Preface
Since it is 'write what you want this week' I decided to recreate the first short story I worked on, a very long time ago..1985. I was a junior in high school. I was in a creative writing course taught by an incredible teacher, Mr. Viafora. He was so impressed with this story that he made me get up in front of the class and read it out loud - and I will never forget how good it felt to have people enjoy my imagination and applaud me. Ever since that day - I knew I wanted to be a writer, but until a few weeks ago, for whatever reason, I gave up writing. But...now i'm back and i'm very happy. I've been reading a lot, I edited 2 books for some friends Pete and Dallas - and I've written the first three chapters of my new novel tentatively called Rush. Also, I have this great new friend named Linda Boulanger that I'm just starting to work with, but she helps me
believe I can do it.
The story
It was sunny and hot outside. It was 104 degrees according to the thermometer we saw every day in front of the bank on the bus ride home. It was even hotter inside the crowded school bus. Everybody was sweating, complaining and yelling matches broke out periodically. As soon as I got to my stop, I crossed the street to where the trees were providing shade. I also lived on this side of the street about five houses down from where the bus dropped us off so I didn't have to go far. My first thought was to peel off my clothes when I got home and put on my swimsuit and jump in the pool. That was my plan. A snack and homework could wait until after I cooled off.
I went to open the front door, but it was locked. 'That's odd' I thought to myself. The front door was never locked. I fished around my pockets hoping I had been smart enough to bring my keys, nothing. Then I fished around my backpack and finally found keys and unlocked the door, yelling "Hi mom, i'm hungry". I expected her to yell back "no problem" but I heard nothing. Silence. The type of silence that made everything around me disappear. I took a few steps towards the hallway. Something didn't feel right. I don't know why, but I put down my back pack and walked into the hallway a few more feet and feeling it was necessary to grab a golf club for protection, but not knowing why yet, I grabbed a club. I noticed I was holding my breathe. Again I said "Mom?" "Mom!" I yelled a second time a bit louder and there was still no answer. My heart started to beat harder and I could feel it speed up in my chest. That's when I heard it. I heard the sound of a hard thump and it sounded like someone had fallen to the floor and hard. Mom are you okay?" I took a few more steps forward towards in the hallway and there was no answer from my mom. Than it happened again, I heard another large thump and then I heard the sound of someone getting smacked. I moved in closer step by quiet step and heard the person getting smacked yell and the other person yell back, and they were both crying.. Wait,I thought as I stood right in front of the door, that crying voice did not sound like my mom, but I couldn't be 100% sure. Then the yelling started and someone got smacked again and was being accused of stealing another women's man. What??!! My mother would never do that. I couldn't take it anymore - I don't know what my mom did,but I couldn't just stand in the hallway and listen to some crazy, mean lady smack, threaten and yell at my mom. I held my breathe and kicked the door as hard as I could and it busted open. My mom was laying on her bed, asleep. She sat up quickly when kicked in the door. There was no one in the room with her. She had fallen asleep about a half-hour ago and the screaming, falling, crying, smacking and threats I had heard through the door in the hallway were because she was watching an episode of Dynasty.