Wednesday's Words on a Friday

On Wednesdays, assorted people have been taking monthly turns at putting up a selection of six (or twelve) words which is called “Words for Wednesday”.

We have taken over this meme from Delores, who had been having computer problems.
This month the meme continues here, at Elephant’s Child with words supplied by Margaret and Sue.


Essentially the aim is to encourage us to write.   


Each week we are given a choice of prompts: which can be words, phrases, music or an image.   What we do with those prompts is up to us:  a short story, prose, a song, a poem, or treating them with ignore...


Some of us put our creation in comments on the post, and others post on their own blog.  I would really like it if as many people as possible joined into this fun meme.  If you are posting on your own blog - let me know so that I, and other participants, can come along and applaud.
I’m hopeless at poetry so I always do a story.


It’s a fun challenge…why not join in?


This week we have two phrases to work with:


1. A little of what you fancy does you good
2. Absence makes the heart grow fonder


Here are my stories:

1. I'd heard it said that absence makes the heart grow fonder, but I knew that wasn't always true. It certainly wasn't true right now, for me. George had been gone for a while and I sure as heck didn't feel any fondness growing in my heart for him. He was off somewhere chasing his youth, cavorting with that skinny redhead who had shamelessly chased him until he caught her. I'd cried bitter tears while signing the divorce papers his lawyer had mailed to me.


Yesterday, he'd phoned and asked if I could pack up the rest of his clothes for him. "Of course," I'd said, through gritted teeth, "I'll pack everything into that big black case and leave it on the front porch for you."


 I'd begun with the small things, underpants, socks, ties; carefully singeing each item on the backyard barbecue, then laying them out to cool. Then I worked my way through his side of the wardrobe, slashing and ripping apart his hand-made shirts and dropping the remnants into the suitcase. Only his suits remained. I snipped the buttons off the jackets, then cut the legs off the pants, turning them into obscenely short shorts, which I balled up and tossed into the case.


I took the jackets and pants legs into George's office where the big heavy-duty shredder stood. Capable of cutting even thick cardboard into confetti, it should do this job nicely. I turned it on and fed first the jackets, then the pants legs into those whirling, slashing teeth, while imagining the two of them driving into a speeding train, or perhaps drowning on a sinking boat.



2. I sat on the couch feeling disgusted with myself. I'd been trying on my summer shorts and discovering none of them fit anymore. My own fault, I knew. A whole winter of "treating" myself had done the damage. 


I thought of my childhood, when treats were rare and random. We never knew when they were coming. Out of the blue, instead of the fruit plate for our afternoon snack, there would be a slice of chocolate cake, or apple pie. Sometimes, oh joy!, a couple of truffles from a box Mum had brought back from town. 


My sister Jeanette, that goody two-shoes, would eat slowly, savouring every mouthful, before rinsing her plate and hands at the sink, then going back to whatever chore she'd been doing. I tried to copy her, but always ended up gobbling the sweetness and begging for more.       "No, Elizabeth," Mum would say. "A little of what you fancy does you good, more quickly becomes a habit, and once you start having these treats on a daily basis, they're no longer special." I would sulk and slam doors on my way out to feed the chooks.


Later, when my marriage broke down, I'd been miserable and had "treated" myself, telling myself that I deserved this little bit of happiness daily. But today, staring at the pile of shorts and tops I could no longer button up around my now fat body, I realised mum had been right. The cream cakes, the biscuits, the chocolate truffles were no longer "treats". I barely tasted them anymore, eating purely from habit. 


I walked into the kitchen and fed the rest of the cake into the garbage disposal unit, followed by the cream biscuits.  I put
the truffles into the freezer.


Comments

  1. Just saw this on Elephant's Child. I'm thinking of doing something spooky having to do with Absence.

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  2. Love this.
    It reminded me of a woman I worked with. When her partner 'moved on' she superglued the flies of all his suits (and he had a lot) together.
    And I have been 'treating' myself too well for too long. Which, ironically is not treating myself well at all.

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  3. Oh yes, wise move on keeping the truffles! I enjoyed both of stories, and the idea of phrases and seeing how everyone responds!

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  4. Loved both stories--the endings were GREAT!!

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  5. He had it coming! The shredder was the final stamp on the bastard.
    No one should ever throw away truffles. Everything else, okay. But truffles in the freezer are just fine.

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  6. Ouch! That fellow sure copped it...or his clothes did! Hmmmmm....

    Dammit! Now I feel guilty about the date-banans-walnut-cranberry-ginger-coffee loaf I made on Tuesday....I'll just have to finish it all off today and the guilt will disappear with it. :)

    Good uses of the terms, River. :)

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  7. You made lovely use of the phrases, River... I could picture both very clearly in my mind. Quite a feat, since I'm not really a 'visual' person.

    Then again, you have a way of creating images which linger. I'm still picturing the 'Great Wave'!

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  8. Robert Bennett; welcome to drifting, I'll be sure to check your blog later.

    Elephant's Child; superglue! ha ha. I've read about women putting prawn shells into suit pockets then packing the suits, mostly in fiction novels.

    Karen S; truffles should never be put through the garbage disposal, they're far too nice.

    fishducky; thank you so much :)

    Susan Kane; I used to keep truffles in the freezer, haven't bought any in a long while.

    Lee; finish it all today; that's my kind of thinking! :) or you could freeze slices in individual packs like I do with brownies and ginger cakes.

    Jacquelineand; thank you, I'm glad I could bring the images to your mind. In my mind I see the great wave every summer.

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  9. Well now I and to laugh about the clothes...still chuckling away to myself, can just so see the funny side and the bitterness with it.

    The second one, yes true about treats.

    You did well with your writing..I sure enjoyed.

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  10. You've outdone yourself! I love what you've done with both of these phrases. Well done, you. :)

    Have a super weekend.

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  11. ... another triumph River... wonderful stories...
    I love the giggle and the mullberry story too ....
    The swimming pool is a classic.. wonderful.. so much better for being 'real'.. xxx
    Have a great day ... Hugs.. Barb xxx

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  12. Margaret-whiteangel; thank you, glad you enjoyed them.

    Susan; I sometimes think I've outdone myself when I manage to get out of bed (*~*), thank you.

    Barbara; thank you, I still chuckle when I think of that swimming pool.

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  13. Well, George should have know better than to expect her to pack his clothes for him! And I am quite delighted that although you referred to it as "George's office" - the whole house now must belong to his ex-wife! Loved both stories!

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