Magnetic Souvenirs

  • 15 Feb - 21 Feb, 2025
  • Mag The Weekly
  • Fiction

Sorrows
Allison is admitted to hospital, where her parents arrive from Los Angeles and take care of her day and night. Allison has not gained proper consciousness since a week after Kennedy’s death report. Her parents Mr. and Mrs. Gosling are very much worried about her.

One night at the hospital, Allison finally wakes up regaining her consciousness and gets sort of stunned. Her mother looks at her and says:

‘Allison everything’s alright, we’re with you’

‘No Mom…I’ve lost someone very special’

‘I know all about what happened with you’

‘But I don’t believe it, I mean Kenny can’t die that way…he can’t leave me like this’

‘Allison don’t take stress right now, doctors said you need a lot of rest’

Allison slowly began to weep and then cried out loudly that she could hardly breath. She was thinking about Kennedy and was again realizing the fact that she had lost him second time but forever.

Mr. Gosling arrives and gets quiet disturbed seeing her daughter in such a condition.

The Gosling family was almost shattered, as they had nothing left in except for sorrows. Kennedy’s death took away Allison’s purpose of living a life. Now she was only alive for the sake of her upcoming child, who was a sort of indirect precious gift to her by Kennedy. And secondly she was alive for her parents. She didn’t care about what Kennedy said to her about being strong.

Few months later, Allison who had given birth to her child Eric returns back to her home with her parents as they have decided to continue living in San Diego at Claude’s home.

The day she returned home, she kept Kennedy’s all the precious souvenirs with herself. The souvenirs included all the cards, the skirt, the handbag and also Kennedy’s items, which were the photograph and a bouquet of blue flowers. She had everything except for the heart shaped necklace, which Kennedy had taken away with him while he was arrested.

Ten Years

Two years after Kennedy’s death, Allison is physically better, but mentally and spiritually she has grown quiet weak. Every month she goes to the cemetery and puts blue flowers on Kennedy’s grave. Her love for him is still as strong as it was earlier for him, only because of the memorable souvenirs that reminded him of her love.

Within next few years, she gains a little sense of responsibility and takes charge on her duties. She joins a hospital as a nurse’s job. But still her family income is not much to fulfill her and Eric’s luxurious requirements.

When Eric gets almost seven years old, Mr. Gosling dies, due to which her sorrows move a little from Kennedy to her father, but still no reduction occurs in her love for Kennedy. She begins to realize that slowly everyone was moving out from her life and she was about to be all-alone with her son.

One day when Eric is having a vacation from school, she decides to tell her a secret that she had been hiding from him since his childhood. So while Eric is watching television, she enters the room and switches off the television by picking up the remote. She says:

‘Eric, give me one moment please’

‘But Mom, I’m missing my favorite television show’

‘There’s something more that you have missed’

‘What are you talking about?’

‘Son, tell me what do you know about your father?’

‘My father was Kennedy Ipkiss, who died when I was very young. This is all you have been telling me since childhood, right?’

‘Wrong!’ she claims, ‘Today I’ll tell you the truth about your father. Claude Ricci was your real father’

She takes out a photograph of her marriage with Claude and shows it to him. Seeing the picture, Eric says:

‘Then where is he? And if he’s my father then who’s Kennedy Ipkiss?’

‘The fact is that when I was expecting you to be born, Mr. Claude tried to kill you’

‘Kill me? You mean my own father tried to…’

‘…Yes’ she interrupts as she couldn’t hear such words from her son, ‘But Mr. Ipkiss who loved me with all his heart and whom I still love now saved your life. And today if you’re alive then it’s because of Kennedy, which is why I claim him to be your deserving father’

‘Oh no, I should have known about this earlier’

Their conversation continues on the subject. And afterwards they leave their home and go to visit Kennedy’s grave.

Almost ten years passed away since Kennedy died. Allison spent every day and night thinking about him. She kept all the souvenirs with her, especially the art gallery’s photograph. She also knew that Kennedy had a desire of having an artistic portrait of both of them entitled, ‘Allie and Kenny’.

