Friday Fiction: Home for Christmas

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Welcome to an unofficial, spur of the moment Friday Fiction, hosted by Mari LaVell on her awesome blog, A Mari Heart. This is old one from the "Christmas" quarter at FaithWriters. I don't know why the judges didn't like it; it's one of my favorites. Maybe I connect more with the snarky MC than they did. [smile]

Enjoy your holiday, and remember to thank God for the best gift ever given, and the reason we celebrate Christmas - JESUS!! (And if you forget, it's right there in the name of the holiday.)

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HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

Irving was at it again. Frankly, I was over his whining. One more word about missing his precious Aunt Betty's sweet potato soufflé tomorrow and I was going to drop kick him to the curb. Besides, just the thought of sweet potato soufflé makes me want to gag.

I shot him a look that could melt diamonds and put my nose back into Grisham's "Skipping Christmas." Boy could I relate to Mr. Krank; I was ready to skip the rest of December and move straight into January.

Irving was acting like it was my fault I had to work on Christmas this year. Maybe I could tell the patients they'd need to care for themselves tomorrow because the nurses had to go home to mommy. Wait, I've got it - we could just shut down the hospital tomorrow. I should ask Irving if he'd call the director and suggest it.

I gave up reading and closed my book none too quietly. "Let's go. You're taking me shopping. Bring the credit cards."

Friday Fiction: Nothing to Wear

Our host for Friday Fiction today is....ME! Thank you Karlene, for giving me this honor! If you'd like to join the fun, scroll down and add your link to the linky tool at the bottom of this post. Then be sure to come back and follow the links to our other participants. And don't forget to leave an encouraging word to let the writers know you are reading! (We thrive on that, you know.)

I started this story over a year ago for the "Black" challenge at FaithWriters.com, and I finished it up today so I would have something new for Friday Fiction. It's based on a true story, but a lot of the facts have been changed for the sake of creative writing. 

Happy reading and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!


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NOTHING TO WEAR

Stacy rifled through her clothes for the third time, toppling stacks of sweaters and yanking clothes off hangers, hoping something suitable would magically appear. She had a classy black sleeveless sheath that still fit, but it was December and she was going to the frozen tundra of Iowa. Her two black suits and countless black skirts, sweaters, and dresses were all too small. In a fit of rage, Stacy screamed at the ceiling, then crumpled to the floor. The dam holding back her tears exploded and she curled up in a ball and wept.

That’s where Kevin found her. The arm she had flung over her face to block the light didn’t hide her tear stained cheeks. Her lips whispered prayers that stopped when Kevin turned off the closet light. He knelt down beside her and combed the hair away from her face with his fingers, and Stacy breathed a sigh.

“Bad day, huh?”

Can you hear Him now?

I came of age in the dark ages of communication. The first personal computers made their appearance when I was in high school, pagers were a Godsend in my twenties, and shortly after I married Brad, the portable cellular phone was birthed.

Brad worked for a paging company back in the 90’s, and because he needed to be reachable 24/7, his employer issued him one of those newfangled portable phones. It measured about 10” x 3” x 2”, weighed more than my new puppy, and rode on the floorboard of our car.

When we got our first “modern”, 21st cell phones, their purpose was “for emergencies”. We stored them in our glove compartments and tried to remember to check the batteries’ charge every couple weeks.

Gradually, our definition of “emergency” morphed from “I have a flat tire," or “I’m broken down on the shoulder”, into “I’m running late,” and “We’re out of milk.”

Now, me forgetting my cellphone is cause to turn around and go back home. I feel lost without it. I haven't reached the extreme of the smart-phone junkie, but the thought of not being able to reach someone IMMEDIATELY brings on a panic attack.