We left Cambridge about 10:30 am. The weather was fine. Warm and sunny. The roads towards Colchester seemed familiar. Especially A12 that leads to London. By noon we reached the town center. But sadly we missed our appointment with a friend on 11:45 . She had to leave and couldn’t be there meet us. Well too bad. We drove around the neighbourhood and found our last house we lived in. Still the same only the door has a new coat of paint. Across the road, a new neighbourhood laid out in place of an old factory. It was about 25 years ago so changes should be expected. The buildings that remained unchanged have become dilapidated.
Colchester has the same sights, sound and smell of autumn flowers. We walked the Castle Park and the beautiful gardens and flowers were as awesome as before. We frequently came here with the kids when the weather was good. Summertime has the best atmosphere especially the freshly cut grass and the summer flowers. Awfully quiet at times but always fun to be there.
The rain stopped as we were about to leave. We left this place long time ago with the hearts and minds now detached from it. It’s okay now we are not gonna return; time to let go. Just like University of Essex ; I did not stop for a picture or anything. Put it behind me and safely secured at the far corner of my mind. I moved on.
The last stop was the birthplace of Maryam- Colchester Hospital. On a sunny day one weekend, I left my three other kids at home to take Umi to the hospital. A few hours later , Maryam came to the world. And now, almost twenty five years later, she came back to be there again.
The road to London was packed and the drizzle made the roads slippery. Cautious driving slowed down the traffics.
By 4 pm we reached the homestay and settled in. Later we need to return the car to Gatwick Airport —— on the other part of London. The journey took about an hour and a half. As my son pulled the car out, it scratched the side door. Oouch! It was soft scrapes but pretty obvious nevertheless. I drew a big sigh as that would not go well. Only if I were a bit faster to help him pull the car out, thing could be different.
The journey back to the house took us about two hours by train. I was flat out.
