"No time, no time!" "Out! Out!" They were moving even as he yelled, rolling out of the Humvee. Josh hit the ground hard, feet slamming down. He felt the shock move up his legs. He straightened, brought his gun up and found himself staring into eyes filled with hatred glaring back at him. Time suddenly seemed to slow. He heard shouts, gunfire, felt the heat of bullets, the jerk of his gun, the smell of discharged weaponry, blood raining down on the hard, dry, sand covered ground. He heard the chatter in his com, but it didn't register. They were both down, almost at his feet, their blood spilling onto the ground like small rivers in the sand. "It was them or me."
The heat from the burning Humvee was searing his backside. He moved to his left joining Roe as they circled back to back shooting as they moved toward the cover of the bus. Sarge yelled cease fire! No one spoke, everyone rotated looking for hostiles. Josh looked back at the Humvee. "Shit! They weren't going anywhere in that! As they stood looking at the damage, breathing easier now, sweating under all that gear, Josh thought of his promise to his Mom. He had almost brokent that promise today. (This technique is from the book Making Shapely Fiction. The technique is called "Trauma" and is the technique of starting a story with a traumatic event. The opening lines could be the event itself or immediately after. The characters reveal themselves by how they react when they are upset. The story's success lies in the immediacy.)
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Saturday, September 19, 2009
THE LEAVING
“Mom”, Josh called out. Diann rolled over and sat up. She put her feet on the floor and shuffled to Josh’s room. “What’s the matter sweety?” Josh looked up at his mother with slightly fearful eyes. He lifted his little arms up and asked his mother plaintively, “Can I sleep with you and Daddy?” Diann smiled and picked her little boy up. As they began to walk back to Diann and Hanson’s bedroom, Diann asked, “Did the movie scare you, honey?” “Yes,” Josh said as he snuggled into his mother’s arms. Diann thought as she settled herself and Josh into the bed, “He was too young to watch that movie. War scenes were too much for little guys like Josh.”
It was a warm, sunny, afternoon. The sun was shining through the west window, streaming into the kitchen, lighting it up. Josh sat at the breakfast bar eating lunch across from his mother. They ate their lunch for awhile in companionable silence. As Josh ate the last of his salad, his mother Diann, rose from the kitchen stool, crossed to the kitchen counter, and cut a big slice of the chocolate frosted cake she had made that morning. She put the slice on a cake plate, opened the silverware drawer and took out a fork. She then crossed back to where Josh was sitting at the breakfast bar and handed him the plate and fork. Josh lifted his glass up and smiled at her, wiggling the glass back and forth. She smiled back and walked to the refrigerator pulling out a jug of milk, crossing back to Josh and poured the milk into the glass. She walked back to the refrigerator, put the milk jug back, crossed back to the bar and sat down.
Josh appreciatively took his first bite of the cake, then looking at his mother with a smile, said.
“Now that I am out of high school, I have been thinking a lot about what I want to do next.”
Diann (Josh’s mom) smiled and said, “ It’s not like I haven’t been pushing you to consider your future for years now!”
“I know Mom, but I didn’t want to deal with this until I had to. He shrugged his shoulders. "I have to now.”
“I know, I know,” Diann said.
“ I’ve been thinking about going into the military. “
“What branch of the military son?”
“Marines.”
“Why Marines?”
“ They’re the best of the best. I have gone to see the army, navy, and the air force recruiters. The marines are the ones hiring, and I might get a sign on bonus.
“ This is not my first choice for you. What about college? What about the danger? What about being gone from us for so long? What about…..”
“Mom! I get it, ok? You don’t want me to make this choice. Now, the problem is that it’s my life, my choice, and although I love you, I want to make my decisions for myself.”
“I realize that! I am sorry. It’s just that I am afraid of you getting yourself hurt or …..worse!”
Josh said, “ I’ll be alright Mom.” He sighed. “How about this Mom? You come with me to see the recruiter. You can ask all the questions you want. He wants to meet my parents anyway.”
Diann said, “You’ve already been to visit the recruiter. I thought you had just been calling or something …..to get information?”
“I’ve already been there, yes. Well, whadya say?”
“Ok, I will come with you. Do you want to make an appointment? Where is this recruiter? Are you sure you really want to look into this?”
“I am pretty sure that this is the direction I want to go. I will get money for college, training, and it’s an immediate job. I’m looking for something different. I’ve been working since I was 15 and I am bored with the job. I’m looking for a challenge.”
Diann looked into her son’s eyes, understanding showing on her face. “ Be the best you can be? See if you can do it?”
“Something like that.”
“Wow....... alright son. Let’s go check out what the Marines offer.”
“I was hoping you would say that. What are you doing this afternoon? You’re off, right? Got any plans?”
Diann shrugged, “ Noooo…Why?”
“Cause the recruiter can see us this afternoon. What about it?”
“What time?”
Josh took the last bite of his cake and pinned down some the crumbs with his fork. He put them in his mouth, savoring the last flavor of the chocolate cake. ”Now if you want. The recruiter told me he could see us with just a little notice.”
“Talk about set ups? I feel like I’m on a train! Fine, let’s go see your recruiter. What’s his name?”
“And, Mom, one of them's a woman!”
The air was bitter cold even though the sun was shining brightly as they weaved in and out of the heavy morning rush hour traffic. Diann shivered in her coat as she sat in the passenger seat of the car. Every so often she would glance at Hanson as he drove and wait for him to glance back at her. The shared glance generated between them would comfort her for a few moments. This moment rated as one of the hard ones in her life. Josh sat in the back seat. They were on their way to the airport. Josh was leaving today.
It was a warm, sunny, afternoon. The sun was shining through the west window, streaming into the kitchen, lighting it up. Josh sat at the breakfast bar eating lunch across from his mother. They ate their lunch for awhile in companionable silence. As Josh ate the last of his salad, his mother Diann, rose from the kitchen stool, crossed to the kitchen counter, and cut a big slice of the chocolate frosted cake she had made that morning. She put the slice on a cake plate, opened the silverware drawer and took out a fork. She then crossed back to where Josh was sitting at the breakfast bar and handed him the plate and fork. Josh lifted his glass up and smiled at her, wiggling the glass back and forth. She smiled back and walked to the refrigerator pulling out a jug of milk, crossing back to Josh and poured the milk into the glass. She walked back to the refrigerator, put the milk jug back, crossed back to the bar and sat down.
