A Familiar Song

I drove. The radio gently accompanied me through a winding road, passing under poplars and oak trees, that offered a cool shade every so often from the rare, yet welcome sun. A bunch of flowers lay neatly on the passengers seat.
Today was time to visit my mum. I hadn't seen her in a while, and I thought she'd enjoy the flowers. I was sure to make them as colourful as her personality. With that in mind, I heard the radio presenter introduce his next song.

It caught my attention instantly. Dancing in the moonlight. Mum loves this song, and with her love, comes a burst of memories and emotion on my part. When me and my sister were young, we'd drive up to Uckfield to visit my nan. This song would always be playing. Her smooth, Stevie Nicks like voice would accompany the tune. I felt warm, safe and almost completely dependent on my mum when I was with her. The clinking of the synth as the singer sung, sent me into an almost dreamy state.

I remember once, we were driving. I couldn't have been more than 6-7, and the weather was a gleaming British heat. That familiar song was on, when mum treated me and my sister to a pair of ice lollies. I never thought then how kind it was, and I ate my way through it like there was no tomorrow, funny thing was, the heatwave melted it faster.
Sugary, strawberry juice started to stick to the car's dash, seats and centre console like glue. My younger sister's situation hardly worth thinking about. Mum said that's the last time, she'd ever buy us ice lollies for a car journey. And do you know what? It was.

I drew ever closer as the song came to it's final riff, before slowly fading out. An overwhelming sadness came to me as I realised that all too quickly my memories had been buried again, and a tear had begun to role. Everything nice I remember was set to that song. You must have a song or something that just says "mum". For those 3 minutes or so, I was back in the passenger seat, sucking a strawberry ice lolly, while mum sat next to me.

I hate being grown up. Bills, tax, jobs, insurance. I needed a break. And as I twisted my way up a narrow drive, I realised that finally I could tell mum about it. I could let it all out. Become a child again. I felt happy. I'd arrived.

I walked up, flowers in hand, to see a brushed stone in the grass. I gave it a clean and laid the flowers neatly on top. The tear began to role again, a lump began to form as I stood up and said under my breath "hi mum, it's me".