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 28: The running fell from her daily activities list.
The running fell from her daily activities list. ‘Maybe I’ll be able to take it up again,’ Gwen thought. She found herself smiling at the thought. It was the first thought of the future since she broke up with Toby that actually brought a smile to her face.
As she poked into drawers and boxes to see what else was left behind she wondered if her grandmother would be as concerned about her running as Sharron was. Sharron told her that it wasn’t ladylike to sweat as much as she did and that running wasn’t the best past time. She held her comments while Gwen was on the track team, believing it was a school activity, but when she quit the team, Sharron didn’t see why she still needed to run. She was thrilled when Gwen’s schedule no longer allowed it.
She remembered bringing up Sharron’s comments to Toby and watching him shrug them off. “Running is stupid,” he declared. “I mean I can see if you were trying for a scholarship or something, but you aren’t even going to university so why bother?” She was stung by his comments as she really enjoyed running and didn’t like to have something she liked so much laughed at. Still, since she didn’t have time anyway it was easier to let it slide.
Gwen shook the thought away. She didn’t know if her grandmother would be anything like Sharron or not. After her search through the room, Gwen realized there was very little in the room that she left behind. There were old mementos, most of which reminded her of Toby or Lisa. Those wouldn’t be going with her. There were some old books and trophies as well as a few stuffed animals, and those too would be left behind. Beyond that, not much remained.
The feeling of being disconnected from her life her in Westport returned and left her with a slightly unsettled feeling.
‘It’s just because it is so sudden,’ she told herself. “After all who plans to leave home for three months after a ten second discussion?”
Finally finished, Gwen washed her face with the few products she was leaving behind and crawled into bed. She expected to wonder about what would happen when she got to her grandparents or even to worry about what the rest of her life would look like, but she closed her eyes and instantly fell into a deep sleep.
When she opened her eyes, the morning sun was streaming in. Gwen felt stiff and sore as though she stayed locked in one position the entire night. She stretched and bent trying to work the stiffness out. After a visit to the restroom, Gwen went downstairs for breakfast. She braced for running into Sharron, but her step mother wasn’t there. Her father was. Usually he was gone by the time she got down to breakfast but realized that as he was taking her to the airport, he probably wasn’t going anywhere. He was drinking his coffee and scrolling through something on his tablet. It looked like the morning news.
Gwen glanced at the clock. It was late for breakfast. “Has Sharron left?” Gwen asked as she took a box of cereal from the cabinet.
“She has gone to stay with her sister for a few days,” her father said. He didn’t look up from his tablet.
“Oh,” Gwen replied. She poured her cereal into the bowl and added milk. She took it to the table and ate. Her father continued to study the news and she decided to leave him to it. She ate in silence.
When she was finished Gwen rinsed out her bowl and put it in the drying rack. She then went upstairs to brush her teeth, get dressed for the trip and add the few last minute things to her luggage. By the time she was done, it was time to start loading the car.
Ten til Midnight 