Josh appreciatively took his first bite of the cake, then looking at his mother with a smile, said.
“Now that I am out of high school, I have been thinking a lot about what I want to do next.”
Diann (Josh’s mom) smiled and said, “ It’s not like I haven’t been pushing you to consider your future for years now!”
“I know Mom, but I didn’t want to deal with this until I had to. He shrugged his shoulders. "I have to now.”
“I know, I know,” Diann said.
“ I’ve been thinking about going into the military. “
“What branch of the military son?”
“Marines.”
“Why Marines?”
“ They’re the best of the best. I have gone to see the army, navy, and the air force recruiters. The marines are the ones hiring, and I might get a sign on bonus.
“ This is not my first choice for you. What about college? What about the danger? What about being gone from us for so long? What about…..”
“Mom! I get it, ok? You don’t want me to make this choice. Now, the problem is that it’s my life, my choice, and although I love you, I want to make my decisions for myself.”
“I realize that! I am sorry. It’s just that I am afraid of you getting yourself hurt or …..worse!”
Josh said, “ I’ll be alright Mom.” He sighed. “How about this Mom? You come with me to see the recruiter. You can ask all the questions you want. He wants to meet my parents anyway.”
Diann said, “You’ve already been to visit the recruiter. I thought you had just been calling or something …..to get information?”
“I’ve already been there, yes. Well, whadya say?”
“Ok, I will come with you. Do you want to make an appointment? Where is this recruiter? Are you sure you really want to look into this?”
“I am pretty sure that this is the direction I want to go. I will get money for college, training, and it’s an immediate job. I’m looking for something different. I’ve been working since I was 15 and I am bored with the job. I’m looking for a challenge.”
Diann looked into her son’s eyes, understanding showing on her face. “ Be the best you can be? See if you can do it?”
“Something like that.”
“Wow....... alright son. Let’s go check out what the Marines offer.”
“I was hoping you would say that. What are you doing this afternoon? You’re off, right? Got any plans?”
Diann shrugged, “ Noooo…Why?”
“Cause the recruiter can see us this afternoon. What about it?”
“What time?”
Josh took the last bite of his cake and pinned down some the crumbs with his fork. He put them in his mouth, savoring the last flavor of the chocolate cake. ”Now if you want. The recruiter told me he could see us with just a little notice.”
“Talk about set ups? I feel like I’m on a train! Fine, let’s go see your recruiter. What’s his name?”
“And, Mom, one of them's a woman!”
The air was bitter cold even though the sun was shining brightly as they weaved in and out of the heavy morning rush hour traffic. Diann shivered in her coat as she sat in the passenger seat of the car. Every so often she would glance at Hanson as he drove and wait for him to glance back at her. The shared glance generated between them would comfort her for a few moments. This moment rated as one of the hard ones in her life. Josh sat in the back seat. They were on their way to the airport. Josh was leaving today.
A Writing Technique called 'Last Lap'
This technique places the character right at the climax. It is yet another way to create fiction that the reader will enjoy. A character in the story is already in action which creates immediate tension. This will allow you to slow time. You have action that involves surprises, flashbacks, ironies, or anecdotes. Whatever you choose to build into this active, tense situation, you can capture the reader immediately.
Last Lap is one of the many techniques of writing at our disposal to create memorable fiction.
Last Lap is one of the many techniques of writing at our disposal to create memorable fiction.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
THE CONFESSION
Caitland tapped her fingers lightly on the flat table, beating out the rhythm to one of her favorite songs. She hummed softly as she rapped out the song over and over. Her mind was buzzing furiously as she tried to think of a story that would be credible and get her and Ashley off at the same time. The minutes flew by as she rapped out the song again.
“Would you pleeeease?” Ashley asked sharply as she fidgeted yet again in her chair. “These chairs are some version of ancient torture props.” She said, looking to Caitland for confirmation. “It’s bad enough to have to sit on these things without having to listen to you beat out the same tune over and over and over and over!
Caitland stopped tapping her fingers and the two girls glared at each other for a long stretch of minutes. Caitland turned in her chair positioning her body to face away from Ashley and returned to tapping her fingers. “Bitch”! Ashley yelled. Caitland didn’t even really hear Ashley as she concentrated on how she was going to get out of this mess. It was bad enough that she was going to have to face her parents, but the idea of ending up in jail scared her so bad she felt like vomiting! What if they just denied having anything to do with Shannon? Could the police prove it was her and Ashley? Yes, she thought, they would talk to the other girls and find out that she and Ashley had been bragging about dumping Shannon and making her walk back to town. If Shannon lived, she would tell the police herself.
That’s the last time I do anything with Ashley, she thought angrily. As though it was all Ashley’s fault! The door opened and in walked a tall woman and an even taller man. They wore badges on chains around their necks. Both looked like they were as old as Caitland and Ashley’s parents. The door closed, and the two officers pulled out the other two chairs from the table and sat down on them.
The woman spoke, “Who wants to go first?” Ashley spoke quickly, her words tumbling over one another in her need to get them out. “We didn’t mean any harm, we thought it would be a good joke, that’s all! It was Caitland’s idea anyway so it’s really not my fault!” “That’s a lie!” Caitland shouted, face red with anger. “You skank bitch!” she shouted at Ashley.
“Shut up! I don’t care who thought it up. What matters is that it nearly killed and innocent girl and someone’s got to pay for that! What I want to know is why? By the way, I’m Detective Lisa Johnson and this is Seargent Talsoe. Your parents have given us permission to talk to you about the incident with Shannon Harding. So tell us, why? Why did you girls want to do this to Shannon Harding?” Detective Johnson pulled back in her chair until the two front legs were off the ground. She stared hard at first one and then the other as she waited to hear their answer.
