"I think that no matter how old or infirm I may become, I will always plant a large garden in the spring. Who can resist the feelings of hope and joy that one gets from participating in nature's rebirth?"
- Edward Giobbi
“If your heart is a volcano, how shall you expect flowers to bloom?”
- Kahlil Gibran
“Flowers leave some of their fragrance in the hand that bestows them”
- Chinese Proverb
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Thursday Tales-
photo by - hidlight at DeviantArt
Acrostic Only- Acrostic Short Story-
Forgotten-
Fourteen years he had been gone.. the gossips had predicted his return a million times and in a million ways.. and now he stood at the top of the stairs and smoked.. dreading the creak of the rusty hinges and the jumble of plunder that waited behind the unlocked door..
Oddly enough he had returned hoping to be a welcome change in her life.. only to discover that she had forgotten all about him.. She had forgotten all about almost everything.. she had grinned at him from a puddle of tea that she had spilled and then decided to bathe in.. She had been sitting naked in the kitchen floor when he had arrived late last night.. " My Memory is rusty!" she had giggled.. " Who did you say you were?"
Reality was right now for her.. there was no yesterday in her mind.. No tomorrow or the next day either.. he had listened to her rambling on for hours last night.. she told him about her son who had gone to conquer the world.. she wondered where he was now and even though he told her again and again she didn't seem to hear that her lost boy had returned to the nest with a tangled body to match her tangled mind.. he hadn't wanted to come back here where nothing good had ever happened to him but he hadn't had much choice.. down to his last dollar and sick as a dog he had headed home at last..
Glory had never been his.. but he did enjoy the way she told his story.. she had told him of how many wonderful things he had accomplished in his life.. he sucked the dark smoke deep into his scarred lungs and wished even one of the grand things she dreamed up had been true.. and he was glad that she didn't know the truth about him.. It was almost better to have been forgotten..
Orange crayon hearts covered most of the door.. He wondered why the neighbors had never called the authorities to come and check on her.. was she never sick.. never violent.. never lost.. or did they just think she was weird and leave her alone to live in her own little world..
Terrible things could have happened to her in the city.. gangs and thugs were always looking for someone to use or even to hurt.. or kill.. Had she been a victim and just didn't know it.. how many awful things had she forgotten...
Time for him to stand up and do something right.. time to become the wonderful son that she thought he was.. tomorrow they were going on an adventure.. he could hear her now digging through boxes of old clothes looking for a nice dress.. he had promised her a trip to eat ice cream and they would go early in the morning.. right after they left the doctor's office..
Evening shadows filled the stairs.. Dane leaned his head against the wall and listened to her singing inside the apartment.. he had knocked around from one place to the other before joining the Navy.. he had done everything he could to stay away from home until he had earned his fortune.. a fortune that he had never been able to claim.. now he was back and from the looks of things he had returned home a day late and a dollar short..
"
Never waits for no man" he heard her say to her imaginary friends.. and felt the tears begin when she added.. " but my son always says.. better late than never"
Three Word Wednesday- grin- jumble- naked
Theme Thursday- Gossip
Sunday Scribblings #268- better late than never
Weekend Wordsmith- Rusty
Thanks for stopping by to read my words.. I hope you enjoyed your visit..
I welcome both comments and followers.. Have a wonderful day!
Patsy
