#312 Sunday Scribblings - The Rest of the Story

I've been doing a challenge called Sunday Scribblings for a while.  If you click on the name, it will take you to the prompt list.  You can also read what other writer's have done.

This week's prompt, The Rest of the Story, inspired me to go back to a story from an earlier challenge.  That prompt was When Pigs Fly.  I'd often wanted to revisit Cassie and Joe, so this is the rest of their story.  If you want to read the beginning, go HERE.

The Rest of Their Story

Sitting on the porch, sun setting in the distance, Cassie thought back to a long ago, starry night. She had been so young when Joe had proposed to her. She could never have imagined the road that night would take her on.

Daddy had agreed to the marriage, so at 17 and 21, Cassie and Joe had started their lives together. There had been obstacles along the way. Finances were never good. Joe's job at the Quicky Lube never paid enough. He worked long hours, and the bills just kept coming. Cassie worked, cleaning houses for other people, while her babies were with their Gram and Grandad. Her dreams of going to back school had been set aside with the arrival of the first baby. Three more followed in quick succession. Her days were spent scrubbing, polishing, sweeping, her nights spent cooking, cleaning, washing. There was little time for just sitting and holding the babies, even less for fun or romance.

Joe became more and more distant as the bills piled up. Cassie loved him with a depth she couldn't put into words. She'd wanted to take away some of the pressure, the frustrations, but she had felt so helpless. All she could do was keep working hard, and raise their little ones.

The years kept moving on. So many changes had come into their lives. Joe had finally managed to open his own body shop, with an inheritance from his parents, and it was a success. He had a way with people, and they appreciated his honesty and work ethic. Once the children were in school, Cassie had been able to take some classes at the community college. She learned the accounting end of the business and kept the office running efficiently. She had also started doing some photography for fun and found she had an eye for it, so she sold art prints and did some private sittings on the side.

As she sat reminiscing about their lives, she had to laugh at the youthful hopes, the optimism. That was the beginning of a long journey. Of life. If she and Joe had known about all the hard work it would take to keep a marriage together, to make a life, would they have jumped in? Definitely. Dreams are started with youthful wishes, but they are built on hard work, perseverance, and love.

The screen door opened. Joe walked out, handed her a cup of coffee, and bent down for a quick, sweet kiss. They sat side by side, in the rockers that had belonged to Joe's parents, looking out into the darkness. It was another beautiful starry night, and this was their dream, their pie in the sky.

  © 25MAR2012 aj

Searching...

Below is a short piece of fiction for this weeks Sunday Scribblings prompt, Search.  It also falls under the March NaBloPoMo theme of Whether, and Friday's prompt, Uncertainty.


Her eyes scanned the crowd, searching for his face.  The uncertainty clutched at her heart.  Ten years was such a long time.  Would it feel ok, would it be anything like before?

She struggled to remember what had broken in their relationship.  It was a lot of little things that chipped away at the foundation, until it all crumbled.  Walking away had been easy.  Living without him had been hard.  The day she was online, and received his "friend" request, her heart had jumped inside her.  It had been hard to breath.  He lived clear across the country now, but as they began to reconnect over the net, it felt like the magic was still alive.  It had been a year.  Now the face to face they had planned was here, and doubts were making her head spin.

Passengers were streaming through the security gates, then she saw him.  Eyes locked, then smiles.  They moved toward each other, side stepping everyone in between.  Arms wide, they embraced, locked together for a moment.  Then he held her at arms length, just looking, eyes smiling.  She didn't know how this would end, but she did know that her heart hadn't felt this light in a very long time.


© 04MAR2012 aj

Day 22 NaBloPoMo - Beginnings, Plus Sunday Scribblings - Possible

The possibilities seemed endless when they were young.  Life was just beginning, stretching out before them with dozens of adventures and dreams to choose from.  So how did they get here?  A mortgage more than double what their home was worth, kids long gone from the nest, and still not living the life they once imagined.  Jenny and Doug looked at each other across the kitchen table.

"Where do we go from here?" she asked.

"I wish I knew.  I can't believe everything is gone.  Job, credit, assets.  We can't survive on what you're bringing in." he dropped his head into his hands.  Jenny sat quietly, thoughtfully looking at her husband.  "Well, I've been thinking about something for a while.  You know how we always dreamed of traveling?  Why not just let the bank have this place, sell off everything we own, and just go for it?"  she waited.

Slowly Doug raised his head, they locked eyes, and sat in silence for a couple of minutes.  Then he started to smile and she smiled back.  "I didn't lose all my retirement.  If we're careful, we could stretch it out for quite a while.  The motor home is paid for and it's still in great running condition.  Gas would be expensive, but this might just work." he paused, "The kids will think we've lost our minds."

"Let them.  They're all grown up and have their own lives to worry about.  This is about us.  What's best for you and me!"

Their smiles grew wider, and they began to laugh.  For the first time in years, they had a bit of hope.  An idea for a fresh start.  If they just took the chance, anything was possible.

© 22JAN12 ajj

Sunday Scribblings #260 - Nearly

Maddie was dressed and ready to go.  She'd gotten up early, showered, selected her best clothes, eaten a light breakfast, and read the paper.  Now, with purse in hand she stood looking at the door.  Dizzy, she was so dizzy. "I'll just sit for a bit." she thought.  And so, she sat.  The minutes ticked into hours.  At some point, she hung her jacket back in the closet and placed her handbag over the doorknob.  She'd almost made it.  She was very nearly there, but not quite.  Maybe next time.  Yes, next time she would go.

