{"id":900,"date":"2023-11-28T22:44:19","date_gmt":"2023-11-28T22:44:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/elainedesmondwriter.ie\/?page_id=900"},"modified":"2023-12-12T17:22:02","modified_gmt":"2023-12-12T17:22:02","slug":"lost-in-translation-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/elainedesmondwriter.ie\/index.php\/lost-in-translation-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Lost in Translation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>
\n
\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

Lost in Translation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 A Short Story by Elaine Desmond<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lost in Translation <\/em>is about the romance of the everyday – how it can be right before us, but we fail to appreciate it, always chasing something different, always trying to be someone else. <\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\"\"
Source: Pixabay<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

Excerpt from Lost in Translation<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the day that the blizzard being reassuringly referred to as \u2018the Beast from the East\u2019 is due to strike, I realise I\u2019m out of heating oil.  News of the ferociousness of the impending storm is being exchanged with the same relish as my grandparents once spoke of banshees. The government has warned people to stay indoors from one o\u2019clock in the afternoon until further notice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I ring the oil company, the woman I speak with says it\u2019s unlikely they\u2019ll be able to deliver until the storm has passed.  Everyone\u2019s in the same boat, she tells me – last-minute panic buying – but she\u2019ll do her best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018It\u2019s your own fault,\u2019 my father snaps when I visit in search of human warmth\u2026and hoping for some cash to fund the kerosene-fuelled variety.  \u2018You should be on top of things like that.  You\u2019re old enough now.\u2019  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I check my mobile\u2019s volume is on full in case the delivery guy tries to make contact. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018God, Dad, do you think I don\u2019t know that? I\u2019m not sure if you\u2019ve noticed but I\u2019ve had a lot on recently.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite my best intentions, conversations with my father are laced with an undercurrent of resentment now.  I know he wishes it was Ois\u00edn standing here, not me.  It\u2019s something he barely bothers to disguise anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018A lot on?! I was married with three kids at your age.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He stops suddenly, as if realising the number is now obsolete.  My mother interrupts her pot-stirring at the cooker to meet his eyes.  He returns to his newspaper as I stand at the doorway and watch them both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I\u2019m so sorry I have a life,\u2019 I say.  I only realise the double meaning after I have spoken and inwardly kick myself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My father glares at me.  He misunderstands – but that seems to be happening more frequently these days. My words have become traps waiting to spring open with meanings I\u2019ve not intended. As he\u2019s already thinking the worst of me, I continue.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Excerpt from Lost in Translation On the day that the blizzard being reassuringly referred to as \u2018the Beast from the East\u2019 is due to strike, I realise I\u2019m out of heating oil.  News of the ferociousness of the impending storm is being exchanged with the same relish as my grandparents once spoke of banshees. The…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-900","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/elainedesmondwriter.ie\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/900","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/elainedesmondwriter.ie\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/elainedesmondwriter.ie\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elainedesmondwriter.ie\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elainedesmondwriter.ie\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=900"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/elainedesmondwriter.ie\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/900\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1491,"href":"https:\/\/elainedesmondwriter.ie\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/900\/revisions\/1491"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/elainedesmondwriter.ie\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=900"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}