Copyright Sandra Crook – Moi!
“What’s the rush Amanda?”
“Rush? Everyone’s doing it.”
“But that’s no reason…”
“People will start to talk. Besides, he’s everything a girl could want, looks, money, prospects.”
“Well if you’re sure…”
So she went ahead, whilst I watched, waited and grieved.
I met her at Starbucks, when it was over.
“I missed you,” she said.
“I missed you too.”
“You’ve done well for yourself. I read about you in the press.”
“Just lucky, I guess.”
She reached for my hand.
“Is there a chance for us, Sarah, now I know who I am?”
I didn’t think so; people would start to talk.
This week one of my photos provides the challenge. This was taken at Port la Robine on the Canal du Midi. We could hear the clanking of bells from miles away, then we saw the clouds of dust approaching the bridge ahead of us. I was just quick enough to scramble up the banks from the boat to get one shot of their approach, and one of their departing backsides. Traffic was thrown into confusion and men and sheepdogs were everywhere. Not to mention the sheep poo. 🙂 Thanks again to Rochelle for her efforts on behalf of Friday Fictioneers; don’t know what we’d do without her.
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Dear Sandra,
There are relationships and then there are relationships. Of course people will talk…about your well written story.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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PS. I love this photo. Thank you for sharing it.
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My pleasure Rochelle, and thanks for reading/commenting. 🙂
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I hope she was worth the wait. Enjoyed your tale and your photo is super !
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Thank you!
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Dear Sandra,
Your protagonists always seem to choose the sensible, pragmatic path and leave us wondering what we would have done. Great story. Thanks for the wonderful photo. One more reason to use the canal, right?
Aloha,
Doug
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Sensible, pragmatic. That’s me! 🙂 NOT! Yes, there are sights to be seen but even though you travel slowly you have to be quick to catch them. Thanks for dropping by Doug.
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Sandra, Lots of complicated relationships and hurt. Well written as usual. Thanks for the great photo. I hope the people in those cars weren’t in a hurry. 🙂 —Susan
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I hope they kept their windows shut too! 😉 Thanks Susan.
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Sandra,
you did a wonderful job of conveying so much in such a minimalistic style, with mostly just dialogue. This seems way longer than 100 words because of all the story lurking, unsaid, in the background. Great job. I love the picture too, by the way. I’ve never lived in a country where traffic gets stopped by domesticated animals, but I’ve had wild animals snarl things up sometimes. Looks like an adventure and you got a good picture out of it. 🙂
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It was quite a memorable experience for sure! Thanks for your comments David.
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The last line makes this a very different story. I thought I knew the characters so well from the rest, but that turns it on its head!
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Thank you Jennifer. 🙂
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Great photograph and a great flash.
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Thank you!
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You know, I don’t know where my mind was, but I had to read this a few times before I realized exactly what had happened there. What a powerful ending. Interesting tale about finding oneself but too late. Really excellent.
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I think the story became more obscure as I tried to edit it down to 100. Thanks for reading Helena, have a good week.
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Besides, he’s everything a girl could want, looks, money, prospects.” Too bad we girls often think that, forgetting that kindness and a good laugh are FAR more important. Well done.
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Thanks for reading Alicia. 🙂
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We grow together, we grow up and we grow apart. Deep story in just 100 words, great job.
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You’re so right. Thanks for reading.
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Really nicely written, but I think I must be missing something here. What did the press write about Sarah? And who is Amanda now? I’m probably just being stupid!
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I think it lost something in the editing Claire. It came out at 135, and was about two women, one of whom recognised her feelings for the other quite early on. By the time the second had realised the truth about her own feelings, the first had become famously successful and couldn’t come to terms with openly acknowledging her sexual orientation. Sorry it didn’t work for you.
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Ah ha! I didn’t mean it didn’t work, and now that you’ve pointed all that out I think maybe I should have been able to work that out for myself.
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Dear Sandra, Interesting story and too bad she realized what she had too late. People will talk is what everyone says. SO WHAT – LET THEM! Loved your photo by the way. You live a wonderful and exciting life to run into sheep on the run. You are on your boat on the river and you rush up and take the picture! Lucky, lucky you! Have a great week! Nan 🙂
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Thanks Nan. Yes, I do feel lucky, particularly on lovely mornings like today when the sun is rising over the canal. 🙂
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I liked your ending. Thanks for the pic… I had wondered if you had shot it from the boat… glad he waited for you to get back on.
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It was touch and go Ted, but he knows which side his bread is buttered, particularly in the culinary field. 😉 Thanks for reading.
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This was fun to read Sandra.
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Thanks Kim. 🙂
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Sandra, I read “sheeple” into this story. Everybody’s doing it….and the photo fits the story beautifully. I wasn’t expecting that ending at all. Has Sarah now gone on to fame and fortune and therefore become leery of a relationship with Amanda? My interpretation, anyway!
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Spot on, so glad you ‘got’ it. Thanks for reading. 🙂
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Great story! Sometimes we just have to admit that we don’t fit society’s cookie-cutter idea of a woman ( or man, or boy or girl)–and we learn too late that we never wanted to fit in that mold, anyway!
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Very true Jan; thanks for reading.
