Written for MLMM Monday Wordle #449.
Our prompt words this week are: follow, future,
happiness, inspire, lie, mistake, monument,
secure, short, stunned, thought, and walk.
Here’s where the prompt took me.
Tag: Mistakes
THE PORCH
βWalnut hair and skin so fair
Freckles like stars on her nose
Green eyes glittering like precious jewels
And lips as soft as a roseβ
βHey, Pops, whatβs that youβre singing? Iβve never heard it beforeβ.
βBrady, I didnβt see you thereβ replied Ben Williams as he leaned his guitar against the porch wall. βJust an old number I wrote for your Mom. Another lifetime.β
βPops, can I ask you something? It makes me sad how little I remember about Mom. What was she like?β
βOh, son. Thatβs not easy to answer. Your mom was a real beauty, a feast for the eyes. And we were happy. We had you and your sister our first two years together. Then I got that trucking job and your Mom was alone a lot. Itβs hard on a woman when her man is away for weeks at a time, especially with babies to care for. She was special and she loved you kids β donβt you ever forget that β but she got lonely.”
Ben continued. βWhen Ron Carterβs wife died your Mom befriended him. They were both lonely and found comfort together. I donβt blame her for that. One day when I was home from the road she brought Ron a cherry pie. She took your sister with her and they never came back. How I wish she’d stayed but I couldn’t force her to be happy here. From that point on it was just you and me.β
Father and son sat in contemplative silence.
βYou know, Pops, at first I thought Mom would come back soon. Then I gave up on that dream and convinced myself she had died. Strange thing is, thinking she was dead was easier than believing she abandoned us.β
Ben let out a ragged sigh. βThank God I had you, Brady. You didnβt know it but you kept me from falling apart. Getting that steady job at the hardware store was a life saver and I was able to be here for you.β
βThen I started dating Rebecca and I was hardly ever home!β Brady laughed. βMarrying her and moving in here with you made my life complete.β
βThat sweet gal of yours made my life complete, too, son. She filled a void in my heart and never once complained about having to live with her pain-in-the-ass father-in-law! Rebeccaβs like a daughter to meβ declared Ben.
βPops, did you know Rebecca was the one who insisted we live here with you. Not too many women would do that. And our kids are crazy about you! Youβve taught them a lot.β
βI love those munchkins, Brady! You all made this house a home and a broken old man whole again.β
Rebecca poked her head out the screen door. βDinner in ten minutes, you two. Please round up the kids and everybody get washed up.β
That night Rebecca asked Brady what he and his father had been talking about.
βJust reminiscing, mostly about my Mom.β
βI wish I had a chance to know your Mom.β
βMe too, Beccaβ Brady replied wistfully. βMe too.β
NAR Β© 2023
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A BRUSH WITH FATE
It was nothing, really; just an unsettling feeling.
The apartment was deathly silent β no water running, no sounds coming from the kitchen, no television β nothing, not even the comforting, barely perceptible reverberation of Mattβs snoring.
The quiet was oddly disquieting. Lying on the bed on my right side, I eyed the digital clock on the nightstand: 7:15 AM β a little early for our usual Sunday morning sleep-ins.
Gradually I shifted onto my back, staring up at the ceiling for a minute or two waiting to hear something, anything. I slowly turned my head and glanced over at the left side of the bed β Mattβs side. He wasnβt there. βHmm, wonder where he is?β I thought. I listened again; still silence. I called out βMatt? Babe?β No response.
βOkay, maybe he went to get bagels and The Times.β Itβs very unusual for us not to make love on a lazy Sunday morning. Sex in the morning is always delicious but last night was incredible; we really got carried away. I donβt know what came over me; my desire was insatiable and Matt certainly was ready, willing and able to oblige. I couldn’t help smiling as I thought about the night before; the images were so intense, I started getting aroused. I called out again: βMatt, honey! Are you here?β Still nothing.
Matt and I met about seven months ago, shortly after my breakup with Danny. I thought Danny was ‘the one’; we even talked about marriage. We really were a perfect match in all aspects of our lives. The fact that sex with Danny was the best Iβd ever had was a bonus. But somewhere down the road things began to unravel and we just sort of drifted apart. That was a very low point in my life; I loved Danny and I still think about him often. It’s only natural that I would.
