Memories of the Summer

ELLE LIS
4 min readJun 27, 2023

From where I come from, I only get to experience two seasons — the rainy season and the dry season.

Summer has been gone for a while now.

Bright sunlight and scorching heat index with humidity like walking on a cotton soaked in hot water.

During this time, I am mostly reminded of summer romantic movies. Whether it’s an unintended meeting by the beach, a fleeting holiday romance, or a budding love story during the lazy summer days. These movies beautifully portray the joy, passion, and bittersweet nature of summer love. Never have I ever imagine I would be engaging in a story of my own — oh I would love one that is true and lasting but in the truest form of those summer romantic stories I’ve watch little did I know it would also be alike — lasting no longer than the summer itself.

What a strange feeling it was, a story I am scuffling to write, a music that was disheartening to listen to and a view that was wounding to watch.

It was brief, almost true but yet the most agonizing state I was put into — I will spare you the details, let’s just say it happened and then it didn’t.

Feeling alone and empty handed — those were the immediate impact, however a great experience almost tangible but still made it to my life. A story I am pretty sure I would be rolling on the floor laughing once I recall in the further future. But at those moment I saw the fragile in me, the vulnerable part that I was too reserved to allow anyone to see and the happy yet protective instinct. It was as cliché as it sounds some of the best and worst moments, I have experience in that aspect. I’m no teen nor an early twenties gal, I am in fact in my late twenties basing all these on a few thus far uniquely woven encounters growing up with the same crazy little thing called love.

8.4961° N, 123.3034° E

It was fun
It was fun
It was fun
While it lasted

While it lasted

It’s an empty glass
It’s a stone-cold shot in the darkness
‘Nother story you’ve heard
‘Nother girl walks into a bar
When I caught your stare
For a second there, I almost believed in love

It was fun (it was fun)
It was fun (it was fun)
It was fun
While it lasted

While it lasted

It was fun for a while
We had so many dreams
Love is so out of style
What the hell did we think?
Oh-oh, I almost believed in love

Fun While It Lasted

I have been listening to this song over and over again (not the best thing to do by the way you will only hurt yourself even more, but I guess science can prove although it does add to the hurt you are feeling, it somehow helps you validate the emotions wanting to burst) telling myself to believe at least it was fun.

It’s a memory of this year’s summer I wouldn’t trade for anything, for what it’s worth I am grateful I was able to experience such a chapter in my life. A moment that made me closer to friends and family that I have shared this worse luck story with, a moment that exposed me to the unseen possibilities of my heart and mind when it comes to loving, forgiving, letting go and moving on.

A beautiful day at the beach last April

Summer, typically, is a long holiday for me, looking up great vacation resorts, staycation hotels, catchup with friends, island hopping and for these days even café hopping. Once in a while it’s fun to have twist on the plot only this year it was a plot that I wouldn’t necessarily wish for anyone only considering the pain and struggles it brought to me, but if in view of the invaluable lessons and stories of how I strive maybe only then I yearn for you to have that memory on your next summer.

ELLE LIS

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