Free Write-Newspaper Reader

 

Hurray! 

For the first time in several months the three  Free Writers are in the same country, town, café for the Free Write.

We looked for a "victim" a human we could write about. In getting the photo we had to be careful our "victim" could not be identified. 

All three of us seemed to to hit on the same idea.

Rick's Free Write 

He moseyed in through the automatic sliding door, stepped carefully down the stairs to the pastry counter, ordered only a noisette, and carried it back to the terrace level, choosing the corner table.

He grabbed both tabloid newspapers off the center counter – Le Temps and TDG – and parked his black backpack in one of the three vacant chairs.

The chaleur was the main news in both, which meteorologists had declared to be fini after 10 days. But despite the brief evening rain and overnight drop in temperatures, another heat dome was expected within a week and would again be 33, 34, 35C…

He turned his attention to the world news. The ceasefire in War 1 was on again. Supposedly. The ceasefire in War 2 had held for 10 days with only a few people killed each day. The ceasefire in War 3 - only 7 had died, all children. The ceasefire in War 3 never was.

Ah, sports. Wawrinka was retiring. He and Federer would play an exhibition in November at Palexpo. Tickets had sold out immediately.

South Africa was the first to get knocked out of the World Cup round of 16. Canada had a new unlikely hero.

He finished his mini-coffee, returned the papers to the counter, grabbed his backpack and slid out the auto door.

D-L's Free Write

"Scandal. Damned politicians." Frank turned to page two to continue reading the story. He would get back to stories on Gaza, Ukraine, Iraq, earthquakes, volcanoes, fires,

His espresso was cooling.

He looked at his watch. He had another hour before Maria said he could come home. 

When he retired, it almost broke up his marriage. Was it his fault that he thought of a better schedule for her? Wanted to rearrange the furniture? 

Retired Husband Syndrome, the marriage counselor told them. Marie had had days to herself to do what she wanted for years. No longer.

The solution? Frank would get out of the house, get an espresso, read the paper. Sometimes the news was so depressing like today.

The tea room doors opened and Sally and her four-year old son  came in.

Bobby ran straight for his new friend Frank. "We're going to the park. Wanta come?"

"Maybe he has something else to do,"Sally said. 

He didn't. It would be nice to watch Bobby play on the slide as he had watched his own sons so long ago. 

"If retirement is boring, it's your job to make it interesting," Marie had said.¨

"I'd love to come."

Julia's Free Write 

Ah the luxury – a free morning.

After having pondered on what he “should” do, he decided to do what he wanted to do – once in a lifetime would surely be O.K.?

Thu it was that he found himself in one of his favorite coffee shops, a corner table overlooking green spaces with a glimpse of lake in the distance.

As he settled in for his coffee with one of his favorite papers, he reflected on his luck.

And perhaps should have stuck to that instead of opening said newspaper.

The world outside was falling apart from famine in one corner to war in several others.

Then there was the multitude of articles trying to explain the thought process of world leaders who had no clear thoughts, or only those of “it’s mine, I want it”, “you owe me because I say so” or “I’ll take what I want, mankind be damned”.

Here and there would be an article on the current devastating natural disasters.

Enough already he said to himself as he put down his paper and picked up his novel: time for escape reading!

 

 

 

Rick Adams is an aviation journalist and publisher of www.aviationvoices.com, a weekly newsletter reporting the airline industry  top stories . He is the author of The Robot in the Simulator. AI in Aviation Training.  

Visit D-L.'s website  https://dlnelsonwriter.com, She is the author of 15 fiction and three non fiction books. Her 300 Unsung Women, bios of women who battled gender limitations, can be purchased  at https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/300-unsung-women-d-l-nelson/1147305797?ean=9798990385504 

Visit Julia's blog. She has written and taken photos and loves syncing up with friends.  Her blog can be found: https://viewsfromeverywhere.blogspot.com/