The Doubt

2013

At the cemetery, Allison was sitting next to Kennedy’s grave weeping silently,

‘It's been ten years, I've lost you since’.

Moments later, she is driving her car with Eric sitting next to her. Within few minutes as they reach their home, Allison parks her car outside, and goes towards the door of her bungalow. As she takes out the keys, she finds something wrapped in a cloth outside her gate. Eric picks it up and gives it to her. She unwraps it and sees the heart shaped necklace that belonged to her, which was Kennedy’s gift to her. She gets quiet shocked as she wasn’t expecting this since years.

Inspector Lon who had grown quiet old comes from behind, she turns around and gets more confused,

‘Sir what’s going on? Who sent this?’

‘Let me explain’

‘I don’t want any explanation, just tell me who gave you this neck lace’

‘Kennedy’

‘And you’re giving it to me after ten years?’

‘No actually he gave these to me right now’

‘Now? What the hell do you mean?’

‘Ok now please remain silent’ he says angrily, ‘Kennedy Ipkiss is still alive. He never died at the hospital. He had actually recovered and on court’s order he was just given an imprisonment of ten years for Claude’s murder. So we safely took him to central jail and kept him for complete ten years’

‘Kennedy’s alive?’ she sighs holding her hair in an extreme shock, ‘I swear to God, I’m not lying, to be very honest I always had a doubt in my heart that he’s still alive. But I kept on overcoming that doubt…and I can guarantee that you are not telling any lies or making jokes’

‘Anyways, I was sent here to inform you about this…’

‘…But sir I just don’t get one thing that why did you hide this, and made that fictional story, and a fake grave’

‘We all did that on Kennedy’s order or more probably a request. He wanted to spread this rumor of his death’

‘When will he be released?’

‘Two days later, anyways I have to leave. Thank you Ma’am’

Inspector leaves in his bike. Allison keeps on standing and tears come in her eyes and she keeps on rubbing her eyes but the tears keep on flowing. She begins to cry out soundly unaware of the reason, but at the moment she was very much upset with Kennedy who kept her distressed since ten years.

The Most Memorable Confrontation

Two days later, Kennedy who seemed quiet old as he had grown a little beard and had quiet a long hair out of which twenty percent hair was white. He was walking at the corridor of the central jail and after reaching the main gate. He leaves the place and walks forward. As he looks straight, he sees Allison standing in the long skirt, which he had presented her as a gift. A strange sort of fear comes in his heart, but he keeps on walking towards her. As he looks more closely, he sees her holding the heart shaped necklace.

He stands next to her and says feeling shy:

‘Hi Allison…how are you?’

‘Talk about yourself, are you ok?’

‘Well, I’m right in front of you’ he says nervously.

‘Kenny do you know how much you have disappointed me?’

‘Sorry’ he says lightly trying to talk of something else, ‘Allison you have grown so beautiful, I want to praise your beauty’

‘Kenny why did you made me hear lies?’ she says being straightforward.

‘Well I, anyways let’s move out of this place first, shall we?’

‘We’re not moving anywhere until I get my answers!’ She exclaims angrily.

‘Look Allison I don’t want to talk about it right now’

‘But I do, so first tell me why did you spread this rumor of your death’

Kennedy gets irritated and looks aside and then making up his mind, he answers:

‘I won’t tell any lies, so just listen to me carefully. I knew if you would come to know about my ten years imprisonment, then you would definitely wait for me all these years and that stressed up life would never let you live happily’

‘Oh and does this life which you gave me made me happy? You mean that your death’s news would reduce my stresses’

‘I know you’ve suffered a lot because of me, but I always wanted you to have my blissful memories and remain strong. Honestly speaking, I wanted you to get married, so that you could forget me by time’

‘Kenny if you considered me to be an unfaithful lover, then you were wrong, because I’m not married yet to anyone’

‘You’re not?’ He asks getting surprised, ‘You didn’t marry anyone in these ten years’

‘Why am I here for you? Don’t you see that?’