Then Matt entered the picture and there was an instant attraction between us. We were both on the rebound and took things slow. We decided not to move in together, not just yet, opting for weekends here or at Mattβs. We were committed to each other but not ready for anything as permanent as living together. We agreed the only thing we would leave at each otherβs place was a toothbrush.
The more I thought about last night, the more I wanted Matt in my bed right now. Looking at the clock I was amazed to see that 45 minutes had gone by. Where the hell was Matt?
I got out of bed and padded barefoot into the kitchen, checking the living room on the way. I was clearly alone, not even the usual welcoming presence of a fragrant pot of coffee. I looked around in confusion.
Feeling the strong urge to pee, I raced back to the bathroom and there I found all the answers I needed. A sticky note with angry red letters on the mirror read βYOU TALKED ABOUT SEX WITH DANNY IN YOUR SLEEP … AGAIN!! I’M OUTTA HERE!
And there was just one lonely toothbrush in the holder β mine.
NAR Β© 2021
WHY?
There wasn’t anything particularly special about the guy; he was actually rather ordinary looking but something made me uneasy. He just stood near the entrance, silently watching.
It was the usual Wednesday morning story time in the children’s room of the Lansing Library. Parents running errands could drop off their kids knowing they’d be safe and well-cared-for. The children listened intently as I read “The Adventures of Frog and Toad“.
I couldn’t shake the uncomfortable vibe I was getting from that guy. I caught the eye of my assistant, Grace, and with a slight tilt of my head I motioned toward the man. She glanced over and casually made her way across the room.
With cautious confidence Grace walked up to him and in a quiet but stern tone said “You’ve got thirty seconds to explain to me what you’re doing here”.
The man seemed rattled by Grace’s demand and stumbled over an apology. “I’m terribly sorry! I didn’t mean to alarm anyone. I’m here to pick up my son.”
“Oh, really? Who’s your son?” Grace asked.
The man replied “Nathan … Nathan Fletcher. I’m Jacob Fletcher. My wife Emily isn’t feeling well. She asked me to come fetch him. She’s pregnant, you know.”
“Yes, Emily. Of course! Such a lovely woman” Grace said. “Sorry to hear she’s ill. She seemed fine when she dropped Nathan off.”
“Yes, she was” Jacob agreed. “It’s the morning sickness; it really knocks her for a loop sometimes. Emily said she would notify library security that I’d be picking Nathan up.”
Before Grace had a chance to call the security desk to verify Mr. Fletcher’s story, Nathan spotted his father; the boy was overjoyed to see his dad and happily raced to greet him.
“Daddy! Daddy! I’m so glad to see you. Is Mommy here?” Jacob gave Nathan a big hug and scooped him up in his arms.
“Hi, buddy! Mommy’s resting. She asked me to come get you.”
“Yay! Can we get some ice cream? We can bring some to Mommy, too” Nathan asked, bubbling with excitement.
“Sure!” Jacob replied laughing. “C’mon! We better get going.”
Grace looked questioningly at me and I nodded in approval, smiling at the happy duo of father and son.
The two left, hand in hand, Nathan gleefully skipping along beside his dad. All was right in the library once again.
Later that night as I watched TV, the show was interrupted by a news bulletin:
“A police alert has been issued for the whereabouts of five-year-old Nathan Fletcher and his father, Jacob. The two were last seen leaving Longford’s Ice Cream on Lansing Street around 12:30 this afternoon. The body of Emily Fletcher, Jacob’s wife and the mother of Nathan, was found in the family’s home this evening by her sister. She had been stabbed to death. Mrs. Fletcher was six months pregnant. At this time police believe Jacob Fletcher is the only suspect in the murder of his wife, unborn child and the abduction of his son.”
I sat in abject horror staring at the TV screen; in the upper right corner of the screen was the face of the man I had seen in the library.
How could I have made such an unforgivable error in judgement? Oh my God! That poor woman! My heart froze when I thought of Nathan.
Why didn’t I follow my instincts?
NAR Β© 2021
| Reposted for Fandango’s FOWC – Β http://fivedotoh.com/2023/02/10/fowc-with-fandango-entrance/ |
The Elephant's Trunk 