“We thought she would be able to call and get someone to drive out to get her! We didn’t think that she would get so cold so quickly! We didn’t mean her any harm. We just wanted to play a joke on her that she wouldn’t forget. I thought if we just taught her a lesson, she would leave us alone, stop making fun of us and bullying us all the time! She could have called anytime you know!” Ashley’s voice quivered and ground to a halt.
“Really! Is that why you took her phone with you when you left her out there in the middle of nowhere in 0 degree weather with a snow storm coming in, and no coat?” Detective Johnson asked. “I thought she had the cell phone on her. I didn’t realize that Caitland took her phone!” Ashley whined.
“That’s not true!” Caitland spit out! “They didn’t find the phone on me! They found it on you, bitch!” “So who threw the coat out of the car?” asked Seargent Talsoe, speaking for the first time since entering the room. “No one threw the coat out of the car. The window was down and we were going kind of fast. The coat was hanging partly out of the window because Caitland threw the coat into the back seat and it didn’t go all the way in. It just kind of flew out of the car when the wind pulled at it. We didn’t realize it was gone until later.” Ashley said.
“I am not the one who took the coat from her. I’m not the one who took the phone either! You know you wanted her to die out there! I just wanted to teach her a lesson she wouldn’t forget!” shouted Caitland. “Enough!” ground out Detective Johnson. Johnson reached into her pocket and pulled out a ring. “Whose ring is this?” She gently tossed the ring on the table and it bounced before coming to a halt in the middle of the table. Ashley gasped, “Mine! I didn’t realize I had lost it!” She said looking up at the two police officers. “Where did you find it?” she asked suspicion growing in her countenance.
Seargant Talsoe leaned forward, putting his elbows on the table and folding his hands together. Softly he said, “You know, girls, I believe you when you say that you started out just wanting to teach Shannon a lesson. I believe you Caitland when you say that you did not realize that Shannon did not have her phone on her. Shannon tells us that you were in the car and did not see Ashley take the phone from her. However, you both were a part of taking the coat. Ashley, we found the ring in the pocket of Shannon’s coat which we found in the ditch on Highway 3. Shannon and her parents have identified that coat as hers. The ring must have slipped off your finger when you were what…checking through the pockets before throwing it out of the car?”
“Is that how it was?” asked Dectective Johnson as she set her chair legs back on the floor. “Well?”
Caitland knew that she was not going to be able to spin her way out of this story. Perhaps she had known all along this was going to turn out badly. “Yes, we knew when we took her coat, both of us, that she could die. I got into the car and did not realize Ashley had taken the coat until she threw it into the back seat. I did not know about the phone and thought she would call her friends or someone and they would come and get her. I thought she would be miserable, but I did not really think she could die. Not until Ashley took her coat and threw it into the car. I knew then she could die and I did not do anything about it.” She said softly.
“I want a lawyer.” Ashley said. Ashley’s face had turned to stone. She seemed to fold in on herself and refused to look at either of the two officers directly. Detective Johnson turned to Talsoe and said, “She’s lawyered up. There’s no way we can help her now.” She turned to Caitland, “Caitland, if you will give us a full statement, it is likely that the judge will consider your cooperation when sentencing your case.”
Caitland felt for the first time, shame at what she and Ashley had done. She knew that she was going to pay for a long time for this. She had not thought about her parents and what they would think. She had not considered getting caught or even the reality of letting someone die, no matter how much she hated her! The whole time they had been sitting in that little room, she had been trying to think of how she could get out of this without paying for it! Now, she just wanted to get the whole thing over with. “I’ll give you a full statement. I am guilty of all but the phone.” She said quietly. Now she had to face her parents. And what about school, and her friends? (This writing technique utilizes telling an anecdote in the voice and character who is not the author. As the character tells his/her story he/she unknowingly undercuts or discredits his explanation.)
“Would you pleeeease?” Ashley asked sharply as she fidgeted yet again in her chair. “These chairs are some version of ancient torture props.” She said, looking to Caitland for confirmation. “It’s bad enough to have to sit on these things without having to listen to you beat out the same tune over and over and over and over!
Caitland stopped tapping her fingers and the two girls glared at each other for a long stretch of minutes. Caitland turned in her chair positioning her body to face away from Ashley and returned to tapping her fingers. “Bitch”! Ashley yelled. Caitland didn’t even really hear Ashley as she concentrated on how she was going to get out of this mess. It was bad enough that she was going to have to face her parents, but the idea of ending up in jail scared her so bad she felt like vomiting! What if they just denied having anything to do with Shannon? Could the police prove it was her and Ashley? Yes, she thought, they would talk to the other girls and find out that she and Ashley had been bragging about dumping Shannon and making her walk back to town. If Shannon lived, she would tell the police herself.
That’s the last time I do anything with Ashley, she thought angrily. As though it was all Ashley’s fault! The door opened and in walked a tall woman and an even taller man. They wore badges on chains around their necks. Both looked like they were as old as Caitland and Ashley’s parents. The door closed, and the two officers pulled out the other two chairs from the table and sat down on them.
The woman spoke, “Who wants to go first?” Ashley spoke quickly, her words tumbling over one another in her need to get them out. “We didn’t mean any harm, we thought it would be a good joke, that’s all! It was Caitland’s idea anyway so it’s really not my fault!” “That’s a lie!” Caitland shouted, face red with anger. “You skank bitch!” she shouted at Ashley.
“Shut up! I don’t care who thought it up. What matters is that it nearly killed and innocent girl and someone’s got to pay for that! What I want to know is why? By the way, I’m Detective Lisa Johnson and this is Seargent Talsoe. Your parents have given us permission to talk to you about the incident with Shannon Harding. So tell us, why? Why did you girls want to do this to Shannon Harding?” Detective Johnson pulled back in her chair until the two front legs were off the ground. She stared hard at first one and then the other as she waited to hear their answer.
