Rochelle Wisoff Fields
He climbs from the bus, guitar slung across his back, baseball-cap back to front, a slow-mo rewind from seven years ago.
“Hi!”
“Hi, yourself.”
His gaze switches to the child by my side.
“Yours?” he says.
I nod.
Ours, actually.
“She’s pretty… like you.”
She’s got your eyes.
“You weren’t waiting for me?”
I was, but not any longer.
“My husband,” I say, nodding at the bus that’s pulling in, “better go.”
He leans forward; I extend my hand, turning away.
Selina stumbles as she stares over her shoulder.
“Who was that, Mummy?”
“The guitar man, baby. Daddy’s here now.”
And so I might as well share today’s ear-worm with you. 🙂 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpOjQvADLG4 Thanks to the leader of the Friday Fictioneers band, Rochelle Wisoff, for keeping us all in tune.
castelsarrasin 
I loved the conflict and the resolution in this
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Thank you, Neil.
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A good outcome – not like you, Sandra!!
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I like to ring the changes, Sue. 😉
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😀😀
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I guess something kept him drifting, miles and miles away…
Beautifully crafted tale of then and now.
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Thanks CE. This song is well and truly mired into my soul for today. 😦
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Are men with guitars ever reliable? Fall in love with them but marry the banker, I would say 😀
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I love a practical streak. 🙂
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That’s a great little story, such lean sinewy prose! You highlight significant details with an unerring eye – the back to front baseball cap, ‘She’s got your eyes’ etc. And wonderful use of the title to set the whole tone of the piece, the sadness, the anger, the eventual calm wistfulness.
Lovely, Sandra!
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Thank you Penny. Sorry to be so late responding – computer issues again!
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Dear Sandra,
So much back story woven with her current story. Beautifully written. No surprise there.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Many thanks, Rochelle. 🙂
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I wonder if he suspects at all, or if it is lost in the hazy past. Good to see that she has come out of the experience stronger.
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Thanks for reading, Iain.
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Well constructed story, Sandra. It was poignant, but at least she found a reliable man, so the story was uplifting too.
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
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Thanks for reading Susan.
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Oh my.
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She’s likely better off. Musicians might be great romantic figures, but as partners they’re not so hot. Well done
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I once went out with an entire band. One after another, you understand. And I endorse your comment.
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Tender, sentimental, and sad. Well done, as always.
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Thank you!
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There are worse earworms! Wondering if the husband knows the little girl isn’t his and if he does, does he care? Lovely construction here, Sandra, you eke us the info at the perfect rate and keep us wondering whether she’ll say something, whether she’s there for him. Really good story
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Many thanks Lynn.
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My pleasure
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You do know how to tell a story, Sandra. So much said in so few words.
Wonder if she ever even considered telling him way back when? Probably not…
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I think she’s done the right thing, but possibly not the most exciting path. 🙂
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Must agree…
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Aww certainly takes more than blood to be a father.
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Indeed, it does.
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I love this… so much told with so few words. The title is a great extra layer i think
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Thanks Bjorn. Loved your Marianne Faithful take this week.
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Lordy! I’d forgotten that song. How many times to we squelch those internal thoughts while wishing someone could read them?
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Yes, the ‘mind-speak’ is a lot more informative than the ‘mouth speak’. Thanks for reading Alicia.
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Very fluid and convincing back and forth both in words and in thoughts. But its a fragile kind of self -protection she chooses, since her daughter will one day grow up and want to know the truth.
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The truth will out, I’m sure.
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Such is life, I like how she has moved on, well I hope she has. Magical use of 100 words
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Thanks Michael.
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Best that she kept quiet, she seems to be getting on with life. He doesn’t sound like he’d ever settle down.
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He’s a mover, I think.
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I love the way you told two stories in the same minute.
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Thanks Liz.
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So much story packed in there, of waiting and wishing and then moving on. I can imagine how she had imagined this moment for so long, what might she say if she did see him again, would she tell him or not — and then when it happens, out of nowhere, it’s over so fast, but well played, and now she has her answer.
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Plenty for her to reflect on that particular evening, I guess.
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Things that might have been. Guitarists can be highly strung so I guess she made the right choice.
Click to read my FriFic tale
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🙂 Thanks for reading, Keith.
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I tip my backward facing ballcap to you. Oh, the traveling musician, groupies, and one-night stands. I’m sure this has played out millions of times around the globe.
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Indeed it must have been. Thanks for reading, Russell.
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Love “daddy’s here, now” line
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Thank you.
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Enjoyable story. I liked how she thought one thing and said something completely different. The guitar man belongs to her past–her future is with the man whom her daughter calls, “Daddy.”
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Thanks for visiting.
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There are so many layers here and it didn’t end quite as I expected to. Brilliant!
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Thanks for reading Ellie.
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The Guitar Man…this could be a beautiful ballad!
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I know a band who could make a half-decent job of it, as well.
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There’s so many layers to this story. Great job.
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Thank you, Lisa.
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Wow, the hurt she still feels really packs a punch. Although she seems to have moved on, she clearly has stuff still to resolve. I wonder if guitar boy will remain completely oblivious to what he left behind. A great opening to make the reader think she’s waiting for him when she isn’t, but was and could be.
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I think we all carry a little baggage, some more than others. Thanks for reading, Sarah Ann.
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There’s a wonderful sense of having had to let the excitement go for the boring but reliable. Regrets she cannot afford but has nonetheless.
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What if…? Always a consideration to be reflected upon.
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we were just talking about the “one that got away” phrase and this piece fits nicely into that – loved the ending – the guitar man….
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Thanks for reading.
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🙂
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One sensible woman! Very nicely crafted Sandra
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Thank you, Dahlia.
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Very nice internal dialogue. She made the right decision. Your stories always contain many layers and you do it in so few words. Lovely story!
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Thanks for your comment, Brenda.
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i took courage to move on and bless her heart she did.
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Thank you! 🙂
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She answered all the “italics” ones in her head. The guitar man will never know the truth…
Very realistic.
This is a true story for so many!
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Some of the most productive conversations take place in the mind, I feel. 🙂
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That was so well written. Loved the dialogue, and the conflict.
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Thank you!
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Ah, the guitar man. He searches for this dreams and expects all of life to stay in one place for him. Well done, Sandra.
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I found the keyboard players were pretty much the same too. 😉 Thanks for reading, Sascha.
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Loved the internal dialogue. I feel torn though, I guess she had to move on. I also feel the child has a right to know her real father. Maybe when she’s older hey?
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Someday, perhaps. 🙂 Thanks for visiting.
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I once dated a guitar man. She’s better off with the bus driver.
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Yeah. My guitar man wasn’t up to much either. But the drummer… 😉
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Ah, yes! Drummers… well, it depends which drummer. One was the worst, another the best.
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Beautiful story. I am left with the notion that he can still make her cry but she has more control now, not to mention the support of a good man who deserves her.
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Yes, I’m rooting for a happy ending here. Thanks for visiting Jilly.
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