Tiny Tuesday
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Tiny Tuesday
| Tue, 02-26-2002 - 8:46am |
Tiny Tuesday
Hi everybody. Since we had so much fun with the alphabet exercise of planting three words into our piece a few weeks ago, let's continue that with the letters D, E, and F. Try to place these into your Tiny Tuesday in any order you wish: dandelion, Emmeline, and funky. Remember, have fun, and happy writing! Sammi

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My very first TT!
Hope you like this.. I'm calling it "The Dandelion". :-)
Michelle
****
It was one of those warm spring days that I loved so much as a child, when the wind was light and airy and the sky was a clear striking blue. I inhaled the scent of the coming summer and smiled to myself.
“Mom, this smells funky.”
I glanced down at the small child, my Emmeline. She was five and growing up so quickly it was scary. In her tiny hand, she held a dandelion. Her nose was wrinkled up as she pulled it away from her face. She looked up at me, her green eyes shiny with life. I smiled.
“Sweetie, they don’t really smell.”
“Oh,” was all she replied.
She then turned, her honey blond hair bouncing down her back and ran across the grass in her bare feet. I leaned back on the heels of my hands, tipping my face to the sun. I closed my eyes against the brightness. I could hear Emmeline playing nearby and then I heard the shuffle of feet on the grass. Opening my eyes, I saw him coming toward us. I sat upright quickly.
“Hello, Judith,” he greeted.
I was stunned by his appearance. The words caught in my throat. I couldn’t speak.
“How’s Em?” he asked.
I glanced over at her. She was too busy picking dandelions and sunflowers to notice who had walked up. Looking back up at him, I squinted against the afternoon sun, his features blackened out and indiscernible.
“She’s fine,” I said at last.
He squatted down to my level, then sat on the cool grass next to me. My heart was thumping wildly and I had a thousand questions I wanted to ask him. Instead, I remained silent. Frank had aged since I had last seen him. His hair was more salt than pepper, there was a shadow of stubble on his chin. There wasn’t much life in his brown eyes. I had heard from friends that he was back in town, but I hadn’t the courage to go see him.
“How are you?”
“I’m fine.”
There was a long silence. Neither one of us knew what to say. Finally, I forced myself to speak.
“When did you get back?” I asked, even though I knew the answer all ready.
“A few days ago,” he said. “I missed Em. She’s gotten so big.”
We both watched her as she sang to herself and picked the flowers. It was right of him to miss her, I thought, but did he miss me at all? Were those old feelings still there? I still had them. I still loved him. I just didn’t have the courage to tell him.
“Yes. She’ll be in Kindergarten this fall,” I replied.
“Judith, there’s something --”
“Frank!”
Before he could finish, Emmeline saw him for the first time and came running. Her little face was alight with joy. She crashed into him, knocking him on his back as she gripped his neck with a huge hug, all the while the dandelions and sunflowers grasped in her little hand.
“Hello, little Em,” he said through his laughter.
“Frank, I missed you. Did you bring me a present like you promised?”
I laughed. “A child never forgets.”
“Yes, I did. And I even brought one for your mother. In fact . . .”
His voice trailed off as he reached into his pocket. His hand came out with a black velvet box. He extended it to me.
“Judith?”
With a shaky hand, I took the box. I thought I knew what was inside. I swallowed hard.
“I thought about you both everyday while I was in Missouri. Marry me?”
I didn’t even have to open the box to know my answer. My vision was blurred with the tears.
“Oh, Frank . . . you know the answer to that!”
“Yes. I thought I would. But you know I had to ask.” He grinned, his eyes coming to life. He leaned over, kissed me on the cheek, then stood up with Emmeline in his arms. “Now let’s go see what I have for you, little Em.”
And as he walked away, I peeked in the box. It was just as I had suspected – his mother’s antique engagement ring. It was a small cluster of diamonds that made the shape of a flower. I would finally have the man I loved, a terrific father for my daughter and a good life once again.
Michelle, co-cl for The Writing Life
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My TT.....You might need tissues for this, Don't say I didn't warn ya!
