time and the fireplace
sitting down on a woven rattan chair, my left leg being roasted by the fire and my right cold from the wind coming from the door.
my grandfather sat outside with a cigarette between his fingers and tapping on his phone, playing a bingo game of some sort, phone on max volume and the occasional chaching! sound is heard every 2 minutes. my brother is somewhere upstairs, probably on his phone. my dad too. my grandmother behind me on the one seater couch, legs on top of the armrest, made herself comfortable to take a nap. a quiet evening for us.
i am home in the province for a couple of days. here, i would spend most of my time in front of the fire, reading, but mostly sitting in front of the fireplace. i would be in charge of doing the task of moving the wood around, giving the fire more to eat, basking myself in the warmth it provided. the flames dancing, the heat warming me up, the shades of orange and bright yellows were mesmerising, the smoke and brightness from the fire were like enchantments for me to fall asleep.
my brother is taller than all of us. often being mistaken as the first child since we arrived here in the province, that's all i heard from the elderly we pass by and have small chats with.
i haven't seen my father for years. physically, he never changed at all. in fact, he even looks younger. he has highlights on his hair, which my grandmother was not a fan of, but we laughed it off. my grandfather doesn't look that much different as well, maybe a bit more wrinkles on the face, but still the same. if you ask me if there's a difference between 4 years, i would say not that big of a change.
my grandmother looks older. she has more wrinkles, more white hair, which i can no longer pick one by one to get rid the traces of aging. she also couldn't walk down the stairs properly. she comes down the stairs like my other grandmother. one leg down, followed by the other on the same step, the same again, until she reaches the bottom of the stairs.
my grandparents are getting old. you can't help but feel robbed with time lost during the pandemic.
April 2022