Where is Home? An Emotional Journey Back to Family and Belonging

"Honey, why are you in tears?"

[🎧 The audio version is available at the bottom of the page.] ⬇

(Scene: Your Bedroom, somewhere in Toronto, night. YOU wake up from a dream. Your face is damp with tears. Snow falls heavily outside the window.)

Wife: Honey… what’s wrong? Why are you in tears?

You: I… I had a dream.

Wife: A bad one?

You: No. It wasn’t bad. Just… it felt so real.

Wife: What did you dream about?

You: I was back home—in Hong Kong. At our old apartment. It was dinnertime. Mom was cooking, like she always did. The smell of garlic and soy sauce filled the entire place.

(Your wife watches you closely, her hand resting on your arm as you continue.)

You: We were all at the dinner table. Dad was arguing with her about something trivial—the rice was too hard, the fish wasn’t ready. Mom was arguing back, as usual. And Pam… she was rolling her eyes at them, throwing out sarcastic remarks about everything.

Wife: That sounds like your sister.

You: It was just an ordinary dinner. I must’ve been 25. I’d graduated from uni and couldn’t afford my own place yet. Back then, I thought about how one day I’d have my own home, my independence.

(Your voice catches as emotion builds.)

You: But now I miss it. I miss their voices, the way Mom would ignore Dad for days after their arguments, until he finally apologized. Pam would tease them both, saying she couldn’t stand “that pair.” I miss Mom’s cooking, the clutter on the table… just the feeling of being home again.

(Your voice drops.)

You: It’s been three years since we left. Now we’re here in Canada, while Mom and Dad are still in Hong Kong and Pam’s in Singapore. We’re scattered all because of that stupid—

(You clench your fist and punch the bed.)

You: That dinner… that simple, normal dinner… They took it away from us.

Wife: You miss home. I understand.

You: I’m sorry.

Wife: Don’t be. It’s okay to miss it. I miss my family too. Do you want to go back next summer?

(You look at her, hesitant but hopeful.)

You: I just… I want to go back.

Wife: I know.

(She pauses, choosing her words carefully, her voice full of love.)

Wife: You’ve been holding all of this inside, but you don’t have to anymore. If you need to go back—to see them, to feel that connection again…

(She cups your face tenderly, her gaze steady and warm.)

Wife: I’ll support you. Wherever you want to go, whatever you need to do—I’m with you. Always.

(Tears spill down your face again as you pull her into an embrace. She wraps her arms around you, stroking your back gently. The snow continues to fall outside, heavy and endless.)

(Posted on Threads on 26.12.2024)

#JourneyBackHomeAndFamily

(🎧 Audio Version) Where is Home? An Emotional Journey Back to Family and Belonging