Category: Fiction

Posted in Fiction, Flash Fiction, Uncategorized, Writing

Hard Work

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

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“Mom, I’m embarrassed,” the boy said.

His mom was working around in their tent, trying to straighten the bed clothes from the night before and get the boy dressed for school.

“It’s my turn to have the boys over for a campfire, but they don’t know where we live. That we live in a tent.”

“Son,” his mom said. “You have to tell them I can’t find work.”

“I’ll try, Mom,” the boy said. “Some of their parents are out of work too and they are worried. Maybe they’ll understand.”

“They will, Son.”

“I love you, Mom.”

97 words

#amwriting #amblogging #writing

Photo credit Jan Wayne Fields

*This post sponsored by Friday Fictioneers

Thanks, Rochelle!

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 Cee’s Photography Blog has a cool challenge that I’ve decided to participate in for a bit. The title is self-explanatory. Let’s see if I can do this! Cee asks four questions and a bonus question.

1. Do you like to eat foods with nuts or no nuts in them?

Probably no nuts, though I like nuts by themselves especially Brazil nuts, almonds, hazelnuts, and pistachios. All of these provide minerals to our bodies that are important.

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2.  If someone made a movie of your life would it be a drama, a comedy, a romantic-comedy, action film, or science fiction?

I would say it would be a drama with some romance thrown in. You know who you are! There hasn’t been a lot of comedy, but there may have been some science fiction, at least it’s felt like that, particularly recently!

As a child and young adult, I’ll go with a lot of dysfunctional drama. As an adult, I’ve had a pretty normal life with occasional bouts of drama and romance. Recently, throw in high drama and perhaps a bit of science fiction, along with romance!

3. Who talks real sense to me?

I actually have a lot of people who talk real sense to me. Sometimes, I feel like a child! Friends and family. They all mean well. Often, I ASK them to talk real sense to me!

4. What is my favorite board game?

I don’t have one unless you count cribbage which has a board of sorts. My Dad taught me to play and few people around me know how. It’s a Northerner’s game.

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Optional Bonus Question:

What am I grateful for this past week: This is an easy one. The good medical care in the U.S.

What am I looking forward in the next week? Another easy one. Starting to work on a new consulting project!

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Have a nice week, everyone!

Share Your World – 2016 Week 48

Posted in Fiction, Flash Fiction, Uncategorized

The Letter

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

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June 18, 1899

Dear Miss Chandler:

Thank you for your letter concerning our patient, Mrs. Monica Chandler. I understand that you recently discovered that she is your mother and would like to know her condition and whether you can visit.

Mrs. Chandler came to us almost 20 years ago due to a diagnosis of post-partum depression. I believe this was after the birth of her second child, a female. She was committed to our institution by her husband, August Chandler.

For the last five years, Mrs. Chandler has been in a catatonic state, despite the efforts of our doctors. She has never had visitors to my knowledge. Although you can visit, I don’t think you or Mrs. Chandler would find such a visit very satisfactory.

Sincerely,

Dr. Charles Wetherly

Medford Mental Facility

 

#amwriting #amblogging #writing

*This post sponsored by Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers.

Thank you, Priceless Joy!

Posted in Fiction

Mother, May I?

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

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As they drove home from the city, the sky looked ominous. They were late and her mother was going to be waiting on her dinner. They had needed time to themselves today. Her mother was always there. They never had any alone time. She hated thinking things like this. Her mother was ill. They had stayed as late as possible and had even had a wonderful French dinner.

Because her mother felt badly, she didn’t want anyone else to feel good so she always gave them the evil eye when they laughed even the tiniest bit at home. Sometimes she shocked herself at the sound of her own laughter, she heard it so seldom.

As they got out of the car, they heard voices in the house and laughter. What could that be? They raced inside. There sat her mother with friends, talking, laughing, looking quite guilty. She sat down at the table and cried. #amwriting #amblogging #writing #romance #depression

*This post sponsored by FFfAW.

Thanks, Priceless Joy!

 

 

 

Posted in Fiction

Buried Treasure

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

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Raven asked her mother, “But, Mother, that’s part of our guest house. Why can’t we open the door?”

Her mother shivered, feeling that Raven was old enough to know the truth. So she told Raven about the old dwarf that lived behind the blue door and guarded the buried treasure left by her father.

Raven’s mother told her that the buried treasure was given to the dwarves and fairies living near them because Raven’s father had tried to trap the small creatures to sell them to the traveling circus.