“We thought she would be able to call and get someone to drive out to get her! We didn’t think that she would get so cold so quickly! We didn’t mean her any harm. We just wanted to play a joke on her that she wouldn’t forget. I thought if we just taught her a lesson, she would leave us alone, stop making fun of us and bullying us all the time! She could have called anytime you know!” Ashley’s voice quivered and ground to a halt.
“Really! Is that why you took her phone with you when you left her out there in the middle of nowhere in 0 degree weather with a snow storm coming in, and no coat?” Detective Johnson asked. “I thought she had the cell phone on her. I didn’t realize that Caitland took her phone!” Ashley whined.
“That’s not true!” Caitland spit out! “They didn’t find the phone on me! They found it on you, bitch!” “So who threw the coat out of the car?” asked Seargent Talsoe, speaking for the first time since entering the room. “No one threw the coat out of the car. The window was down and we were going kind of fast. The coat was hanging partly out of the window because Caitland threw the coat into the back seat and it didn’t go all the way in. It just kind of flew out of the car when the wind pulled at it. We didn’t realize it was gone until later.” Ashley said.
“I am not the one who took the coat from her. I’m not the one who took the phone either! You know you wanted her to die out there! I just wanted to teach her a lesson she wouldn’t forget!” shouted Caitland. “Enough!” ground out Detective Johnson. Johnson reached into her pocket and pulled out a ring. “Whose ring is this?” She gently tossed the ring on the table and it bounced before coming to a halt in the middle of the table. Ashley gasped, “Mine! I didn’t realize I had lost it!” She said looking up at the two police officers. “Where did you find it?” she asked suspicion growing in her countenance.
Seargant Talsoe leaned forward, putting his elbows on the table and folding his hands together. Softly he said, “You know, girls, I believe you when you say that you started out just wanting to teach Shannon a lesson. I believe you Caitland when you say that you did not realize that Shannon did not have her phone on her. Shannon tells us that you were in the car and did not see Ashley take the phone from her. However, you both were a part of taking the coat. Ashley, we found the ring in the pocket of Shannon’s coat which we found in the ditch on Highway 3. Shannon and her parents have identified that coat as hers. The ring must have slipped off your finger when you were what…checking through the pockets before throwing it out of the car?”
“Is that how it was?” asked Dectective Johnson as she set her chair legs back on the floor. “Well?”
Caitland knew that she was not going to be able to spin her way out of this story. Perhaps she had known all along this was going to turn out badly. “Yes, we knew when we took her coat, both of us, that she could die. I got into the car and did not realize Ashley had taken the coat until she threw it into the back seat. I did not know about the phone and thought she would call her friends or someone and they would come and get her. I thought she would be miserable, but I did not really think she could die. Not until Ashley took her coat and threw it into the car. I knew then she could die and I did not do anything about it.” She said softly.
“I want a lawyer.” Ashley said. Ashley’s face had turned to stone. She seemed to fold in on herself and refused to look at either of the two officers directly. Detective Johnson turned to Talsoe and said, “She’s lawyered up. There’s no way we can help her now.” She turned to Caitland, “Caitland, if you will give us a full statement, it is likely that the judge will consider your cooperation when sentencing your case.”
Caitland felt for the first time, shame at what she and Ashley had done. She knew that she was going to pay for a long time for this. She had not thought about her parents and what they would think. She had not considered getting caught or even the reality of letting someone die, no matter how much she hated her! The whole time they had been sitting in that little room, she had been trying to think of how she could get out of this without paying for it! Now, she just wanted to get the whole thing over with. “I’ll give you a full statement. I am guilty of all but the phone.” She said quietly. Now she had to face her parents. And what about school, and her friends? (This writing technique utilizes telling an anecdote in the voice and character who is not the author. As the character tells his/her story he/she unknowingly undercuts or discredits his explanation.)
Saturday, September 12, 2009
FINDING PAPA
She stomped her feet across the porch and down the stairs, barely holding herself back from another display of temper. Both Mama and Papa scolded her about her temper! She struggled to hold her temper in but sometimes it was so hard! As she walked out to the barn to begin the evening chores, she thought about the changes that were coming. Jamey was very strong for her age. Stronger than most of the boys her age, Jamey was more than equal to most tasks given her. She was proud of that! She knew that Papa was proud of her. But she was afraid that she would not be able to do what Mama and Papa were going to ask of her this winter!
At 13, Jamey was tall, all legs, with blonde hair and green eyes. She liked watermelon in the summer, soup in the winter, school, and helping her mother with the cooking. She did not like cleaning out the barn, getting up in the wee hours of the morning to help feed the animals, or cleaning house. She really hated needlepoint, learning to play pianoforte, dressing in tight corsets when they went to town, and being quiet and demure in front of others.
Her sister, Sharon, was 7 and was learning to do fine needlepoint like Mama did. Mama was known throughout the county for her needlepoint. Every winter she made fine pillows, quilts, pictures, decorated linens, and clothes. She then sold them in the spring and summer. The money Mama made helped the family get through the next winter with cash to pay for the things they could not produce themselves on the farm. Jamey hated sitting through the tedious intricate stitching by stitch. She did not like the inactivity, but Mama said women must learn to be still. Mama said women needed to know how to be ‘civilized’.
This winter, Papa was going away for the first time to work at a bigger farm as a farmhand. One of the farmhands there had been injured when a horse slipped and rolled on him. Papa said it was a good opportunity to make some extra money to help pay for things. Mama was not too happy about it but she said that Papa was right. Jamey was irritated because she knew that she was going to get stuck with the outside chores most of the days Papa was away! Sharon would just have to help her whether she liked to or not! Ben and Jimmy were too young to do much helping out yet. Mama had a ‘bun in the oven’ again so by mid winter she would be too big to do the heavier chores. Papa said he would travel back and forth on his days off and do the really big stuff that needed doing like moving the bales of hay to the feeding areas, and well, anything Jamey could not do.
