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…
65: ‘And if she is wrong it will only be for a few visits anyway.’
‘And if she is wrong it will only be for a few visits anyway.’ Gwen didn’t think she would be going to her grandfather’s office more than a few times. ‘How many people could he have me shadow anyway?’
There were other outfits and these too were taken from the bags. There were a couple of sun dresses, and a couple of dresses that looked more appropriate for dinner out at a fancy restaurant. Gwen brought a few of her sundresses with her but she had to admit many of them had seen a few summers and were now looking faded and worn. ‘They fit with what I like,’ she told herself.
Gwen thought of Lisa and Sharron and briefly Toby While there were some outfits that she wore that they didn’t like, it was a matter of taste and for the most part they left Gwen to her own choices. So the wardrobe reflected her tastes more than anything else. The colors were things she liked as were the styles. The new garments blended with that. When shopping Margaret would point out a type of garment that was suitable for one of the occasions and then let Gwen choose the outfit she liked best that suited the occasion. She seemed to have no interest in guiding Gwen’s choices other than to explain what the occasion called for.
It was a little strange to watch Margaret check her calendar and realize that there were in fact several events scheduled, but she was happy to know how to dress for them. With the clothed in the closet, the tags clipped off and piled on top of one of the discarded bags, Gwen gathered the trash and took them out of her bedroom to dispose of them.
Margaret directed her towards the trashcan in the kitchen. Trash disposed of she rejoined her grandmother in the kitchen.
“It’s all been settled,” Margaret waved a piece of paper in the air and Gwen took it. It had the times Alan planned to be at the door as well as which days he expected the groups to choose for training and a notation about how long each training session would last before he walked her back to the apartment.
“You’ll be back in time for breakfast,” Margaret said. She seemed pleased with the way it was arranged. “Providing of course if you like it. If you don’t we can easily cancel. It is entirely up to you.”
“Thank you,” Gwen said. She folded up the piece of paper and slipped it into her pocket before sitting down. “I’ll have to set my alarm on my phone and get out my clothes before bed,” she said.
“Will setting the alarm require you accept the calls of those you don’t wish to speak to or should we get a separate alarm?”
“I blocked both Lisa and Toby so I shouldn’t get any calls,” Gwen said. “I don’t know why I didn’t think to do it sooner.”
“Well you have done it now. Hopefully that will settle the matter. Let me know if any assistance is required.”
“I will,” Gwen said.
“And you have all of your running necessities?”
“I do,” Gwen said. “I packed everything I would need and hoped I would need them.”
“Excellent,” Margaret said. “I think that settles all of the settling in things. I’m sure there will be more. Your father reminded us that it has been a while since anyone stayed with us for a long length of time so I wasn’t sure we were prepared. You’ll let me know if something comes up that we didn’t think of?” “I will,” Gwen said. “But I can’t honestly think of anything I need right now. At some point I might want to think about getting at least a part time job though.”
Ten til Midnight 