Raven stared at her and collapsed at her feet.

(98 words)

Sponsored by Friday Fictioneers

Photo by CEayr

Posted in Fiction

The Resolution

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

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It was a tough summer and fall, from May all the way through November, for Maria. She found the love of her life, only to lose him in the most painful way possible. It may not have been a conventional relationship. It may not have even been a relationship that should have been. But it did happen. It was wonderful, loving, exciting, and she was with him again. She didn’t need anything else. He seemed happy. She was happy.

He was her love and he had been for many years. He also had bipolar disorder. Maria had been with him during episodes of mania before. Many times, in fact. She knew the symptoms. Instead of manic, he seemed lonely. Anxious for company and for someone to talk to. Needy for attention. He was drinking, but he was usually drinking when she saw him. He didn’t seem to be drinking more than usual. There were no particular red flags that he was having a manic episode. He didn’t talk non-stop as he sometimes did during a manic episode. He wasn’t any more sexually insatiable than usual. They were both always that way to some extent when they were together. It was part of who they were as a couple. They tended to get addicted to each other. Maria thought it was because they both had rather addictive personalities about many things.

They had wonderful times together and then it was over. A wet, cold blanket was thrown over the whole thing. He was gone and she was alone. She worried about him as she didn’t know the details of what had happened.

Then she found out and she was horrified. Since when did an affair mean that you were having a bipolar episode and slapped on lithium? A strong, dangerous drug. A drug designed to make you forget, to flatten your mood, to keep you from feeling anything at all. Doctors don’t even know exactly how lithium works in bipolar patients. But, they do know the side effects. It causes forgetfulness, a feeling of being in slow motion, a feeling of dizziness, weight gain, interaction with certain heart medications. It’s hard on the kidneys, thyroid, and heart. These side effects are only the tip of the iceberg.

Maria couldn’t believe it when she found out what they had done to him. She felt responsible. Lithium? He had heart issues. He wouldn’t live long on lithium. She had known him for over 30 years. He was so fun-loving and had a beautiful spirit. They were trying to kill that spirit in order to control him. It was clear to Maria exactly what was happening to her love.

After weeks of thinking about this, Maria realized there was nothing she could do. If there was, she would do it. He was lost to her in the world of control and the world of mind-bending drugs. A world she didn’t understand. She had to hope that his family, maybe his children, or friends would recognize what was happening and save him.

Maria knew that she would always grieve for him. He had never known what was important in life and he was paying the price for that. She would have loved him to the moon and back for the rest of his life. She would have taken care of him. She had felt like that for many years but he’d never recognized it until recently. Then, he rejected it for money and travel. Maria had no way to fight those things. Then, the bottom dropped out and boom……lithium. If he was ever able to get off the lithium, there were always the seductresses of money and travel. Those he could never escape. She felt sorry for him. Maria finally realized that the person she had to save was herself. #amwriting #amblogging #writing #romance

Posted in Fiction

The Musician and the Maestro

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

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This was her first concert in several years. Long ago, she had lost her will to play. She played a number of instruments. Cello, harp, piano, violin. Tonight, a small group was here to listen to her play cello. She was playing The Swan by Saint-Saens. She had not played it in concert since the last time she had been with him.

That was long ago. It was all behind her. She seldom thought of him anymore. That’s why she could play again.

They were all filing in now. Wait! Who just walked through the door?

*Post sponsored by Friday Fictioneers.

Thanks, Rochelle!

 

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Posted in Fiction

Waiting

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

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There was so much between us during that year. No one, but us, will ever know. He left from this very dock. He went to the mainland from this spot. The night before, he told me not to worry, that he would never be out of my life. I trust him. It doesn’t matter what anyone says. Just because someone has a relationship with someone else doesn’t mean they are sick. How cruel could that be? How silly does that sound? That only means they are trying to keep us apart.

It seems like I’m waiting wherever I am. Work. School. Home. I know he will figure it out. I know he’ll come back for me.

So I’ll wait. Right here on this dilapidated dock where he can find me. #amwriting #amblogging #writing #romance #flashfiction #fiction

*This post sponsored by FFfAW.

Thanks, Priceless Joy!

