Page 48 - 2022-2023 Creative Writing

Moving from a stressful place to a peaceful one

The odour of roses greeted me when I walked through the door. I've completely forgotten I knew such

an aroma. It has been 30 years since I left but this smell gave me back each and every memory of

what has been buried under my chest for three decades.

I lived in America for my entire adulthood until now. It has always been a great place for many people

to live but me. I wonder how it took almost 30 years for me to realize that America wasn't good for

me. My wife Natasha and I were only 17 when we moved to America from Russia. We weren't
married then but we were close friends since our parents knew each other for a long time. There is

so much love in friendship, people often forget that. We used to go back and forth just to play

together, because both of us were only children. It felt like millions of heart break when I heard we

had to move away. I wanted to dig a giant hole, so that I can protect me and Natasha's family from
the outsiders.

Unfortunately, it was impossible and we had no choice but to leave our country.

At first everything was messy, chaotic and terrifying. Our two families had to struggle with hygiene

and food problems for months. It is a traumatic experience to think twice about. However, I can still

remember the anomic wet atmosphere I had to face every day in order to get clean drinking water.
The cold wind that made me stay awake every night had to reveal itself again today. Here I am. Once

again with this cold wind whistling around me but this time, I am in front of my childhood house. It will

be a lie if I say the house hasn't changed a bit because nothing ever stays the same after 30 years. I
cannot believe I'm here, again, to live.

America is a place where my house was located but Russia was where my home always was. Maybe

America would be a better place for me to live if my beautiful wife hadn't died from cancer at a

young age. I hope I will be happy here without people worrying about how I'm doing, but with all the
memories I've built up with her.

10A Khuslen .B