Lost In The Memory

Chapter 2: Augustine - The Night under the White Cheese.

Dear Diary,

I woke up in the morning around six, got ready for the first day of school as quickly as possible, and said bye to my aunt. Reached the school on time in my car. I hung out with the Divergents — The Smart Guys. James and Betty arrived late. It was a fun reunion until it was sabotaged by Inez. The rest of the day was pretty boring. During lunch, in the cafeteria, we decided to spend the night in the woods behind the mall. It was a fun idea. Este and I were tasked with bringing proper food and beverages. I went to the store with Este to buy supplies. At night, we regrouped at the mall and had quite an experience in the woods. 

Augustine.

I hope everyone starts their entry this way. This is quite putting-off. I no longer wonder why most people can't keep a habit of writing a diary.

I got inspired by my friend Betty. She advised me to pour my heart out, to pen down my feelings, or thoughts, or describe the events of the day.

Poetry has piqued my interest in the last few months. I try to write poems. I have been writing them daily for a while. I initially intended to write the events of the day in a poetic form. To try and surmise the day in the form of a poem perhaps. But that wasn't feasible.

Let's try diary writing.

It was a cruel summer for me. When the world couldn't get any better, someone ensured to make it horrible for me. I had planned to go to India for a two-week trip along with my family. From there, we were to fly off to Bali for a week.

Sounds wonderful right? 

I was playing chess with my dad. He is excellent at it. I played with him now and then to improve my game, also because it helps sharpen our minds.

We were playing in the living room. He was watching the football game on the T.V. most of the time owing to my prolonged thinking. When it would be his turn, he would ponder at the board for a minute or so, play his move, and go back to watching the game. Mom would make some cookies to make it all the more entertaining. This was the usual norm on every weekend or holiday unless we went out for a family outing.

That day was different, I was gaining the upper hand on him by putting him in a tough spot. He sacrificed the knight to buy himself some time. He knew how to save himself from tight spots. The tables were slowly turning. Me being his darling daughter, he would let me win to lift my spirits, and he was clearly doing that whilst munching the cookies. He had an unusual way of eating cookies. He would crumble the cookies into little pieces with his hands and then munch on those tiny pieces. Though messy, it was his way of enjoying every bit of it. Live every moment to the fullest, he would often say. I was trying to find a way to beat him. He told me to think harder, and I was clearly taking time, like a lot of time. My dad said, "Mom and I are gonna run by the store for some essentials for the trip. Don't forget to use the secret." He walked away winking at me.

He referred to the secret to finding what you want. The secret is to close your eyes, look through, and realize. When you open your eyes, you will find what you have been seeking. My dad has trained me over the years with this routine that he learned years ago. It didn't work for me in the beginning. It does now. I guess every mom knows about this trick, and they have been hiding it from their children because whenever I am looking for something, my mom finds it at a spot where it wasn't in the first place.

After they left, I was deeply engrossed in the game. I kept pondering at the chessboard, trying all the possible moves and their outcomes in my mind. I had to predict my father's moves, know thy enemy, he used to say. After an hour of scratching my head and pulling my hair, I found a way. If I moved my queen a few steps, I will checkmate the king and turn victorious. That was it. Once my parents returned, I would checkmate dad and win for the first time.