 

 

Posted in Fiction

Excerpt from The Lost Romance – The Affair

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

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They weren’t young anymore. She still had lofty goals for both her personal and professional life. He…..well…..not so much. Rebecca was never content. She may have been 64 years old but she worked as hard as she did when she was 34. Patrick was retired and he did a little work but was more interested in traveling and having fun. Rebecca liked those thing too, but she needed time to work at her writing. Her personal life with Patrick was of crucial importance to her. First on her list. She also had a full life outside of Patrick. Patrick had a life outside their relationship as well. It made things difficult.

When they were together, none of those things mattered very much. They took advantage of every moment as there weren’t many moments. No one seemed to understand that what they had together didn’t threaten anyone else. It was their’s and their’s alone. Some mysterious something they had never been able to find with anyone else. God knows they had tried. Rebecca alone had spent her life trying to find what she had with Patrick with other men. It never worked. It was never there. It was very frustrating.

Rebecca thought to herself, looking at Patrick across the room, that she guessed this is what love was. That mysterious something that you had with one person and didn’t have with anyone else. When she looked at him, she knew. She had always known, that he was the one, the love of her life. But it had never worked out between them. They had been in each other’s ives in some way, even if only off and on, for 35 years. In all those years, either she was married, he was married, or they both were married. Yet, they wanted to be together. How could that be?

Patrick was on the phone as Rebecca was thinking about this. She was watching him, with great love in her heart. Sometimes, she wished fervently that she didn’t feel like this. That she could just walk away. She had tried. Over and over, down through the years, she had tried. She always missed him so much, she went back again and again. How could she not go back to the love of her life?

It may sound foolish to say that, at 64 years old, Rebecca was still searching, still going back to the love of her life. Rebecca had never felt her age. She was young at heart and been fortunate to keep her physical health. She didn’t feel much different than the day she had met Patrick all those years ago. Looking at him, she remembered that day clearly. She had walked into his office and fallen in love. What a day that was!

Patrick was a few years older than Rebecca and was struggling with some health problems. Rebecca wondered if, for Patrick’s sake, it really was time to walk away. If Patrica had still been married to the mother of his children, the answer would have been yes. She was a good person. But a woman had broken up Patrick’s marriage a number of years ago. She was a controlling, manipulative woman who thought she knew what was best for Patrick and did not much care for Patrick’s input into the matter. Patrick seemed frightened of her for some reason and that was never good. There was something wrong there with that marriage and Rebecca wa worried for Patrick’s sake. This woman seemed to feel the need to judge and criticize Patrick as a method of control. Rebecca was quite concerned. How could she abandon Patrick under those circumstances?

Patrick ended his phone call, walked over to her, and put his arms around her. She felt so warm and safe in his arms. She always had though they saw each other so infrequently. They didn’t feel the need for conversation at that moment. They just felt the need for each other. They dissolved into each other and neither of them had any concept of time until two hours had passed. Patrick made her feel totally fulfilled in every way. Any thoughts of giving him up flew out of her head as she lay beside him. #amwriting #amblogging #writing #romance

*Excerpt from the upcoming novel The Lost Romance

Posted in Fiction, romance, Writing

The Silver and the Divorce, Part 3

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

To read Part 1 of The Silver and the Divorce, click HERE.

To read Part 2 of The Silver and the Divorce, click HERE.

Now, here is Part 3 of The Silver and the Divorce!

Ana woke early the next morning to call her lawyer and make an appointment. She wanted to show Jack the property settlement that she and Walter had put together. She was lucky enough to get an appointment within just a couple of hours. As she got ready to go, she was nervous. She knew Jack, her attorney, would never approve.

“Good luck, sis,” Marcia said as Ana left to go to Jack’s office.

“I’ll need it, ” Ana replied. “Jack will never go for this.”

“I hope he doesn’t.”

Ana drove downtown toward Jack’s office and parked in the parking structure nearby. As she was locking her car, suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder. She jumped a foot and turned around. It was Walter, very dressed up.

“Ana,” he said, “Why are you so dressed up just to come to Jack’s office?”

As Ana stood and stared at Walter, the old Elvis Presley song, Suspicious Minds, ran through her head. Here was Walter, even when they were getting a divorce, acting jealous and being sneaky just like when they were married. This was one of the things she couldn’t stand about him.

“Walter, what did you do? Follow me?”

Walter smiled that smarmy grin of his. “Well, Ana, I have to keep tabs on my wife. After all, you’ve proven you aren’t trustworthy. Anyway, I want to come with you to Jack’s office.”

