After the Fact

What am I going to do, she wondered for the thousandth time. How am I going to fix this?

I have to call her. 

Don’t I?

“Of course I do,” she chastised. She just wasn’t sure she had the courage. 

She’d never thought of herself as lacking in courage before. She’d faced life, on her own since the age of seventeen, with a full-steam-ahead attitude. She’d moved three thousand miles away from everyone who cared about her, worked her way through college, bulldozed over other, brighter, executives on the way to the top of her chosen field, and crushed hearts like ants under her foot. 

If only I’d stayed away from that last particular heart, she thought as she wiped tears from her cheeks. But how was I supposed to know?

“Just do it,” she ordered. 

Easier said than done, she thought, her hand hovering over the telephone. After a few more minutes spent debating with herself, Elise picked up the phone and dialed the international number she had somehow memorized after only hearing it once. 

“Hello,” she heard whispered into the receiver, and knew the pain in the voice on the other end was all her fault.

“Hello, Claire,” she answered.

“You have some nerve calling me.”

“I need to explain,” Elise replied. “I had no idea. I didn’t know who he wa…”

“It’s a little late for that, isn’t it, Sis,” Claire hissed, talking over Elise. “The why doesn’t really matter after the fact,” she added. “It won’t make it hurt any less that you slept with my husband…”


I'm taking part in the A to Z Blogging Challenge. I'll be posting a story each day of the month, except on Sundays (with the exception of the first Sunday) that goes with each letter of the alphabet. I hope y'all enjoy the stories, and be sure to check out the other blogs listed on the A to Z website.

A to Z Blogging Challenge

I’ve decided to participate in the A to Z blogging challenge for 2012. I will be doing a story each day that in some way represents that day’s letter. 

I hope y’all will come back and see what I come up with each day. I believe this is going to be fun!

Three for Three Word Wednesday Again

Three short pieces for Three Word Wednesday this week.

Story 1:

Only a remnant of the fragrant blossoms remained after the jostle the nursery van took upon impact with the other car.

Story 2:

The fragrant blossom left a remnant of scent on Travis’s suit coat even after he was jostled and the actual flower was crushed underfoot.

Story 3:

“Let me jostle your memory,” Sean whispered and held the fragrant lavender under Sarah’s nose. “Does that bring back even a remnant of the love we once shared,” he asked and then lowered his head and cried when no answer was forthcoming from his wife’s paralyzed lips.

A Mother's Love

My story for the Three Word Wednesday prompt this week.

Even though Annabelle was young, she knew she would eventually be a good mother. She was convinced that if she was diligent and learned everything she could on the matter, that by the time the baby was born, she would be fine. Her mother wasn’t so sure.

“You’re only a child yourself. How will you raise one?” her mother had asked earlier.

“You were only 18 when you had me. Almost as much of an amateur as I am,” Annabelle replied. “And you didn’t do a bad job.”

“That’s debatable,” her mother snorted. “You are pregnant at 16.”

“That’s not your fault, Mom.”

“Maybe it is,” her mother said. “I worked all the time. Maybe I didn’t nurture you enough or give you enough attention.”

“No, Mom,” Annabelle assured her. She gave her mother a hug and then added, “I just wanted attention from John as well.”

Her mother laughed. “You certainly got it.”

Annabelle laughed too and mother and daughter held each other close.

Be True to Yourself

 My micro fiction piece for the Three Word Wednesday prompt this week.

Cindy was going to baffle all her father’s guests. She knew they expected her to show up in jeans and a t-shirt, but she had other plans. For once, she was going to be presentable.

“Ok, here goes nothing,” Cindy whispered to herself while she stood at the top of the stairs and looked down on the party. “You can do this.”

The partygoers never noticed how elegant she looked, because half way down the staircase she tripped. Cindy was sure that tumbling down a flight of stairs and ending up with your dress over your head tends to negate any positive image you wished to convey.

“Wear your sneakers next time,” her father said and winked as he helped her up. 

All my 3WW writers please check out this link. I am giving away an autographed copy of one of the Circle8Writers anthologies. Our anthologies contain short stories, flash fiction and poetry. There is sure to be something in them for everyone. All you have to do to enter is go to the Giveaway post and leave a comment with your name. The winner will be randomly selected at the end of the month. Good luck!

Giveaway!

Along with writing fiction for blogs, I am a member of Circle8Writers, a group of authors who collaborate on short story, flash fiction and poetry anthologies. In appreciation of all who read my storyboard blog, I am doing a giveaway of one of Circle 8’s anthologies.

On March 31, 2012, I will use an online randomizer to pick the winner from all entries. If you would like to enter to receive a free, autographed anthology, leave a comment with your name on this post. Whoever wins, can pick the anthology he or she wants from the following 6 Circle 8 Anthologies:

Consequences

Consequences: Crime and Punishment

Dark Christmas

Roses and Thorns

Mother’s & Other Strangers

Apocryphilia

Good luck and happy reading!

Know Thy Mother

My latest piece for Three Word Wednesday. Just one micro fiction story this time.


“You’re such a deviant,” Shell mocked. “As if that minuscule amount of alcohol will send you straight to hell. If you really want to shock your mother, find something less trivial. After all, she is a product of the sixties.”