‘Oh my God’

‘Kenny I love you very much and I’m sure that you do as well. But I won’t forgive you for what you did to me’

‘Allison if you can then try to understand that I did such a thing not to make you suffer, but to give a new and perhaps a better turn to your miserable life. I just wanted you to get married, so that someone could take care of your child as well’

Allison remains silent and realizes that he had only been sincere and he was not to be blamed for what happened with her.

‘And Allison don’t forget that just like you I also passed painful years in this cell’

Saying this Kennedy leaves her alone and walks towards the road and leaves the town in a bus.

The Gift

Next morning, Kennedy comes to Allison’s home, and rings her doorbell. After a minute, Eric comes and opens the door. Looking at him, Eric says:

‘Father you’re back, Mom used to say you died a long time ago and yesterday she was saying that you have come back. What’s going on father?’

‘Kid, what did your Mom tell you about your father?’

‘She said that my real father was Claude but I should consider you as your father’

Kennedy remains silent and realizes how much Allison loved him as she claimed him to be her husband. He looks behind Eric and sees Allison coming towards the gate. He stands straight and looks at her in the eyes, she comes and says:

‘Kenny I knew you would come to my place’

‘Well Allison…’

‘…Oh please Kenny call me Allie, I don’t like Allison from you. Anyways I just want to say that I’m really sorry for being rude yesterday. I should have known that you were always trying to sacrifice yourself for my happiness and my better. I know my words disappointed you yesterday but…’

‘…Excuse me Allie’ he interrupted acting strange, ‘are you talking to me?’

Allison remains silent for a while looking at him, she realizes that he was not upset with her and was never before. So seeing him smiling at her she delightfully hugs him. Kennedy also hugs and they keep on expressing their love this way, for quiet a long time.

As they let go, Kennedy looks at her in romance and says:

‘Allie will you marry me please?’

‘Of course’ she smiles, ‘but first I want to give you something’

She goes inside and Kennedy waits for her outside.

‘So kid what’s your name?’ he asks Eric.

‘Eric Ipkiss’ Eric replies.

‘Oh very nice, I like it with Ipkiss’

Allison comes outside running with a gift wrapped in a wrapping paper.

‘Here Kennedy…this is for you’

‘Wow Allie! What is it?’ he smiles taking the gift.

He gently unwraps the gift and sees that the gift was actually something that he had desired since a long time ago. It was an artistic portrait, which had his and Allison’s painted drawing in which he was holding a bouquet of blue flowers, with Allison wearing the heart shaped necklace. With blue color it was painted, ‘Allie and Kenny’. He gets quiet sentimental and says:

‘Oh Allie, how can I thank you?’

‘We should actually thank these souvenirs, due to which our love remained alive’

‘You’re right but love never dies’

‘And our fate should also be thanked, which was made by God’

‘Yeah, you know Allie last night I made a sort of philosophy about us’

‘Oh, then please share it with me’

‘There was as an iron and a steel, the metals which were connected because of some magnets…they both were separated with iron taking away few magnets and a steel taking away few magnets…But the magnetic force was too strong that it kept them apart only for a little time. Eventually, the magnetic force attracted each other that the iron and steel got back together. Do you get it?’

‘Wow man, it’s beautiful, Kenny you’re so creative’

‘Can you tell me what were the magnets?’

‘The souvenirs of course and Allie and Kenny were the metals’

‘Yes your answer’s correct. My theory’s title is ‘Magnetic Souvenirs’.

Eric looks at them and asks Kennedy:

‘Father can we go inside now?’

‘Sure son’ he chuckles, ‘now we’re a family’

Three of them walk inside together, as one happy family.

Within few days, Allison and Kennedy happily get married. Kennedy introduces his old family to his new family and they all ultimately live together in Kennedy’s old home. Allison and Kennedy keeps all the souvenirs in a closet of glass door. The souvenirs included, the friendship and valentine cards, the handbag, a bouquet of blue flowers, which was in a poor state but still lively to them. Other than this, the heart shaped necklace, the art gallery photograph, and the gifted portrait of their painting. On the lower shelf, the blue long skirt was hanging. This shelf was entitled ‘Magnetic Souvenirs’ after Allison and Kennedy.

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