D-L's Free Write
Jana kept telling herself downsizing was a good idea. As a widow and empty nester, she didn't need the four bedrooms, much less the den, living room and a kitchen that could house the 7th army.
She's found a lovely little two-bedroom condo across town, but besides the $ price she needed to get rid of 40 years of accumulated crap as she had begun to call everything.
The last things to sort were her books, which were the hardest things to part with. Both she and her husband had been avid readers, often leaving books for the other to read.
On one of the top shelves, out of reach so she had to use a chair to pull her old college textbooks along with her yearbook.
A photograph slipped out and flutted to the floor. She picked it up.
My God, it was James, the boy-man she'd dated their last two years at uni. He was dressed in his air force uniform. Despite all her begging, he had still enlisted.
Their major disagreement had been Vietnam. She had alternated her classes with anti-war demonstrations. He told her as a good American he had to serve his country.
"Cannon fodder," she'd said.
"Fight them there instead of here," he'd said.
"Propaganda," she'd said.
If they weren't in tune on most other things, Vietnam would have driven them apart.
She saw him for the last time when he'd finished his training and was on leave before he was deployed to Vietnam.
"Come back to me," she called as he walked thru the doors at the airport.
He turned. "I promise."
It was a promise he couldn't keep.
Somewhere was the missing-in-action bracelet she'd worn for five years. She wondered where it had gone.
She went on with her life and forgotten that photo which she'd stuck in the yearbook.
Rick's Free Write
She had objected when he wanted to take the photo.
She had tried to cover up but he was faster than she, and she heard the Polaroid click and whirr before she had fully crossed her arms.
Emily was enraged, and chased Chaz around the bedroom, her trying to snatch the little square celluloid away from him, him blocking her with his body, laughing at her frustration.
She grabbed at him, scratched at his arm, and started sobbing.
Finally, after she threatened to break up with him, Eric handed over the image. He was still chortling.
She looked at it, initially in disgust, but then sort of admiring herself. She did have a nice body. She could understand why her 3-month boyfriend would want to take a photo. And she was at least wearing nice panties, so it wasn’t ‘hard-core’ porn.
After the tears had dried and she left his apartment, waiting for the bus she bent over to remove a stone from her sneakers. As she did so, the photograph she had tucked into the back of the book started to slip out.
Emily caught it and jammed it back between the pages.
She was still going to break up with Chaz.
She wondered if he had taken any other photos... while she was asleep.
Julia's Free Write
Oh the memories.
The face on that photo, hidden away for so many years, brought back memories of her childhood, memories of playing in the sun, laughter, and love.
But it also brought back the less stellar memories of being held responsible as “the oldest” for whatever he did that wasn’t exactly to the pleasure of her mother. That, in turn of course, reminded her of all the responsibilities piled upon her frail shoulders: at least that is how she perceived it then. Now she realizes that she was indeed a responsible person, something that has been very beneficial throughout her lifetime.
She wonders how it got into that particular book, who placed it there?
Where is the subject now? It has been many years since she “left the family” and moved away, not really from any quarrels, but simply a wish to live her own life as she wished without any of those sometimes all-too-binding ties.
She is glad though that she found it today. She will find a frame, make a cake and tomorrow celebrate what would have been her little brothers 70th birthday. First her sister then her brother, both younger, both having been taken by cancer too early.
Julia has written and taken photos all her life and loves syncing up with friends. Her blog can be found: https://viewsfromeverywhere.blogspot.com/
Rick is an aviation journalist and publisher of www.aviationvoices. com
D-L has had 17 fiction and non fiction books published. Check out her website at: https://dlnelsonwriter.com
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