Weve all experienced it, we Bratlanders. Its our national symbol, the cardboard box. Its the charter of our shared identity, from whatever branch of service, at any time, the transfer. When youre very young, even when you are aware of the inevitability of a good friends departure, it doesnt phase you. For you a school year is an eternity. But then theres that special individual or two that really becomes a part of your psyche. For me it was a little strawberry blond girl with freckles. The last time I saw her was in the dreaded month of April. We had been roller skating around the island and, strangely enough, ended up skating inside the ferry terminal. I remember her unsteady grin as we just sat looking at each other. Then she was gone. The Bratlanders resilience in the face of such separation is based on his or her ability to fixate on and find comfort in elements of the environment that will never change. I knew I would always have the ice cream vending machine in the ferry waiting room on Whitehall street. Oh how I loved that immovable dispenser of frozen joy! I knew it would never leave me...
Posted on: Sat, 09 Aug 2014 18:53:11 +0000