Christmas Connection

Until Dusk (Part 4)

It was fairly late in the afternoon now in Gothenburg, the time where you could get a glimpse of the sun finally rising and being present for a couple of hours, until darkness envelops everything again. I was now lounging in the living room, finally making use of the retro mahogany colored leather recliner that was barely used. Come to think of it, there are many unconventional items littered around in the house that were untouched, unkempt, and unruly. In many ways it resembles an antique museum. Either way, I was spending time in the living room mainly because Perry's phone died, so we resorted to communicating via zoom again. Besides, it was the place where I spent most of my time on Christmas, chatting and playing some board games with my family.

"So there's no sunlight for the rest of the day? Even in the mid-afternoon?" Perry questioned after I explained about the daylight hours in Sweden during winter.

"Yes... it's also the main reason why many people have depression," I added.

"Like seasonal depression."

"I think so."

"Here in Australia, it's sunny almost all the time, especially during summer. I feel like it keeps getting hotter and hotter each year."

"Climate change?"

"I think so... Aside from there being little sunlight, Sweden doesn't sound too bad. I mean you have snow and all."

"True. I wish I could say more but I have never been outside of my city so my knowledge on Sweden is very limited."

"Really? You've never been to a theme park?"

"Nope."

"Fair?"

"No."

"Shopping mall?"

"Still no."

"How is this possible?"

"My parents were always busy and neglected me my entire life."

"I don't even know what to say.... I don't want to brag or anything but I've been to those places."

"Because you finally moved out?"

"Before that as well actually."

"How come? I thought your parents didn't want anything to do with you."

Perry went silent. Then her mouth starts to twitch as if she wanted to say something but she didn't know how. The only thing I could do was watch and pretend that my computer was glitching. As if Perry realized something was wrong, she quickly shook her head and ran a hand over her face.

"Sorry about that. And for your information that happened long before my parents turned their back on me," Perry said stoically.

"How did they turn their back on you?" I asked instinctively.

"Doesn't matter. So you've spent a lot of time on the internet..."

"That's an understatement," I interjected. "I spend almost my entire life on it."

"How come you don't wear glasses? I mean you must be a bit short-sighted given the amount of time you spent online."

"You don't have glasses."

"I'm long-sighted."

"Alright. To answer your question, I don't know. I don't really need to see things from a great distance and I don't have trouble doing mundane tasks," I said earnestly, as Perry nodded in understanding.

"Is there a place that you wanted to visit?" Perry inquired, with a hint of curiosity. "It can be as vague or as specific as you want."

"That's an interesting question..." I muttered, whilst trying to think of an answer. "There are many places..."