The dandelion seeds floated helplessly on the breath of a child as she watched the spectacle in amazement for a second. The amazement died quickly only to be replaced with laugher, as she ran through the field of wildflowers. Her hands throw up in the air as she raced on. How carefree she had felt, had it really been that long, Emmeline thought.
She was home for her grandmother’s funeral. She wished that she could have grown up closer to her like the cousins had. She only got to visit once or twice a year, with her family. There were days that she wished she could have stayed there. Having felt like the outcast of the cousins for not being there and helping out. Was she to blame that they didn’t stay in touch.
Having parked her car outside the little church, she grabbed the bouquet of flowers as she turned to walk in. There in the church was all of her family and friends of her Grandmothers. She felt like a stranger there, so cold and alone. She could almost hear the whispers of the people as she walked up to say the one last good bye.
“What is she doing her?”
“She didn’t care then, why should she care now?”
She wanted to scream, better yet she wanted this day over. Slowly she put one foot in front of the other as she drew closer to the casket. The flowers had been laid over top of the closed section. It was her turn now, taking a deep breath she looked in.
“Why did you come?” her mind screamed. Her loved grandmother looked pale with gobs of unnatural makeup to add color. Was this how she wanted to remember her, cold and lifeless? Tears streamed down her eyes as endless rivers, as she took her seat.
One of the ladies got up and read a list of the things that her Grandmother had treasured most. She didn’t hear much of the sermon after that, as she was to busy remembering the good times. The cookies that they had baked when she would visit as a child. The stories that Grandmother had told, and the funky old dances and songs, the seemed to make her laugh.
Emme followed the hearse to the cemetery. She watched as they lowered her Grandmother into her final resting place. As they covered her with dirt, Emme to the wildflower seeds out of her jacket pocket. She sprinkled them over the raw earth with trembling fingers, as her final goodbye.
She returned to her Grandmothers house. She walked out into the field were she had ran as a child. It was still as green and full of life as it was the day it first bloomed. She lifted her hands up in the air and ran. She could hear her Grandmother’s laughter as she ran through the wildflowers. “This is how I will remember you, Grandmother,” she said as she spoke to the wind.
Have a mystical day,
Jade
Please Pray and Support O
Awww Michelle! I really liked it. (m)
But why did he age since she'd last seen him, why did he go away? Why? Why? lol Sorry, I've been around my 4 year old too much. Great job! I enjoyed your story.
Heather
Here's mine (m)
I finish my coffee and glance at the photo once again then place it in my pocket. Her smile calls to my inner self. I leave the cafe and stand near the cafe doors where I can’t be seen. Ten minutes pass by before I peer at the straw hat with a dandelion attached to it being worn by my subject. She walks like a model, and carries a lime-green bag but dresses like a tomboy. Her baggy, orange tee shirt and Levi’s hide her curvaceous body.
As she strolls down the cemented path, I lag behind pretending to be window-shopping. She is stopped and approached by a funky looking guy with tons of pierced holes exhibiting flashy, silver jewelry. They chat awhile before I spy the exchange. He takes her bag and she takes his sack. I marvel at their stupidity. He scans the area before he increases his stride while she slows her pace.
I call, “Emmeline”
She turns, looks then breaks out laughing. “Jackson, if you’re going to be an undercover agent, we are going to have to work on your following technique.”
“But, but,” I say.
She pulls into the shadows between two stores and kisses me and says, “That’s for your effort, come on, we have work to do.”
Nice job........
I love the twist you had at the end. Great job !
Have a mystical day,
Jade
Please Pray and Support O
Oh how sweet!!! Great job! Keep up the good work . . . *nt*
Have a mystical day,
Jade
Please Pray and Support O
Wonderful images and I love happy endings...Great job n/t
Awesome Jade (m)
Your story is heartwarming and touching! Great job!
Maria
Thanks for the warning! I liked it Jade, very touching. nt
Nice scene - great dialogue. Hope you write more about them. nt
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