Nostalgia Magic
February 15th, 2021
Starring: A & B (Millenial-ish)
The kitchen of B’s childhood home, evening. A and B are digging into a plate of slice and bake sugar cookies, fresh out of the oven.
B
A little crispy, no?
A
We overbaked them a bit. But I don’t mind it.
…
B
They’re not as good as I remembered.
A
They’ve never been.
B
So why did we think they were?
A
Nostalgia magic.
B
Is that a real concept?
A
It’s what I call it. I’ve gone back and tried Lunchables, Yu-Gi-Oh, Lizzie McGuire, Harry Potter. None of them were that good. Even then, they weren’t. But since they hold childhood significance, they get sensationalized in our brains.
B
I feel that. Like a veil’s lifted.
It kind of hurts.
A
Yeah. It’s like a bad breakup with your old self. But it’s part of evolution.
…
B
I wonder if it’s like that with not culture things.
Like...people.
Like in third grade my teacher was having a baby so we had a full semester substitute. And everyone loved her, like, more than the actual teacher. So did I.
But then we would do those all-addition or all-multiplication speed sheets in class and I would be so slow, and she would get like...really fixated on me?
There was one month where like twice a week she kept me in the room while everyone else went to lunch. She gave me another sheet, and she wouldn’t let me go to lunch until I finished. And I was so slow that it would take me most of the hour, so by the time I was done lunch was almost over and I never ended up eating that much.
And I was cool with it. I just let it happen because she was nice.
But like...she wouldn’t let me eat.
...
I’ve never really thought about that. Until I guess...now
…
A
Shit.
That’s like...trauma. Capital T-Trauma.
B
Yeah
Freaking nostalgia magic.
B thinks through it. A is unsure of what to exactly do. Luckily, B breaks the silence:
B
You know what I bet breaks the rule…?
A
What?
B opens the fridge and removes the remaining log of cookie dough. B takes a knife and cuts off two round hunks, handing one to A. B holds theirs up, as a toast.
B
Well...here’s to uncovering abuse.
A
And Salmonella.
B
Bottoms up
They “cheers” cookie doughs and shove them in their mouths. They chew.
A’s eyes widen. B just smiles.
A
Woah
Woahhhhh
B
Yep
Still holds up.