IAIN KELLY

NOSTALGIA

‘Are they close enough together?’

He looked at the room. It seemed crowded and cluttered, but apparently that’s how they used to do it.

‘Four round that small table?’ They would be banging elbows.

‘It’s how they wanted it,’ the maitre d’ shrugged.

The serving staff would have trouble manoeuvring in and out the small spaces.

‘And they’ve all been tested?’

‘All clear.’

It all looked so unhygienic, but that was what the couple had asked for – a wedding reception from 2019.

He shuddered, ‘And the hand gels, bleach, face masks, and wipes?’

‘Standing by. As soon as it’s over we’ll scrub the whole place down.’


restaurant
Copyright Dale Rogerson

Written for Friday Fictioneers hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields (more details HERE). The idea is to write a short story of 100 words based on the photo prompt (above).

To read stories of 100 words based on this week’s prompt, visit HERE.


My new novel, ‘State of War’ is now available to pre-order on Amazon in eBook format, paperback coming soon. Have a look at the trailer below:

99 responses to “NOSTALGIA”

  1. neilmacdon Avatar

    What a clever imaginative leap into the near future, Iain. I felt their cultivated distaste

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Honestly, we used to live such unclean lives.

      Like

  2. lindamaycurry Avatar

    Some things will never be the same. We will all be compulsive hand washers, that’s for sure. Well written so, so true.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Hygiene will have improved for everyone, so that’s a plus at least… Thank you

      Like

      1. Alicia Jamtaas Avatar

        Sound like the waitstaff has bottles of bleach hidden everywhere! I’ve always wondered about the salt and pepper shakers, and ketchup bottles. Can’t imagine how many cooties are on those. Well captured.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Iain Kelly Avatar

        Thanks Alicia

        Liked by 1 person

  3. carylbeach Avatar

    A chilling vision of the future…..and manoeuvring a mask would be challenging. Let’s hope it’s not such a bleak reality.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Who knows? It’s tough to see how pubs and restaurants will return to normal, other than a vaccine being found.

      Liked by 1 person

  4. Tannille Avatar

    Times have changed. I miss the carefree attitude of 2019. A great reminder of what was and what is to come.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Those glorious days, we didn’t realise how lucky we were!

      Liked by 2 people

  5. Sandra Avatar

    Ah, the face of the future. I think we can say goodbye to a lot of what we’ve known as normal.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Some things for sure – browsing in bookstores and flicking through the books will be one I will miss.

      Liked by 1 person

  6. ceayr Avatar

    Interesting viewpoint, Iain, but I think people, especially the young, will forget very quickly

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      I think so too, although I do wonder if younger generations will be disgusted by some of the habits we once shared, like kissing people when greeting them, or sharing the same bag of crisps..

      Liked by 2 people

  7. Anthony North Avatar

    now that is chilling, lol

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      We didn’t even realise how decadent we were being.

      Liked by 1 person

  8. rochellewisoff Avatar

    Dear Iain,

    Too close to the truth for comfort. Nicely done.

    Shalom,

    Rochelle

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      I’m hoping the scientists will save us from this sort of future. Thank you.

      Liked by 1 person

  9. tinaor Avatar

    What a thought eh!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Younger generations may look back at our old habits and find them quite repulsive!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. tinaor Avatar

        Indeed !

        Liked by 1 person

  10. Sadje Avatar

    A new way to hold a reception.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      People will have to get creative in the near future.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Sadje Avatar

        I agree, that is if they are not getting married alone with Zoom receptions.

        Liked by 2 people

      2. Iain Kelly Avatar

        We’re all zoom experts now! 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Sadje Avatar
  11. Anita Avatar

    Yes, people will want to relive memories.
    We have the similar plot 🙂
    Great minds think alike!
    Take care.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thanks Anita

      Like

  12. J Hardy Carroll Avatar

    All too true, my friend.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      I miss a good meal out already!

      Like

  13. Susan A Eames Avatar

    Oh, clever! I do hope this isn’t an accurate prediction.

    Liked by 2 people

  14. Diary of a Dublin housewife Avatar

    I can’t imagine sitting elbow to elbow anymore. It’s quite a scary thought. But oh how I miss Sunday afternoons in the pub with the gang, having pints and sharing bags of King crisps. *sigh*

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      It will come back again one day I’m sure, I’m just not sure when…

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Diary of a Dublin housewife Avatar

        Zoom just isn’t the same 😬

        Liked by 1 person

  15. Shweta Suresh Avatar

    A very sad reality. Things are going to be so different after COVID-19

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Some things will change for sure.

      Like

  16. granonine Avatar

    I’m afraid you’re right. This 2020 experience, that actually started in 2019, is going to change us. But you know, old habits are hard to break. I’m hoping things go back to normal sooner than we expect.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      I have a felling a lot of things will return, but equally there will be a change in some – in the short term I imagine a lot of businesses will go bust 😦

      Liked by 2 people

      1. granonine Avatar

        Sadly, I’m sure you’re right. What a heartbreak for the small business owners who have invested literally everything.

        Liked by 2 people

  17. granonine Avatar

    P.S.–I just pre-ordered “State of War” for my Kindle. Looking forward to it 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Fantastic Linda! I’m halfway through the final proofread, and still excited about it, which is a good sign. Hope you will like it too, look forward to hearing what you think.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. granonine Avatar

        I’ve loved the first two, the second more than the first, so I’m thinking this last one will be an out-of-the-ballpark hit 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Iain Kelly Avatar

        Fingers crossed!