Jamey could not remember a time when she had not worked hard. She did not mind it so much, but sometimes she wished she could just have a day or two when she did not have to help out. Like that was gonna happen! Papa always said, “Them that don’t work don’t eat!” There were lots of fun things that happened in the summer though, like the church picnics, county fair, harvest meals, barn raisings, and whatever other reason people could find to celebrate. In winter people just holed up in their homes and worked on crafts, mending, and making things that were needed. Once in awhile, they would make candy or play games. Christmas was always a special season when people visited and socialized at parties and such.
Mama was teaching Sharon and Jamey to play the pianoforte. She said she was gonna teach Ben and Jimmy too. Jamey did not want to sit around in the heat of the afternoon and practice needlepoint, reading and writing, and music! She wanted to go out on the horse and ride, swim in the river, to just be outside! The cats mewed, rubbing up against her legs, nearly tripping her as she walked from barn to pig pen, then on to the chicken pen.
As Jamey went about the chores, she wondered for the fifth time today where Papa had gotten to. He had left the lunch table today without saying where he was going to be. She would have liked to have gone with him, but she did not get a chance to ask before he was gone. That meant another session of needlepoint and pianoforte! She just had to hold her temper in today! With Mama not feeling so well most days, she felt really bad when she got mad during the lessons. Having to face Papa wasn’t so great either! She would get stuck on some stitch or have trouble getting a particular piece of music down. The irritation would rise inside her like steam coming out the tea kettle, and her face would get red and hot. Then without even realizing it she would start swearing! Mama would get upset and Sharon would start giggling. The boys, if they were around would begin to copy her! Then she would end up in the woodshed with Papa! If only she could catch on to the female stuff as well as her sister! Jamey knew she was not cut out to do needlepoint and play music! She should have been a boy, she reflected on what that would have been like for her as she stood throwing chicken feed at the chickens.
When the chores were done, Jamey went inside to help with fixing dinner. It was not until they went to sit down at the dinner table that Papa’s absence was noticed. His place at the head of the table was conspicuously absent. “Papa must have gotten caught up in one thing or another,” said Mama. “He’ll be along soon.” After the dishes were washed, the little ones were in bed, and darkness had settled in, Mama told Jamey quietly to go to bed. Jamey could tell from the look on her Mama’s face that Mama was getting concerned about Papa not being home yet.
Jamey headed up to the small bedroom she shared with her sister. She tried to stay awake and listen for Papa, but she soon fell asleep. When she awoke to her mother shaking her, Jamey opened her eyes and realized that it was morning and she had slept the night through. “Papa did not come home last night,” Mama told her. “I have breakfast for you. I will do the chores. I want you to go look for Papa.” When Mama was with child, she did not ride horses. She did ride the buckboard once in awhile, but she said it was too rough to ride much. Jamey felt the heavy burden of concern that her mother felt settling over her like a blanket. She quickly dressed, ate her breakfast, and headed outside to saddle old Henry, their old Morgan. Mama brought her a skin of water, a lunch, and a rifle. Jamey could shoot real well. She had been taught to shoot for food or protection. Firing a gun was a serious matter and bullets were not to be wasted. Jamey understood the seriousness of her mother’s action in giving her the gun. Jamey and her mother looked at each other for a long moment. A shared understanding of the seriousness of Papa still being gone passed between them. “I’ll find him Mama. I’ll bring him home.”
As she rode away from the house, Jamey felt afraid. The burden to find her father pressed down upon her. If Papa had not come home it was because something had happened. That something was like a hand pressing the blanket of fear down on her. At the same time she felt proud! Proud that her mother trusted her to find Papa! Mama could have gotten out the buckboard, hauled up the kids and gone out to find Papa herself!
It took most of the day to find him. When she did, the fear that gripped her was almost paralyzing. He lay still, not moving. Holding the reigns of the Morgan in one hand, Jamey walked up to her father. She knelt down and watched his chest. It was rising and falling evenly. She felt a thrill of elation that he was alive! She touched his shoulder, trying to wake him. She could see the ground around his head was red with blood! That blanket of fear dropped on her again threatening to smother her! “Papa”, she nearly screamed! He did not so much as twitch!
Jamey stepped back and tried to decide what to do. Papa needed care right away. But… how to get him home? As she considered making a travaux and dragging him back home on it, she became irritated by the problem confronting her. Fear gave strength to her emotions of irritation and anger. She didn’t have time to make a travaux and drag him home! He needed help now! Her face felt hot and she lost focus. Fear that Papa would die filled her mind and made her furious! It was as though she were seeing the next moments from far away. She walked over to Papa, pulled him up to a sitting position, and slung him over her shoulders. She carried him to the horse, and lifted him up and over the back of the horse behind the saddle. She took the rope and tied him to the horse. She’d never be able to do that again in a million years!
As long as she lived, she never knew how she had managed to lift her Papa’s dead weight of 200 pounds up off the ground, let alone up and over the Morgan! Mama called it a miracle! Whenever the subject came up, Papa would smile and say she was incredibly strong! Well, he was right! (I utilize a writing technique in this story wherein I have the character doing chores, actions while thinking about something else. This is called Juggling.)
At 13, Jamey was tall, all legs, with blonde hair and green eyes. She liked watermelon in the summer, soup in the winter, school, and helping her mother with the cooking. She did not like cleaning out the barn, getting up in the wee hours of the morning to help feed the animals, or cleaning house. She really hated needlepoint, learning to play pianoforte, dressing in tight corsets when they went to town, and being quiet and demure in front of others.
Her sister, Sharon, was 7 and was learning to do fine needlepoint like Mama did. Mama was known throughout the county for her needlepoint. Every winter she made fine pillows, quilts, pictures, decorated linens, and clothes. She then sold them in the spring and summer. The money Mama made helped the family get through the next winter with cash to pay for the things they could not produce themselves on the farm. Jamey hated sitting through the tedious intricate stitching by stitch. She did not like the inactivity, but Mama said women must learn to be still. Mama said women needed to know how to be ‘civilized’.