Ana blew up. She told Walter that this is one of the reasons she was divorcing him. That she could not tolerate his sneakiness, following her, watching her, and that she would not live this way the rest of her life. Furthermore, Jack wasn’t his lawyer, only hers.

She said, “Walter, do you remember that old Elvis Presley song, Suspicious Minds, and what it says? That a couple can’t go on together if they are suspicious of one another. That it’s impossible to build a marriage on suspicion?”

“Oh, dammit, Ana, you always were some weird romantic.” Then, Walter grabbed her arm and tried to steer her out of the parking structure. Fortunately, Ana had her phone in her hand. She wrenched her arm away from Walter and told him to get out of her face or she would dial 911. He laughed at her and tried to grab her arm again. She raised the phone and pretended to dial 911 and Walter started running toward the exit. Ana got some good photos of him running away.

Ana had to lean up against her car and catch her breath. Walter was a tall, powerful man and that was not the first time he had tried to manhandle her. Her heart was pounding, she was breathing fast, and she was shaking all over.

After she straightened her clothes a bit, Ana started for Jack’s office, keeping an eye on her surroundings, watching for Walter. She made it to Jack’s office without seeing Walter again. After she and Jack exchanged greetings, she handed him the roughly written property settlement she and Walter had cobbled together.

“What’s this?” Jack asked.

“Jack, Walter and I talked and put together a rough property settlement.”

“Ana, you didn’t sign this damn thing, did you?”

“No.”

“That’s fortunate,” Jack said. “You should never have done this. I won’t have a client putting their own property settlement together. You can, of course, make suggestions.  But, you are too emotionally involved. Keep this. We can use certain elements of it, but certainly not the whole thing.”

Ana asked Jack to please at least read the handwritten document. Jack paged through it and looked up at Ana in astonishment. “You are kidding me, Ana,” he said. “No way is this going to be even close to your property settlement.”

“Why not, Jack? Because I’m giving Walter the house?”

Jack started to describe to Ana all the things wrong with the property settlement, including the fact that she was going to let her soon-to-be ex-husband just have her home. He was right in the middle of his explanation when the door flew open and in walked Walter.

“Walter, get out of my office,” Jack said.

“Why the hell should I leave? I know you’re discussing the property settlement.”

Jack responded, “Even if we are, I’m not your attorney and our discussions are private. Now get out.” Jack stood up.

Walter stepped forward toward Jack but then apparently thought better of a certain assault charge. “You better tell my wife to sign that property settlement or I’m going to beat the shit out of the two of you in court,” Jack said and walked out.

Ana had as much as she could take and tears started running down her face. “Oh, Jack. Do you see what I mean? If I don’t do what he wants, he’s going to leave me with nothing.”

Jack tried to reassure Ana that Walter was just being a bully and trying to scare her. The divorce laws of their state would not allow that to happen. He tried to tell her that the property would be split up approximately 50/50 although she might have to pay alimony for a time since her salary was much higher than Walter’s. But, Ana felt like she was going to lose her mind if this divorce was not over soon. Walter was so hard to deal with. The restraining order she had against him wasn’t worth the paper it was written on.

Before Ana left, Jack assured her he would set up a meeting with Walter’s attorney and start hammering out a reasonable property settlement.

Ana was upset as she left her attorney’s office. She was thinking about Ben, her former lover, the man with whom she had an affair before she and Walter split up. Her marriage to Walter would have ended anyway. Her affair probably just caused it to end a little sooner. The turmoil caused she and Ben to agree not to see each other but Ana misses him so much. They had been in each other’s lives for years. Ana decided to take a chance and give Ben a call at his office. Maybe they could get together, even for just a little while, and talk.

Ana pulled out her phone and dialed. Ben answered on the first ring. “Ana?” he says.

“Yes, Ben, it’s me. Are you busy?”

“No, I’m so glad to hear from you. How are you?”

“Oh, Ben. It’s so good to hear your voice. I miss you so much,” Ana says as tears streamed down her face. “Do you think we could get together for a late lunch?”

“Ana, Millie is at my house today. I’m sure she would be glad to put something together for lunch for us. That would give us some privacy to talk. Would that be OK?”

“Yes, Ben. That would be wonderful. What time?”

“Let’s make it 1 p.m. Ana, I can’t wait to see you,” Ben says.

Ana hung up with a smile breaking through her tears. She walked with a spring in her step back to her car. #amwriting #amblogging #writing #romance #fiction