Memory Fever

It had been a month.

7:09 pm, on a Saturday night, the start of spring break for her. The sun was still up, thank you daylight savings time. She was being driven to the far away tennis courts of Cassia Park. She felt that it was very much needed to spend some time there. Walking over the opposite end of the court, with a breeze hitting her legs along the way, she noticed across the way a children’s party. This brought her back to her 4th birthday party, a fond memory of Dr. Pibb soda, chocolate frosted confetti cake, a picnic table that was set to “birthday zone” and her once-upon-a-time-family singing as she blew out the striped candles. A fond memory, one she would remember as she lay on her deathbed.

As she bent her knees, prepping herself for the starting serve, the breeze that had hit her legs suddenly wafted towards her nose, bringing a sweet scent of sour candy belts and cotton candy. It matched the sun that was slowly drowning itself, she noticed out of the right corner of her eye. Everything seemed at peace… until she had gotten to the point of pure frustration from the fact that her last 22 attempts at a serve were rewarded with the net. What use was playing tennis if you couldn’t even start? Finally, she gathered up all the balls, and told herself to rethink and just get the ball into the proper square, whatever it took. She tried to ace the ball once again, and failed. The next try was feeble, weak, and rather embarrassing for a player of her stature, but by God it landed. And this happened over and over, until she finally got the hang of it.

The sweet scent of the candy would sometimes get caught in the wind, and she would once again be reminded of all the things she was trying to hit away. And those things did not include tennis balls. The bittersweet scent somehow saddened her, but smelled so distinct that she wanted it to be made into a perfume.

As she walked towards the gate, to the car waiting beside the curb, she tried to find the scent among the crisp wind again, to smell the color of the sunset.

But it was nowhere to be found.