This winter, Papa was going away for the first time to work at a bigger farm as a farmhand. One of the farmhands there had been injured when a horse slipped and rolled on him. Papa said it was a good opportunity to make some extra money to help pay for things. Mama was not too happy about it but she said that Papa was right. Jamey was irritated because she knew that she was going to get stuck with the outside chores most of the days Papa was away! Sharon would just have to help her whether she liked to or not! Ben and Jimmy were too young to do much helping out yet. Mama had a ‘bun in the oven’ again so by mid winter she would be too big to do the heavier chores. Papa said he would travel back and forth on his days off and do the really big stuff that needed doing like moving the bales of hay to the feeding areas, and well, anything Jamey could not do.
Jamey could not remember a time when she had not worked hard. She did not mind it so much, but sometimes she wished she could just have a day or two when she did not have to help out. Like that was gonna happen! Papa always said, “Them that don’t work don’t eat!” There were lots of fun things that happened in the summer though, like the church picnics, county fair, harvest meals, barn raisings, and whatever other reason people could find to celebrate. In winter people just holed up in their homes and worked on crafts, mending, and making things that were needed. Once in awhile, they would make candy or play games. Christmas was always a special season when people visited and socialized at parties and such.
Mama was teaching Sharon and Jamey to play the pianoforte. She said she was gonna teach Ben and Jimmy too. Jamey did not want to sit around in the heat of the afternoon and practice needlepoint, reading and writing, and music! She wanted to go out on the horse and ride, swim in the river, to just be outside! The cats mewed, rubbing up against her legs, nearly tripping her as she walked from barn to pig pen, then on to the chicken pen.
As Jamey went about the chores, she wondered for the fifth time today where Papa had gotten to. He had left the lunch table today without saying where he was going to be. She would have liked to have gone with him, but she did not get a chance to ask before he was gone. That meant another session of needlepoint and pianoforte! She just had to hold her temper in today! With Mama not feeling so well most days, she felt really bad when she got mad during the lessons. Having to face Papa wasn’t so great either! She would get stuck on some stitch or have trouble getting a particular piece of music down. The irritation would rise inside her like steam coming out the tea kettle, and her face would get red and hot. Then without even realizing it she would start swearing! Mama would get upset and Sharon would start giggling. The boys, if they were around would begin to copy her! Then she would end up in the woodshed with Papa! If only she could catch on to the female stuff as well as her sister! Jamey knew she was not cut out to do needlepoint and play music! She should have been a boy, she reflected on what that would have been like for her as she stood throwing chicken feed at the chickens.
When the chores were done, Jamey went inside to help with fixing dinner. It was not until they went to sit down at the dinner table that Papa’s absence was noticed. His place at the head of the table was conspicuously absent. “Papa must have gotten caught up in one thing or another,” said Mama. “He’ll be along soon.” After the dishes were washed, the little ones were in bed, and darkness had settled in, Mama told Jamey quietly to go to bed. Jamey could tell from the look on her Mama’s face that Mama was getting concerned about Papa not being home yet.
Jamey headed up to the small bedroom she shared with her sister. She tried to stay awake and listen for Papa, but she soon fell asleep. When she awoke to her mother shaking her, Jamey opened her eyes and realized that it was morning and she had slept the night through. “Papa did not come home last night,” Mama told her. “I have breakfast for you. I will do the chores. I want you to go look for Papa.” When Mama was with child, she did not ride horses. She did ride the buckboard once in awhile, but she said it was too rough to ride much. Jamey felt the heavy burden of concern that her mother felt settling over her like a blanket. She quickly dressed, ate her breakfast, and headed outside to saddle old Henry, their old Morgan. Mama brought her a skin of water, a lunch, and a rifle. Jamey could shoot real well. She had been taught to shoot for food or protection. Firing a gun was a serious matter and bullets were not to be wasted. Jamey understood the seriousness of her mother’s action in giving her the gun. Jamey and her mother looked at each other for a long moment. A shared understanding of the seriousness of Papa still being gone passed between them. “I’ll find him Mama. I’ll bring him home.”
As she rode away from the house, Jamey felt afraid. The burden to find her father pressed down upon her. If Papa had not come home it was because something had happened. That something was like a hand pressing the blanket of fear down on her. At the same time she felt proud! Proud that her mother trusted her to find Papa! Mama could have gotten out the buckboard, hauled up the kids and gone out to find Papa herself!
It took most of the day to find him. When she did, the fear that gripped her was almost paralyzing. He lay still, not moving. Holding the reigns of the Morgan in one hand, Jamey walked up to her father. She knelt down and watched his chest. It was rising and falling evenly. She felt a thrill of elation that he was alive! She touched his shoulder, trying to wake him. She could see the ground around his head was red with blood! That blanket of fear dropped on her again threatening to smother her! “Papa”, she nearly screamed! He did not so much as twitch!
Jamey stepped back and tried to decide what to do. Papa needed care right away. But… how to get him home? As she considered making a travaux and dragging him back home on it, she became irritated by the problem confronting her. Fear gave strength to her emotions of irritation and anger. She didn’t have time to make a travaux and drag him home! He needed help now! Her face felt hot and she lost focus. Fear that Papa would die filled her mind and made her furious! It was as though she were seeing the next moments from far away. She walked over to Papa, pulled him up to a sitting position, and slung him over her shoulders. She carried him to the horse, and lifted him up and over the back of the horse behind the saddle. She took the rope and tied him to the horse. She’d never be able to do that again in a million years!
As long as she lived, she never knew how she had managed to lift her Papa’s dead weight of 200 pounds up off the ground, let alone up and over the Morgan! Mama called it a miracle! Whenever the subject came up, Papa would smile and say she was incredibly strong! Well, he was right! (I utilize a writing technique in this story wherein I have the character doing chores, actions while thinking about something else. This is called Juggling.)
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Reality
I am sitting in my living room the day before Labor Day alone! My husband is at work again! There are definitely times when i feel life is the pits without the cherries! I must remember that I really have it pretty good! I have a steady job and who cares that the store has been experiencing some form of melt down for.......ever! I love working with people most days and I have a steady income!
