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 82: ‘With the addition of the lack of blame. I wonder if that is because of the dress?’
‘With the addition of the lack of blame. I wonder if that is because of the dress?’ Gwen thought about it. She didn’t consider the possibility that Sharron might be leaving because of her. She and Sharron had never had a great relationship as Sharron had always been more interested in her father than in her. And in the first years of her arrival, Gwen remembered Mrs. Lewis’ admonition that her father deserved happiness and tried to be polite around Sharron.
Mrs. Lewis was always willing to be an ear to listen to her and to walk her through her complaints so Gwen could have a more peaceable relationship with Sharron. Once Gwen reached an age where adult supervision was less necessary, Sharron absented herself more and more. She went out with her father to dinners and attended events with him but only came to Gwen’s events when there was a crowd who might notice her absence and comment on it.
‘And lately they’ve been arguing more and more.’ Gwen wasn’t privy to all of those arguments but living in the house she heard snippets. Most of those snippets seemed to involve her father spending more and more time out of the house and away from Sharron and going to dinners and events without her as well.
‘So he’s either saying it is not my fault because he thinks I might feel it was due to the dress or because he feels like it is something as a parent he should say,’ Gwen decided. She knew several people whose parents divorced and knew a couple of them thought they might be the reason.
‘Maybe I’d feel more responsible if I liked Sharron more.’
Gwen looked at the e-mail from her father. She stared at the words knowing she should probably type in a response but unsure what that response should be. Finally she opened up a reply message. She typed a few lines about enjoying herself and then added, ‘I’m sure you and Sharron will do what is right for you.’ She looked at it and thought the line would serve. She finished out the e-mail and sent it before she could second guess herself.
Gwen scanned through the other e-mails listed, her eyes skimming over the ones from Lisa an she came across one from Michael. Gwen frowned. She knew Michael of course, they had gone through school together from kindergarten through high school graduation. His parents divorced when he was younger and he lived with his mom in Westport. They bonded over only having one parent and were on good terms. She knew that later his mother remarried as did his father and while he stayed in Westport for school he went to see his father’s family every summer.
While Gwen hung out with him as part of a group when they were younger, he and Toby didn’t get along terribly well so she saw less and less of him. Gwen clicked on the e-mail. She blinked in surprise at what she read.
Ten til Midnight 