Session #7
FOUND…AND LOST by Mary Lenard
The warmth of the winter sun shining through the window, was merely an illusion. But Alice sat in the patch of sunlight in her favourite chair. An old-fashioned piece of furniture of soft brown leather, it was just the right height from the floor to easily move to it from her wheelchair. She liked to watch the morning passage of people and vehicles going by. There go the Kelly boys from next door. It must be 8:30am. She checked her watch. 8:26am. They were a few minutes early. They look so glum going off to school. Alice watched them go by. Little do they know that life is going to get a whole lot worse than high school ever will be, she said to herself.
If one only knew what fate had in store for you? Would your life have been dramatically different Alice wondered? You might have to worry about getting out of bed every day….Or. You might just want to leap out of it and shout to the waiting day “This is going to be a great day!” How might my life have been different if only Don was still around…..Alice thought, as she often did.
Alice had met Don a couple of years after the marriage to the first love of her life, had ended in divorce. She had vowed to herself “never again”. Hadn’t looked for any kind of relationship. She was strong, resilient, sociable. Lonely.
She and some girlfriends met at a coffee shop on Sunday mornings. Just to chat, catch up on the week. It was relaxing, and she looked forward to Sundays. They had all settled into a corner table on that day and were enjoying the aroma of coffee and the comfort of good company when the roar of motorbikes shattered their peace.
“Oh my god, not bikers?” groaned Catherine.
Alice could see about 6 of them as they got off their bikes, parked them and took off their helmets. They were intent on disturbing the coffee shop patrons she thought. Though the group did look a bit older than your average biker. Alice noted tufts of grey feathering around their temples and there were none of those “patches” that gangs seemed to attach to their leather jackets. The group came in. They were polite as they ordered their coffees. They had found a table and sat down, laughing and chatting. Not threatening at all Alice concluded. There had been something in his deep blue, piercing eyes as they caught her gaze across the room. Alice had looked away. Embarrassed to have been caught studying the group. But she couldn’t help herself from looking back and yes, the guy was still looking at her.
“Hey, Alice? That guy is looking directly at you. Only you” Barbara nudged her.
“Be quiet Barb. He’s just looking around at everyone” Alice tried to hush her friend.
“But he IS looking just at you!!! And he has eyes to die for by the way” Barbara added. “Go to the washroom. You’ll have to walk right past him” she urged.
Alice had admitted to herself that caught by the guy’s penetrating gaze she had, shockingly, felt a small bolt of? What? Lightening? No, that was ridiculous! Smarten up girl. Be sensible she told herself.
“I’m just going to my car for a minute. I forgot a book I wanted to show you” she told her friends as she quickly got up and left the table. She needed to get some distance from those blue eyes and gather her wits. She was feeling like a 16 year old school girl she thought.
When the guy had followed her out it was the beginning of what was to become a whirl-wind romance. Straight out of one of those awful, despised True Romance books she loathed, she had laughed later telling her friends. Turned out that the guys were an informal group of Harley fans. Well past the biker age, they nevertheless loved those big Hog bikes.
Don had won her over too. Most weekends they went on wonderful rides. Down along the ocean, taking in the coastal beauty. Or into the countryside, to lunch at a quaint restaurant. Yes , that was then. Before the fateful day. A sudden heavy rainstorm had left the highway covered in inches of water. The 18-wheeler had accelerated past sending a cascade over them. The front wheel of the big Harley hydro-planed. The bike had lost its grip on the surface. Shot sideways across the lane and into a concrete conduit alongside the highway. Bike and concrete met with devastating force. Don was announced DOA at the hospital. Alice had survived.
When she had least expected it. When she least had looked for it. When it had been the most wonderful, beautiful six months of her entire life. Love had come, and just as unexpectedly, terribly, tragically. It left her.
Wordcount : : 799
'Write a story about a piece of gossip that becomes more and more distorted as it passes from person to person'
a kiss is still a kiss Michael Moore
Once upon a time in a small town, there was a young couple named Sarah and Mark. They were deeply in love and enjoyed spending every moment together. One sunny afternoon, they were seen sharing a passionate kiss in the park by a nosy neighbor, Mrs. Jenkins.
Unable to resist the temptation of juicy gossip, Mrs. Jenkins quickly spread the news to her best friend, Mrs. Thompson. Mrs. Thompson, known for her love of exaggeration, couldn't help but add a little twist to the story. She claimed that Sarah and Mark's kiss was not just passionate, but scandalous and inappropriate for public display.
Word of the scandalous kiss spread like wildfire throughout the town. People started whispering and speculating about Sarah and Mark's relationship. Some believed they were secretly engaged, while others thought they were having an affair. The story grew more distorted with each passing conversation.