My wonderful, faithful collie, Laceiy is sleeping on the floor next to my chair. She has a wonderful life! Sleep, eat, play, sleep some more! I can hear the crickets doing their summer song and the sun is shining! The weather has been absolutely perfect here for weeks! It's a little scary! I hope this does not mean we are in for a bad winter! I keep asking myself why it is I stay in Minnesota! Oh, yeah, the job! My wonderful spouse is a hard worker! He is a store manager at the same company I work for, but not at the same store. We are empty nesters now. I find that a little hard to deal with. Some days more than others.
I live in a wonderul park that has a very diverse population! There's the widow across the street who has been dating the 80's something veteran who lives down the road. A mixed race couple live kitty corner from me, a couple with 2 BIG dogs next door, the lonely, but always busy, 70ish poet down the road, the truck driver, his wife and their teenage son across the street next to the widow, and the family of 4, 2 houses down. We have a woman a few houses down who rents out to several single men (against the rules), and an assortment of families and single people throughout the park. I am told we even have our very own sex offender living among us.
I created a garden the first summer I was here. I have tomatoes, zuchinni, eggplant, and peppers. My family has never really liked eggplant. I love the stuff when cooked in an Italian type of dish. I have been sneaking the stuff into many of my recipes, especially the stir frys and the sauces. Don't tell my husband! I have a lot of projects that I may never finish. At least I can say that I always have something to do! We are saving our money with hopes of going on an inexpensive vacation sometime in January! I am concentrating on dieting and exercising. I need to lose weight. I believe that if I lose weight, I will have more energy and that is someting that has become a hot commodity for me these days!
Time to go pick herbs to dry and walk the dog! Well...bike the dog! :)
My wonderful, faithful collie, Laceiy is sleeping on the floor next to my chair. She has a wonderful life! Sleep, eat, play, sleep some more! I can hear the crickets doing their summer song and the sun is shining! The weather has been absolutely perfect here for weeks! It's a little scary! I hope this does not mean we are in for a bad winter! I keep asking myself why it is I stay in Minnesota! Oh, yeah, the job! My wonderful spouse is a hard worker! He is a store manager at the same company I work for, but not at the same store. We are empty nesters now. I find that a little hard to deal with. Some days more than others.
I live in a wonderul park that has a very diverse population! There's the widow across the street who has been dating the 80's something veteran who lives down the road. A mixed race couple live kitty corner from me, a couple with 2 BIG dogs next door, the lonely, but always busy, 70ish poet down the road, the truck driver, his wife and their teenage son across the street next to the widow, and the family of 4, 2 houses down. We have a woman a few houses down who rents out to several single men (against the rules), and an assortment of families and single people throughout the park. I am told we even have our very own sex offender living among us.
I created a garden the first summer I was here. I have tomatoes, zuchinni, eggplant, and peppers. My family has never really liked eggplant. I love the stuff when cooked in an Italian type of dish. I have been sneaking the stuff into many of my recipes, especially the stir frys and the sauces. Don't tell my husband! I have a lot of projects that I may never finish. At least I can say that I always have something to do! We are saving our money with hopes of going on an inexpensive vacation sometime in January! I am concentrating on dieting and exercising. I need to lose weight. I believe that if I lose weight, I will have more energy and that is someting that has become a hot commodity for me these days!
Time to go pick herbs to dry and walk the dog! Well...bike the dog! :)
Good Ole USA, Home Sweet Home!
How sweet freedom really is! After a year in an overseas prison, I could not be happier to be home in the good ole USA! I made a decision during that horrible, painful, and dangerous year in another country! The decision I made then is still one I am carrying out now.. My decision was to never leave the USA again!
I should consider myself lucky that I did not die in that overseas prison. Even luckier that I did not receive the death sentence as that is the common remedy for most crimes over there. The fact that I was an American may have kept me alive, but it definitely was also the reason I went to prison at all. I guess I should consider myself lucky to have lived through the whole thing and not been brought home in a pine box. Or worse, I could have been buried over there in the hot, dry, sandy soil. Nothing really grows there except around the water. Water is precious there and has been fought over for centuries. Ancient wells that still produce sweet water, feed trees and plants, and produce shade and greenery that stand out like kiwi in a yellow fruit salad.
The fact that I should not have been convicted of any crime, well, I really wasn’t convicted of any crime, should have been enough to keep me out of the women’s correctional facility. I had done nothing wrong! I was convicted of guilt by association. Well, I was not really convicted! It was all a confusing mess of foreign words and laws, and my word was not as good as a the word of any man! How was I to know that if I was caught alone with a man, and then that man was murdered while I was innocently sitting in his vehicle waiting for him to get back inside, I would be considered to have been guilty by association? In my mind this concept takes the whole “Ignorance of the law is no excuse” rule a little far!
I had plenty of time to reminisce about how it was that I got myself in this situation as I sweated, quite literally, the year, in a small room crammed with numerous “felons”. Most of them were women who had displeased their male relatives in some way. The truth is that there were few women in any prison in this country. Most women were punished within the confines of their homes or by some ghastly form of death such as stoning.
I met Ahmed in a college in Kansas. He and 9 of his fellow countrymen were attending our fine educational institution to further their ability to get jobs when they returned to their own country. The first time I was alone with him, he showed me his room where he slept. I was fascinated at the differences between his bedroom space and what I would consider a typical American’s bedroom. The smell of sheep/goats was so strong on the sheepskin he used instead of a blanket that I thought I would be sick. I remember backing out of the room as quickly as I could and returning to the others. That night I ate for the first time dilled rice, a wonderful salad, a roasted meat, a wonderful dip, and pita bread. I drank strong tea.
Everything was different about these people. They drank hot, sweet tea every morning with buttered toast. They fasted for a whole month during the day, drinking neither water or eating food. They carried prayer rugs with them and prayed many times every day. The women in the group were very careful to never be alone with any man. They played a game called backgammon. They were so fast as they scored the points and moved the marble like circles around the points of the board that I could not keep up. They laughed and taught me how to play, each of them taking a little time to teach me as though I were a child.
