Adorkable Musings

What is it about life that out of nowhere, you get hit with a bite of nostalgia?  Recently, I went to see “Godzilla Minus 1”. It was a good movie, and I highly recommend it.  While watching the movie, I kept having flashes of going to Blockbuster.  There, without fail, I picked a classic film, whether a comedy or a musical; I was pulling from the classics.  This was the mid-nineties, and Blockbuster was the place to be on the weekends. 

At the time, I was already considered an “odd duck.”  I would scour the TV for classic movies and listen to genres that are not the norm in the black community.  To this day, I can still remember my joy at getting my first Walkman.  I could go to the different stations and not worry about my classmates laughing at me.  I feel like I was looking for a place to feel like I fit.  I didn’t know that without a word, someone realized what I needed. 

My dad’s family was huge when I was younger, and the younger kids spent time with different family members.  Sleepovers happened often.  As I got older, my Aunt Bit realized that my needs were slightly different than what my brother and my cousins needed.  Being older than everyone else, I usually sat to the side while they did their activities.  One day, my aunt had me spend the night with her.  We ordered pizza and went to Blockbuster.  One of my teen years’ happiest moments is pizza and Godzilla.   

Going to the movies to see Godzilla gave me that feeling again.  My Aunt Bit passed in March of 2023. While we were together for the funeral, I asked my cousins if they remembered this.  So many years had passed that I thought it was a fake memory.  At her repast, I ran into her stepson.  I asked him if he remembered those weekends, and he did.  It was a very bittersweet moment.  While in the theater, it felt like my aunt was sitting with me.  I hope she was.