        Liked by 1 person

  18. Dale Avatar

    Ugh. How I hate what this situation has done to us. It will be more than strange returning to restaurants… I know I for one am not looking forward to working in one again!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Hopefully they will be able to adapt, but it will certainly be different.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Dale Avatar

        That it will. It can’t help but be different.

        Liked by 1 person

  19. theministryofshrawleywalks Avatar

    This nightmare tainted my piece too, good stuff!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      It’s hard for it not to taint anything at the moment.

      Like

  20. magickmermaid Avatar

    The new normal. 😦

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Let’s hope it is short-lived.

      Liked by 1 person

  21. Michele Jones Avatar

    I am convinced that all this cleaning and disinfecting will make people sicker as time goes on. A little dirt never hurt anyone.

    This post made me shake my head to see how we could end up in the future. Sadly, I fear human contact will suffer even more than it has with the invention of text messaging.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      It will certainly take a while for everyone to trust another to come close to them!

      Like

  22. msjadeli Avatar

    You’ve captured the squeamishness VERY well. This is a vision of the not-distant future.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Will we ever trust each other enough to get closer than 2 metres?

      Liked by 1 person

  23. plaridel Avatar

    it’ll be a new world once this pandemic is over.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Who knows, maybe even a better one in some ways.

      Liked by 1 person

  24. Nobbinmaug Avatar

    People used to laugh at me for having sanitizer with me at all times. Now, they’re injecting it. The germaphobes shall inherit the Earth.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Similarly everyone is running on their own or sitting reading books – welcome to my life as it has always been 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  25. trentpmcd Avatar

    Party like it’s Twenty Nineteen! Yuck, and all of those germs and viruses…

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      How did we ever cope?!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. trentpmcd Avatar

        I don’t know, ‘Scuse me while I rush off to wash my hands…

        Liked by 1 person

  26. Na'ama Yehuda Avatar

    The staff sure sounds like fun … 😉
    As for the ‘four to a table’ — if that’s gonna be passe in the new normal after the plague passes on, many of NYC’s ‘hole in the wall’ restaurants will have no space for one diner, let alone a bunch of some … 😉

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Yep, all those boutique restaurants are going to struggle to fit customers in and obey social distancing rules. That may well be the end for many of them.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Na'ama Yehuda Avatar

        True. The one constant in life is that change will happen …

        Liked by 1 person

  27. draliman Avatar

    The dirty swine. It’ll be many months if not years before we’re comfortable getting back to “close quarters” I bet.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      A whole generation might never be comfortable within 2 metres of another person.

      Liked by 1 person

  28. pennygadd51 Avatar

    Very, very skilfully written, Iain. I’m enjoying your stories more and more!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thank you Penny, always striving to improve!

      Like

  29. Russell Avatar

    I suppose there are things that should have changed even before now. I, for one, am all for better hygiene for us all. A little more spacing at crowded restuarant tables would be nice as well. Really liked the dialogue and the feeling that they were looking down their noses at these primitive diners!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Hopefully the days of squeezing between tight tables and having the waiter bump the back of your chair every time they pass have gone!

      Liked by 1 person

  30. Liz Young Avatar

    Oh gods! I hope it doesn’t last so long we forget!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar
  31. mjlstories Avatar

    I won’t miss being kissed by almost strangers – men don’t have to put up with it! But eating out as a thing of the past is very sad. Made me thing of all those people who have had to put weddings on hold. I know it’s the marriage not the wedding that’s important, but we all love/loved a party!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Yep, no one has been left untouched by this pandemic. Thanks for reading 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  32. Laurie Bell Avatar

    Oh I feel this now. Why do people stand so close to me. Where’s the spray?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      LOL, I know, I’ve started shouting ‘2 metres’ at anyone who looks like they might come too close!

      Like

      1. Laurie Bell Avatar

        OMG me too! I have perfected my “move back” glare

        Liked by 1 person

  33. wmqcolby Avatar

    All that just for a wedding reception. Mama mia! Nice work, Iain.

    Liked by 1 person

  34. Eugenia Parrish Author Avatar

    Wonderful job with dialogue. Sad to think it might come to that — I’m reminded of the movie “Silent Running” where the man’s crewmates thought it was disgusting that he ate food that was grown in real dirt! He insists on eating a real cantaloupe in front of them, and all they could say was, “Man, that stinks!”

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Well, I agree with them about the cantaloupe 😉

      Like

  35. J.A. Prentice Avatar

    A terrifying glimpse at a plausible future. Great story!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thank you 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  36. michaelwynnauthor Avatar

    Oh yes, there’s going to be a new normal

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      For the near future anyway.

      Liked by 1 person

  37. magarisa Avatar

    Very believable.

    Liked by 1 person

  38. justjoyfulness Avatar

    Oh dear! Aren’t they asking for trouble?
    Nice piece of writing Iain!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thank you 🙂

      Like

  39. Woman walking Max Avatar

    Ingenious take on the old normal and the new. Thought provoking and funny too.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thank you 🙂

      Like

  40. Björn Rudberg (brudberg) Avatar

    I wonder what will happen… but these days anything is possible I guess.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      I’ve given up trying to predict, just going with the flow.

      Like

  41. Nan Falkner Avatar

    Looking into the future, this story (well written) paints a solemn future to come! OH NO! I hope this doesn’t come to pass. Very descriptive story. Nicely done!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thank you Nan, good to see you 🙂

      Like

  42. joseph elon lillie Avatar

    It may never be the same.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Who knows? Perhaps eventually, but not in the near future.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. joseph elon lillie Avatar

        That is what I am thinking. I am wondering how long it took them to recover after 1918.

        Liked by 1 person

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