These people were so fast and good at math, and they debated quite capably with me and my friends about the state of our country, politics, and economics. We held many informal debates over tea and backgammon. They told us that we were not really free! “We were deceived”, they said! They sang the praises of their country! Their government was tolerant of differences, Christians, Jews, Muslims alike they said. There was no racism in their country! They were a mixed group. 2 Persians who considered themselves Christians (they did not pray, fast, etc…), and Muslims who were the definite majority. The Muslims sang the praises of their religion. “All Muslims practiced tolerance, charity, and unity with the women being protected, cherished, and cared for.” , they said.
When I was invited to go to their country, I thought this was an opportunity of a lifetime! How was I to know that this opportunity would nearly cost me a lifetime, possibly a life…….mine! I had no idea that my friend spending time alone with me would become a cause of controversy among his family! I did not know that my friend was in a precarious situation with his clan. I did not know that I was in danger of punishment for the same reason! My friend kept the controversy that was swelling around us from me. He never let on that we were flying in the face of tradition, religion, and patriarchy!
When I stepped out of that vehicle and saw my friend hanging from a tree, his fingernails lightly scratching the top of the vehicle when the wind swayed his body, I nearly went into a coma! When I was arrested because I did not do anything to stop what had happened, was alone with a man, was an American, and was a woman to boot….. well, I promised myself that if I ever lived through this mess, got out of this mess, and made it home to the US, I would never leave the US again.
I am very happy with our country even in the state of affairs it is in now! We have no rules about beating a wife, women are considered equal to men, children are not the sole property of the man. Women can work and train for whatever job they can achieve! We have wine, wear cool, comfortable, shorts and tank tops, go to parties, festivals, and all kinds of get togethers. We go on dates! ……..Life is pretty good here! Ah…………..the good ole USA!!
I should consider myself lucky that I did not die in that overseas prison. Even luckier that I did not receive the death sentence as that is the common remedy for most crimes over there. The fact that I was an American may have kept me alive, but it definitely was also the reason I went to prison at all. I guess I should consider myself lucky to have lived through the whole thing and not been brought home in a pine box. Or worse, I could have been buried over there in the hot, dry, sandy soil. Nothing really grows there except around the water. Water is precious there and has been fought over for centuries. Ancient wells that still produce sweet water, feed trees and plants, and produce shade and greenery that stand out like kiwi in a yellow fruit salad.
The fact that I should not have been convicted of any crime, well, I really wasn’t convicted of any crime, should have been enough to keep me out of the women’s correctional facility. I had done nothing wrong! I was convicted of guilt by association. Well, I was not really convicted! It was all a confusing mess of foreign words and laws, and my word was not as good as a the word of any man! How was I to know that if I was caught alone with a man, and then that man was murdered while I was innocently sitting in his vehicle waiting for him to get back inside, I would be considered to have been guilty by association? In my mind this concept takes the whole “Ignorance of the law is no excuse” rule a little far!
I had plenty of time to reminisce about how it was that I got myself in this situation as I sweated, quite literally, the year, in a small room crammed with numerous “felons”. Most of them were women who had displeased their male relatives in some way. The truth is that there were few women in any prison in this country. Most women were punished within the confines of their homes or by some ghastly form of death such as stoning.
I met Ahmed in a college in Kansas. He and 9 of his fellow countrymen were attending our fine educational institution to further their ability to get jobs when they returned to their own country. The first time I was alone with him, he showed me his room where he slept. I was fascinated at the differences between his bedroom space and what I would consider a typical American’s bedroom. The smell of sheep/goats was so strong on the sheepskin he used instead of a blanket that I thought I would be sick. I remember backing out of the room as quickly as I could and returning to the others. That night I ate for the first time dilled rice, a wonderful salad, a roasted meat, a wonderful dip, and pita bread. I drank strong tea.
Everything was different about these people. They drank hot, sweet tea every morning with buttered toast. They fasted for a whole month during the day, drinking neither water or eating food. They carried prayer rugs with them and prayed many times every day. The women in the group were very careful to never be alone with any man. They played a game called backgammon. They were so fast as they scored the points and moved the marble like circles around the points of the board that I could not keep up. They laughed and taught me how to play, each of them taking a little time to teach me as though I were a child.
These people were so fast and good at math, and they debated quite capably with me and my friends about the state of our country, politics, and economics. We held many informal debates over tea and backgammon. They told us that we were not really free! “We were deceived”, they said! They sang the praises of their country! Their government was tolerant of differences, Christians, Jews, Muslims alike they said. There was no racism in their country! They were a mixed group. 2 Persians who considered themselves Christians (they did not pray, fast, etc…), and Muslims who were the definite majority. The Muslims sang the praises of their religion. “All Muslims practiced tolerance, charity, and unity with the women being protected, cherished, and cared for.” , they said.
When I was invited to go to their country, I thought this was an opportunity of a lifetime! How was I to know that this opportunity would nearly cost me a lifetime, possibly a life…….mine! I had no idea that my friend spending time alone with me would become a cause of controversy among his family! I did not know that my friend was in a precarious situation with his clan. I did not know that I was in danger of punishment for the same reason! My friend kept the controversy that was swelling around us from me. He never let on that we were flying in the face of tradition, religion, and patriarchy!
When I stepped out of that vehicle and saw my friend hanging from a tree, his fingernails lightly scratching the top of the vehicle when the wind swayed his body, I nearly went into a coma! When I was arrested because I did not do anything to stop what had happened, was alone with a man, was an American, and was a woman to boot….. well, I promised myself that if I ever lived through this mess, got out of this mess, and made it home to the US, I would never leave the US again.
I am very happy with our country even in the state of affairs it is in now! We have no rules about beating a wife, women are considered equal to men, children are not the sole property of the man. Women can work and train for whatever job they can achieve! We have wine, wear cool, comfortable, shorts and tank tops, go to parties, festivals, and all kinds of get togethers. We go on dates! ……..Life is pretty good here! Ah…………..the good ole USA!!
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