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It seems as though Sara is dismissing her out of spite. Relationships…phooey!
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I think perhaps more out of vanity now. Thanks for reading Dawn.
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I always read yours Sandra. I wanted be just like you when I grow up 😉
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🙂 You might not if you knew how it feels. 😉
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🙂
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Great story Sandra. It’s always sad when people can’t be together because people will talk.
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That’s the way it goes, I guess. Thanks for reading.
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You’re welcome 🙂
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Great story. Many people opt to follow the crowd and not be true to themselves, whether it’s sexuality or any other aspect of life. In the end wrong choices are harder to live with than right ones, though everyone has to figure that out for themselves. Well captured.
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Thanks Siobhan. Hindsight is a wonderful but painful thing.
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Beautifully written Sandra though I had to read it twice to get the essence. Nice picture too.
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Thanks Indira. Yes I think it lost something in the editing.
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Your story is fine Sandra, it’s my limited knowledge of the language.
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A lost love because “people would start to talk.” How sad! Something that happens far too often. I had trouble too whittling down my story. I’m always concerned it will be lost in translation. You did well, Sandra! 🙂
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It’s a real problem. Because you know what you were trying to get across, you can miss the fact that you’ve edited out some key points. C’est la vie! And thanks for reading.
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Nicely done.
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Thanks Shandra.
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So often in youth, we figure things out too late… this really captures that angst and confusion– the missed opportunities. The dialogue is so tight, that the entire history and story plays out effortlessly! Nice job.. as always, Sandra.
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I think that’s what outh is for… making mistakes. Mine certainly was. 😉 Thanks for reading Dawn.
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The path for so many of us, right? My learning curve seems to have lasted longer than I’d like. 😉
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Getting out of the wardrobe has it’s complications.. And there is always a reason not to do it..
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Absolutely! Thanks for reading.
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Great photo Sandra! Love your story too! I hope that you do not mind that I took the liberty of changing the critters to goats! Fit my story! Have a great day! ^..^ B
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Not in the least. They were pretty strange looking sheep and I had to look twice as they galloped towards me. Thanks for reading.
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🙂
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Sometimes it’s good to say no.
(Thanks for the prompt.)
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My pleasure Patrick.
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Very subtle story. I don’t want to say how many readings it took me to get it, but I could write the study guide to the story by now. Thanks!
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Too obscure for my own good, that’s me Perry. 🙂
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To heck with what the neighbors might say.. Avoid her because she’s faithless.
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Faithless, feckless… whatever. 🙂 Thanks for reading.
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Tricky twist in the middle. Definitely adds to the story’s complexion. Well done…
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Thank you! 🙂
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Great story! It’s a shame she didn’t admit her feelings for her friend early on and saved herself the heartache. Her friend seems to have known it wasn’t going to work.
Great photo too!
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Thank you!
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You don’t what you’ve got till it’s gone, right? Bonnie Raitt did a song with a line, “Let’s give ’em something to talk about” that would fit well with this.
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Love Bonnie Raitt, Roger. Thanks for reading.
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People act differently to how we hope, want and come to expect. Then we have to deal with the fact that they – like us – are only human, not perfect beings. I loved the story, and the photo (thank you for the inspiration!).
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Thanks Freya, glad you liked it.
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I must have read too fast. I “mist” the gist until I read the comments. Duh! So, I read it again and now I can say ,”Good job! Well done!”
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Thanks for sticking with it Caerlynn. 🙂
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Aaah sad! Great story 🙂
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Thanks Riya!
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Twist, twist and twist. You got it down, Sandra. I laughed at the last line. Perfect.
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Thanks Kent!
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Ah, the ups and downs of finding yourself–too late, sometimes. Well-crafted and great use of dialogue. When I saw your photo, I realized I’d already written it into a scene of a longer story two years ago, so here’s my edited version of that scene: http://unexpectedpaths.com/friday-fictioneers/escape/
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Thanks for reading Maggie. And happy to oblige with a suitable photo! 😉
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Sometimes we just need to let the sheep out of the closet. Great twist in the tale.
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Thanks for reading 🙂
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I admire how you pack your stories with so much emotion. I really feel for Sarah – now Amanda has a failed relationship behind her, and Sarah’s done good, she’s prepared to take the chance. Turning Amanda is the only sensible thing to do to prevent further hurt and grief. Wonderfully written. And thank you for the photo.
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Thanks for reading Sarah Ann. 🙂
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Oh, whatever happened to love and going with your heart, no matter who you are or who you are with? I guess it’s easier than it sounds. Great story! And I love this prompt. It’s a good one.
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Thanks Amy. Glad you liked it.
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How sad that she couldn’t forgive and damn the consequences.
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Maybe she just changed her priorities. Thanks for reading Liz.
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Even the cream of the crop here at Friday Fictioneers seldom produce stories of the quality that you have just served up here, Sandra. Absolutely amazing! Well written and beautiful.
All my best,
Marie Gail
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Thank you Marie Gail, very kind of you to say so. 🙂
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Wonderfully written in so few words, Sandra, and thanks for the photo. As soon as he saw it, Ron said, “That’s France!” (He spends a fair amount of time there, too!)
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