memories: Episode 1

date: summer of 1987
age: 8 years old
place: Doha International Airport, Qatar.

She's staring at the seatbelt sign, refusing to blink. she wants to be the first to unfasten her belt when the lights go off. her heart is racing. her mom is putting lipstick, it smells good. she likes her mom's lipstick, sometimes she tries it on, but unlike her mother's full lips, hers are thin, like his.

her heart is racing. she looks at her younger brother, his hands are pre-occupied with He-man and Shera, she studies his little fingers and smiles in her head. Shera is so pretty.

her heart is racing. she's finally going to see him again. the mere thought of it brings a smile to her face. she has two teeth missing and she can feel the new ones coming out.

her heart is racing. is he going to kiss her first? she is so shy.. she doesn't want them to see how much she misses him. she imagines spotting him in the crowd. she imagines running to him. she imagines him lifting her up and turning her around as he always does. she imagines wrapping her arms around his neck and smelling his perfume. Old Spice, or Fehrenheit? it has always been easier for her to close her eyes and see him through his smell, not his pictures. she loves his pictures, but only his perfumes, the bottles he keeps in their room with his other things, could calm her down and make her cry away her longing for him whenever she missed him so much.

her heart is racing. it's been seven months. the sign is finally off.