One day, the gossip reached the ears of Mr. Johnson, a local journalist. Intrigued by the exaggerated tale, he decided to investigate further. He approached Sarah and Mark, who were completely unaware of the gossip surrounding their innocent kiss.
Sarah and Mark were shocked to learn about the rumors that had been circulating. They laughed at the absurdity of the situation but also felt a pang of sadness. They realized how easily a simple act of affection had been twisted into something scandalous and damaging.
Determined to set the record straight, Sarah and Mark decided to organize a community gathering. They invited all the townspeople to join them in the park where the infamous kiss had taken place. They wanted to show everyone that their love was pure and innocent.
On the day of the gathering, the park was filled with curious onlookers, eager to witness the truth behind the gossip. Sarah and Mark stood at the center, holding hands and smiling at each other. They shared a gentle, loving kiss, much different from the scandalous version that had been circulating.
As the townspeople watched the genuine affection between Sarah and Mark, a wave of realization washed over them. They realized how easily they had been misled by gossip and how important it was to verify the truth before passing judgment.
The gathering turned into a heartfelt conversation about the power of rumors and the importance of communication. The townspeople vowed to be more cautious in spreading gossip and to seek the truth before forming opinions.
From that day on, the story of Sarah and Mark's kiss became a cautionary tale in the town. Whenever someone was tempted to spread rumors, they would remember the distorted tale and think twice. The incident served as a reminder that gossip could harm innocent people and destroy relationships.
Sarah and Mark continued to live their lives, unaffected by the gossip that had once surrounded them. Their love grew stronger, and they became an inspiration to others in the town.
And so, the tale of the distorted kiss became a lesson in the power of rumors and the importance of seeking the truth. It reminded the townspeople to be mindful of the impact their words could have and to always approach gossip with skepticism.
Wordcount : : 548
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We weren't supposed to be there.
And so, what then took place was, one could say, simply serendipity.
But, being there, huddled under the tree branches, trying to shield ourselves from the tumultuous flash thunderstorm - well, it became, rather unintentionally comical.
Worse was the fact that we didn't know one another. At all.
As I glanced sideways, trying not to appear as if I was looking, I was quite flushed by her appearance. The dark, springy curly hair that peeked out from beneath the oh-so-stylish hat - a beige linen I think, with a crimson band about it that was also trimmed in a deep lush purple pinstripe. Reminded me of Greta Garbo in Casablanca. And she had that very aloof, sophisticated demeanor about her. Coupled with the butterscotch flavored belted raincoat, with a high voluptuous collar, flaring epaulets with cream-coloured ivory buttons....it was - well it, and she, was a picture.
But awkward it was. Neither had an umbrella. As I continued to steal glances it was quite apparent that she could, if she chose to, use the rich brown leather shoulder bag as a sortof
makeshift roof, by holding it above her head. But in a flash it seemed clear that she'd rather risk the chapeau getting soaked rather than possibly defacing that beautiful bag.
Suddenly, things changed - at the same time as the earth shifted. Well quite possibly she didn't sense the shift - it was probably just me. For I was, falling in - well, like....but real serious like, you know. Her? Not so much. Of that I'm quite sure.
But the real change was the explosive crack of thunder - so loud, so close that she instinctively jumped towards me. I, of course, was startled out of a dream state. After all, I had begun to not care a whit about getting wet - not as long as this storm could continue on. 'Cause whilst it lasted, well - where was she gonna go?
But, taken aback as I was I put out one arm to break her fall against me. As she stumbled, she looked up at me with black black eyes, frightened like a fawn, skittish like a kitten.
She tried to smile but was collected proper by her embarassment. I felt it, actually.
Caused my cheeks to flame, I'm sure,
'Pardon', I mumbled dumbly. 'So sorry...' with my arm still about her shoulder. And the fabric of the trenchcoat felt so - well, luxurious. Like when you fall into a bed with freshly pressed high thread count sheets.
She righted herself, but couldn't really move away from me for the rain that was heavy before was now a torrent....and the only little circle that it was not intruding on was the circle of new warmth created by our unintentional - togetherness.
And so, we did, what we had to do. She looked off to her right, I looked off to my left, as we stood there, raindrops splattering and exploding up off the pavement.
And then, 'Oh! Look! Look there, quick!' she exclaimed pointing directly in front, across the road.
Lightning had pierced the night sky directly in front of us.
And just as it was fading, we saw - both of us, at the same time, the grim outline of an old Packard, driver's window down, and the secondary lightning flash of a camera bulb pointed directly at us.
Wordcount: 570