A Bite of Home

Posted on by Bulbul

By the time Rick Campbell reached his home, it was almost dark. The sun was hovering around the edges of the horizon on the far west coast and the chill in the air was enough to make teeth rattle but Rick seemed to feel nothing in his flannel shirt as he took his time to remember the pocket in which his keys were.

The funeral service had been long and brutal; he had stood there, politely, with nothing but sheer exhaustion on his face and received condolences from people who he didn’t know, all day. He had never realised until this afternoon that his wife was indeed some sort of local celebrity chef; people from all across the town had come and tried to share his grief. Only if they knew that he wanted nothing but to sleep and wake up only when this would make sense to him.

He sat on the couch, in his spot and tried to shed some of the weariness of his aged limbs but couldn’t. He was grateful for the extreme numbness which had descended upon him since the terrible day of Jenny’s demise; it had taken over his entire bodily system making him feel nothing and that was good because he wasn’t ready.

For the first time in almost 30 years, he tried to look at his living room. There were several small pieces of decoration littered across the room, all of which he remembered exactly when and why his wife had bought but the room still felt strange, like he was in the house of someone else. He roamed in the entire house to get rid of this unsettling feeling but only felt like a stranger, again.

Working mechanically, he removed his clothes to the bare minimum and opened the refrigerator only to silence the grumbling coming from his stomach which was churning acid for the past day. He was glad that there was some leftover lasagna – the last from his wife’s cooking.

As he heated the dish, the all too familiar aroma filled the kitchen and suddenly everything started losing its strangeness; the house recolored itself to a color which he was familiar with. He took a bite and for a moment he was home.

Photo by Anna Guerrero from Pexels

This was written for the 10th edition of The Saturday Symphony hosted by our very own amazing Jude. Although the topic required to write about our personal ‘Soul Food’ but I am sharing this short piece instead (I hope it’s okay) which tries to feature the soulfulness which food have. I would love to know what you guys think about it.

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© 2019-2020 Bulbul. All rights reserved.

Published by Bulbul

A young writer from India who has loved stories since she was able to understand one. Now, she tries weaving them herself.

25 thoughts on “A Bite of Home”

    1. Thank you, Jude! I am super glad and also a bit relieved to know that you like it.
      It was my pleasure to join in on the fun, hate that I couldn’t do it much sooner.
      (also, sorry to reply so late, I have just been deadly ill for the past few days.)

      Liked by 2 people

  9. Akanksha, this gave me the tingles all through. It made me think of my dad and maybe what it was like for him at some point after my mom died. So well written. Your fiction is so evocative it feels like nonfiction. I love it. Very inspiring.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Ahh! I hate to have bring that to your surface, it couldn’t have been easy but it is always amazing to have your support, Lia! I appreciate it a lot, thank you so much!
      (So sorry for a late reply, just have been terribly ill for past few days)
      I hope you are doing better. Much love xoxo

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Hey lovely, it was not hard at all… my dad was fortunate, but also in part to the loving people my mom and him are/were; he had a near-immediate and intense support network around him in the first two weeks especially, and also my mom wasn’t big on cooking haha so the details don’t match your story, but your story beautifully shows the feelings of what it must be like to be missing one’s “other half.” I loved it.
        I’m so sorry to hear you’ve been ill. I’m feeling a bit under the weather myself so I can completely relate. Take good care of yourself dear A. I feel so sad I didn’t manage to post my butterfly effect story. But whims did not align this time, I suppose. Or I simply allowed distraction and inner critics to take the reigns, as I sometimes do. Sigh. Sending much love and healing vibes to you. And thanks for all you do. 💖💖

        Liked by 2 people

        1. Oh! It is really reassuring to know that your father was lucky enough to have a close network of loving people (including you and your family, of course), many aren’t so lucky.
          As for the story, I can only imagine what one must go through when the person who has been your home for decades suddenly vanishes. The things around, no matter how familiar they might be, may seem strange; the whole life for that matter. And eating that last cooked meal which you know will be your last might be so much more than food. But that’s just my mind’s way of thinking. 😁
          I think it is the changing season that has people all around feeling unwell (although I know this may not be true to your geographical location). I am doing much better now and hope the same for you. Take care, dear Lia.
          Don’t worry at all about the story, I understand, it is futile to force it when things aren’t just ready to make sense. 😉 I also haven’t done much on the blog front majorly due to the lack of health but I’ll try from this week.
          Sending you health and sunshine, much love, A

          Liked by 2 people

          1. Thank you Akanksha… and I did post the butterfly poem in the end. :)) I am so sorry to hear you’re not feeling well. Please take very good care of yourself! 🤗🌻💕🍵🔆 xoxoxo

            Liked by 1 person

    1. 😁😁 Can’t really argue with both the versions, actually but surely having fav meal is an upside in every situation! Thank you so much, dear, your support means a lot, truly! Cheers 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

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