Welcome to the Fifteen Minute Novel. Each morning I spend fifteen minutes writing on a singular story line. Each morning starts with the last line of the previous day. The goal is to get a (very) rough draft out of the simple story idea and to avoid letting the story idea languish in limbo forever, actually writing it out. This is the third year I have done this writing experiment and each year I learn just a little bit about myself and the way I write as well as creating a framework for the story. But without further ado…
Day 9: She lay the dress out on the bed to survey the damage.
She lay the dress out on the bed to survey the damage. The dress was ruined, there was no doubt about that. She thought of the seamstress who tailored it for her and how long it took to get everything just right. There would be no repairing the dress in time for the dance. Even if it could be fixed, there wouldn’t be time enough to do so in the upcoming week.
Gwen felt like crying again but scrubbed her hands over her face instead, fighting back the tears. She picked up the dress and the scraps and moved it to her closet. There was no need to worry about the wrinkles now. She closed the closet door and moved to the jewelry, shoes, hair combs and purse. Each item that went with the outfit, was laid out in a neat row. She cleared off a shelf just for the items, stacking the books and trophies in the corner to make room. They needed space so they could maintain their perfection for the big night.
Now she put each item away. The jewelry went into her jewelry box and the other items were buried deep in the closet. She hid all of them from view. Gwen then took her list of appointments from her stack of papers. She picked up her cell phone and began cancelling all of the appointments she made. The hair salon, the nail salon, the day spa where she and Lisa were going to get pampered before the big day.
As she cancelled the appointments, Gwen realized that with cancelling her own spa appointment she was also cancelling Lisa’s as they booked in together. She found a stab of petty delight in the fact. Gwen looked at the other items on the list. Toby hadn’t wanted to drive so they booked a car for the night. She made the arrangements. Gwen knew she should transfer the reservation to him, but cancelled it instead. In fact many of Toby’s appointments were made by her and she cancelled each and every one of them.
“He is no longer my responsibility,” Gwen told herself. There was satisfaction in knowing that her actions, petty though they were, would create at least minor annoyances for Lisa and Toby. It was a small thing but it made her feel marginally better. She suspected she might feel a little guilty about it later, but for now, she didn’t mind the pettiness.
When she was done with the appointments and their canceling, Gwen tossed the paperwork into the trash can along with her photos. Desperate for something else to take her mind off of everything, she reached for her accountancy textbook and began to read. She had already taken the exam and passed, but she hoped the numbers would push everything else out of her mind.
Sometime later she heard the front door open and close. She didn’t know if it was Sharron or her father and she didn’t much care. Gwen slipped on her headphones and pulled up the community college website. She began looking through the offered courses.
Ten til Midnight 