Monday
15Jan
Those were the days that I will never forget
Monday, January 15, 2007 at 11:26AM Those were the days that I will never forget
By Driss R. Temsamani
As I drifted slowly, I was invaded by warm felling. I could hear familiar music, I could see friendly faces, and then a weird sensation took over my face! It was a smile, a smile that I have not felt since those days that I will never forget.
Do you remember? When you were 16? The friends you used to have, the music you listened to, the cloths you wore and how you brushed your hair.
Remember the nights of Ramadan, Eid Parties, and the Sunday pick-nicks with the family? And then summer, do you remember? Your first innocent crush? Was it your neighbor, a school mate? Did they live overseas? Remember the first look? I bet you have a song that reminds you of those days. Can you hear it now? You remember how many times and how long you stood in the street waiting for that person to cross your way? And the stories you made up about why you got home so late that day? Remember the movies that you watched and the hero that you thought were you? We were sad, we were happy and those were the days that I will never forget.
Do you remember the days of sitting on the porch of the house with few friends and making plans for the future and where you were going to go after high school? The mere thought of dreaming made us feel like we were there already. Some talked about France, others Belgium, Canada, few dreamed about the USA but no one had an idea where they will end-up. Remember? Do you remember what you wanted to be when you grew-up? A pilot, a doctor, a teacher, an army general or a business man. No one had an idea but it felt good to dream and those were the days and I will never forget.
Too young to have a driver license and your dad’s car was always missing. Full to the max, windows down, the music loud, and every one singing with the tapes without knowing the words. It was all good, no one knew better and those were the days and I will never forget.
Weddings, who can forget? The way you got dressed, the way you walked and danced. The way you looked at people and spoke. You sure acted older and mature. After all it was a way to meet your dream love. And then that magic moment when you walked by your mother while she was sitting with your future in-law and she says “Oh! You have grown so much and you are so good looking.” Those words will never go away from my ears and those were the days and I will never forget.
And how can we forget about the first time we skipped school. Now that was an adventure. Did you go to the beach? Or a party? Was it the movies or just a hangout in a building lobby? Oh! Those were the days and I will never forget.
Do you remember your first letter? First phone call with that special some one? First fasting of the 27th of Ramadan? First field trip with school? Remember Loosing that special someone? When morocco played in the world cup? Remember when you felt that every one did not understand and the only one that cared was your best friend? Ah how those are the days that I will never forget.
I will never forget, my father’s blessing before I went to my final BAC test, my mother’s prayer when I left the house to go to school every morning, my grandmother’s hug when I was sick, my sister’s tears on her wedding night. I will never forget my high school math teacher, the funny guy who made his life hell during class, the smell of the classroom, the breaks we got between classes and the subjects we used to discuss and argue about. I will never forget the walks we took before and after school, the warm bread and pastries we ate while we rushed home before 6, the short stop at the little shops and how much I wanted those new fashion Levis jeans. I will not forget the summer, the sun, the surf and the 2 to 6 PM afternoon parties. We were the stars and the producers, what a feeling! Those were the days and I will never forget.
Today I felt a strange nostalgia from the past. It was that song that I played when I woke-up. Like a bubble in the bottom of the ocean of my memories I rose up while looking down. How sad it felt to leave those days that I will never forget.