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 105: It was time to find something external to focus her thoughts before bed.
It was time to find something external to focus her thoughts before bed. The silly show she ended up delving into did the trick. It contained nothing of betrayal, cheating or broken friendships and when Gwen was finally ready to sleep, she felt washed clean from the phone call.
She slipped into bed and thought that she would end up dreaming of the game show man and of Lisa, even if she didn’t think of Toby. Instead, she fell asleep easily and if she dreamed, she didn’t remember.
In the morning, Gwen woke and dressed for running in the park. She remembered that she was meeting Alan in the lobby and hurried so he wouldn’t have to linger. Thoughts of Lisa tingled in the back of her brain, but she put them to the side until she was riding the elevator down to the lobby.
Then as she rode down in the small silvery box, she wondered what Lisa would do. A wedding wasn’t something she could just opt out of. ‘She can’t just say, well Gwen isn’t here to plan it for me so I guess we’ll just skip it.’
Gwen shook her head. ‘Not my problem,’ she told herself even as a part of her brain started to figure out ways it could be accomplished in the time frame Lisa wanted. ‘There is that greenhouse our on Old Sternbow that occasionally does arrangements,’ she thought. She sighed heavily. “Not my problem.” She told herself, aloud this time and hoping it would help.
The elevator reached the lobby and she stepped out. This was the first time she was in the lobby alone and it felt like a much larger space. She smiled to the night watchman as she looked around and waited for Alan. He smiled back. She started to walk over but Alan arrived before she took two steps. He walked into the lobby and started to go to the front desk as well. Then he spotted her and changed course.
“You remembered to come down then,” he said by way of greeting.
“I did,” she replied. She wondered if he thought she was dim witted enough to not remember the day before.
“Have a nice run, Ms. Barett,” the night watchman told her.
“Thank you,” Gwen said. “I don’t think I caught your name.”
“Harold.” He told her.
“Harold,” Gwen repeated. “Thanks.” She followed Alan out of the main doors and they began to walk to the park. He was less chatty today and Gwen wondered if he ran out of small talk.
‘Or at least small talk he finds viable with me,’ she thought. As she had nothing she could think of to talk about with Alan, Gwen remained silent as well. It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence, but it did make Gwen feel as though she was being picked up like a package and taken to the destination rather than joining a group.
They arrived and went through the routine of stretching and running. As they did, Gwen saw the spot she and Michael agreed to meet later and felt a measure of relief. She knew Michael. It would actually be a relief to talk to someone she knew rather than the getting to know you small talk she made with strangers for a while.
Ten til Midnight 