© 27Mar2011 ajj


To read other Sunday Scribblings writers go HERE.
For more of my writing, go to My Sunday Scribblings.
And, thank you so much for stopping by...

Sunday Scribblings #259 - Free

Free.  "You're free." he said, smiling as he slipped the stack of papers into the large manilla envelope.  She couldn't process the word.  How do you become free of 28 years of life, of memories.  Who asked to be free anyway?  She certainly hadn't.  Rachael took the envelope.  She didn't even attempt to return his smile.  "Thank you for your help." she stated quietly.  She didn't mean it.  What is the point of thanking someone for the assist in turning your life upside-down?  And, for a pretty high cost at that!  She grabbed her coat and left his office.  Three flights down, out the double doors, and into the cold, clear day.

Looking around, Rachael noticed that everything looked exactly the same.  The world continued on indifferently.  As if her problems didn't change anything.  Well, they really didn't, except to her.  Jeff & Jayna had been nonchalant about everything.  "Mom, life goes on.  What's important is that you both find happiness."  Who were these people?  That is certainly not how she raised them.  Marriage was forever.  Momma & pops certainly never considered such a thing.  She walked slowly down the street.  Traffic was mad, as usual, horns barking out a retort for their discontented drivers.  A young mother passed her, trying to keep three little ones within reach.  An old man sat on the bench waiting for the next bus.  Everything was the same.  Everything was different.  She was free.

© 27Mar2011 ajj


For more Sunday Scribblings go HERE.  For more of my writing pieces for this venue, go to My Sunday Scribblings.  As always, thanks for stopping by...

Sunday Scribblings #256 - Fire

It was that kind of day.  You know, when everything seems rather mundane.  You're going along doing your normal daily routines.  There's a happy kind of feeling inside, and then you get hit with it!  Words come at you faster than you can process them.  It's not that "they" are talking fast, it's like that thing that happens during a car wreck, where everything seems to be in slow motion.  Then it all speeds up, and you have hit the wall faster than you'd ever have imagined.  And you sit there, bleeding from the head, pain oozing out of every pore.  What just happened, you ask.  What, what, what was that?  I just didn't see it coming.  I was watching, but it came out of nowhere.  I'm sorry, so sorry, I don't know why I'm crying.  I just should have known,  I should have seen it coming.  I should have been more careful.  I looked away, just for an instant, and my dreams caught fire... and they're gone.  Up in smoke... and there's no going back.  I can never get it all back.


© 27Mar2011 ajj

Sunday Scribblings #252 - Safe

Go to Sunday Scribblings to see what other people wrote on this weeks prompt, Safe.

 
The house is too quiet.  She walks from room to room, turning on lights, checking the door and window locks.  Outside is silence.  Eerie silence.  No cars, no sounds at all.  She looks through the peephole, but nothing is there.  The fear is thick, like fog.  She turns on the radio, thinking the sound will help drive away these feelings.  It doesn't, so she shuts it off preferring the silence.

The evening passes so slowly.  Then, in the distance, she hears the familiar drone of the truck.  It makes it's way up the dirt road until it reaches the barn.  Voices laughing, filter to her ears through the darkness.  The key turns in the lock.  "Hey baby, we're home!  How was it on your own tonight?"  She runs into her parents waiting arms, "Just fine momma, just fine."  And in her heart, she feels safe once again.



© 31JAN11 ajj

Sunday Scribblings - Invisible

Time for another Sunday Scribblings!  Below is my submission for this week's prompt, Invisible.  Again, it's a short piece of fiction.  Hope you enjoy reading it.  To see my previous submissions, go to My Sunday Scribblings...


She sat in the bedroom, writing her heart out onto the paper.   We live in the same house, but you don't see me.  Even when I speak, your eyes never really connect with mine anymore.  Am I invisible?  When did I disappear from your radar?  I remember the early days of love.  We couldn't look deep enough, or long enough into each others eyes.  We were in perfect sync, even when we were physically apart.  How does time change that?  Is it something I did, or did I just change so much, over time, that you don't know me anymore?  Do you even want to know me?

As the words poured out tears began to fall, smearing the ink until the words were unreadable.  She quickly wiped her face.  He popped his head into the doorway.  "Whatcha doin?"  "Oh just making some notes." she replied.  "Ok.  Well, I'm heading out for a while."  "Have fun." and she meant it, even though he never really heard it, because he could no longer hear what he could not see.


copyright 01/16/11 ajj

Sunday Scribblings - A Walk In The Park...

Here is my January 9th Sunday Scribblings submission.  The prompt was A Walk in the Park.  To read my previous submissions click on My Sunday Scribblings. 

Summer Evening

The sun was getting close to setting.  It gave the park those funny shadows, very skinny trees and people with long heads and legs.  At the rivers edge swans and geese were still gathered, expectantly waiting for bread crumbs.  Children were tearing chunks of white bread and holding them in outstretched hands.  Once or twice, an eager goose nipped a finger and a shrill cry rang out.  Couples were walking hand in hand near the fountain.  It glowed with multicolored, rotating lights.  When you walked close, the spray would cover you in a fine mist.  Off in the distance, Gold Dust Woman was playing on somebody's radio.  The warm evening air seemed full of hopes and dreams.


 
copyright 01/14/11 ajj