grow apart, children grow up and go to their new lives. Nothing IS the same ever again – But hey – that’s life -darn-it-all!
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Time marches on, Nan. Thanks for dropping by.
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How sad. I would hate to feel like this. You’ve described it well.
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Thanks, Dawn.
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Dear Friend,
I love hearing the notes of the engines as your thoughts take wing. It isn’t long that matters. It’s the good.
You are. You are. You are.
I’m glad to have heard you flying, Sandra. More than I can say.
Please pack that thought into your carry on and take it with you wherever you go.
Ciao,
Doug
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How lovely to see you’ve dropped by. Rochelle and I were only talking about you the other day. She tells me you’re happy, happier than ever. And that makes me happy too. I’ll pack your comment and take it with me, as I think of you in your new life. With great satisfaction. Take care, old friend.
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