Kepingan Narasi

Midsommar: A Swedish Summer

September, 2024.
To the summer that I wish could last a little longer.

“You know the winter is cold, right? And dark? And long?” he asked.

I can still hear his voice echoing in my studio apartment. He left two days ago, but I can't seem to move on. His scent, his voice, his glances, his left over canned coffee, his toothbrush, and the photographs that he took—everything lingers in my room, like artefacts in the museum.

“The long winter only makes summer even more meaningful. And the summer…is beautiful, no? Didn't we have a good time?” I murmured into his neck, clinging to his body as if it's gonna be the last time. Well, maybe it could be, now that I think of it.

He pulled me closer and placed me on top of the kitchen island. He leaned close, very close that I was afraid he could hear my heartbeat, “That we did. One of the greatest summers in my life.” he smiled.

“One of?” I raised my eyebrows and put on a playful smile.

“Okay…the greatest, then. Satisfied?” he asked after placing a soft kiss on my lips.

“You're making this hard.” I pouted.

“Me? You're blaming me? You're the one who invited me. Remember? I simply complied.”

“Well, considering that I gave you the greatest summer of your life, I didn't do such a poor job.” I chuckled, but then very quickly I turned away, “I only didn't expect this.”

“What? This?” he looked slightly annoyed but then menacingly smiled and proceeded to placed a few kisses on my face.

“So, please….stay. Not only for the summer.” I pleaded, looking deep into his green eyes. He smiled but looked at me with sadness. There's this longing in his eyes that he could not hide.

"You know I can't...I really want to, though." he kissed the top of my head, and cupped my cheeks, "We will meet again, okay? At least in our dreams." he smiled softly, before giving me a deep kiss. A bittersweet kiss.

If you think this was a summer fling, you are absolutely right. Will and I connected over a post crossing–something that I subscribed to during the pandemic. Once you sign up, you can send letters to strangers. Yes, the old school way, with stamps and everything. I wrote to a few people, but the only person that kept writing even after the pandemic was over, is Will.

Will is from Austria but has lived in Spain the past two years. He moved there once he finished his postgrad degree in political science, and started working as a consultant for a multinational company. Geopolitics and things that I don't understand myself. What I do understand is, Will loves the sun. He could spend hours surfing and swimming, or both, in the open ocean. Hence, Spain is the place for him.

Will always travels during the summer, mostly to go home. But after his parents went through a rough divorce, he didn't have the appetite to go home anymore. So, I invited him to Stockholm  to celebrate midsommar—or midsummer—and then to spend the rest of the summer here in Sweden.

"Sweden is a cold country, but the summer is magical, especially the midsummer." I wrote to him.

I didn't think of anything when I asked him to come, didn't think he'd agree to it as well, but he said yes.

"Would love to experience a summer with less than 30 degrees. And check out what the midsommar cult is all about." he teased.

If you think midsummer is short for middle of summer, you'd be wrong. It's the longest day of the year, some might say 'summer solace'. And no, it’s also NOT some kind of horror rituals, whatever that movie tells you. After six months of full-blown winter, it's the celebration to mark the beginning of summer season. And it is very important to the Swedes, including me.