Oslo, August 31st

I remember taking the first dip in the Oslo fjord on the first of May. I remember driving into Oslo on Sunday at sunset. The city was completely empty. I remember how tall the trees seemed compared to those in Northern Norway. I remember thinking, "I'll remember this." I remember dad sitting in the kitchen, smoking. Drinking coffee, listening to the radio. I don't remember Oslo as such, it's people I remember. We moved to the city. We felt extremely mature. I remember hours on trams, busses, the metro, walking along endless roads to some mythical party, where you never knew whether you were invited or not. I remember how free I felt the first time I came to Oslo. Then I realised how small Oslo is. I remember mom showing me where she once rented a room. There's only offices there now. Every football match I've played, was with friends I still have. And that's because I'm from Oslo. I remember his laughter. The scent of salt on her skin. Everyone was sure we'd win. I remember the disappointment. I remember the first snow. Everyone smoked back then. How he insisted "melancholy" was cooler than "nostalgic". We had so much time on our hands. How my bed didn't fit into the flat. I remember walking past his flat. I remember having a best friend. It's a parking lot today. I never saw him again. I remember when they tore down the Philips building. i remember everything. i remember how i met everyone. i remember how i lost some of them. i remember the best day of my life. i remember the worst day of my life. i remember what made it the best day. i remember what made it the worst day. i remember my parents’ wedding. i remember them holding hands years later. i remember them telling me why they chose my name. i remember the day my brother was born. i remember the dream i had that he woke me up from. i remember every dream. i remember the one i had last night, the best dream i had, the scariest dream, the one that predicted the day after. i remember you. i remember the all the lyrics to the song that i stole that from. it’s weird what i don’t remember. i could recite the entire star wars saga but not tell you when anyone’s birthday is. i could quote all of the spongebob movie but not remember a single quote from anything for my GCSEs. come to think of it, i don’t think i remember my parents’ wedding. i think i’ve just seen so many photos that i’ve put them into actual memories. that’s how David Lynch went from art to films. i can tell you that but not anything really important.