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 110: “Is there something you want to do?” Gwen asked.
“Is there something you want to do?” Gwen asked.
Michael shrugged. “Can’t think of anything yet. You?”
“Not yet,” Gwen said. “That’s why I started looking at the cooking classes. I figure even if I don’t want to become a chef or a baker I can at least make more than scrambled eggs and toast.”
Michael sighed heavily.
“Do you want to hear something funny?” Gwen asked. “Well sort of funny I suppose.”
“I like sort of funny,” Michael said.
“Lisa called me. She thinks I am going to be planning her and Toby’s wedding because I should be over it by now.”
Michael stopped walking and stared at her. “You are joking.”
“No seriously. I blocked her phone number so she called me on her mom’s phone and asked if I was coming home this weekend or next. She then told me that if it was next then I would really be cutting it close on some of her deadlines for getting things together.”
“Unbelievable,” Michael said, shaking his head. They started walking again. “I knew you planned pretty much everything and I remember Lisa always waving the details away and saying ‘Gwen will handle that,’ but after what she did to expect you to plan her wedding.” He shook his head. “I always thought she took you for granted, but even for her that’s a bit much.”
“I thought so too,” Gwen said, pleased that she wasn’t the only one finding Lisa ridiculous.
“I wonder if Mrs. Lewis knows,” Michael said.
“That Lisa took her phone?”
“That Lisa keeps calling you and expecting you to plan her wedding,” Michael clarified. “You might want to let her know. Maybe ask her to get Lisa to stop calling or at least stop expecting you to fix things.”
“You want me to tell on Lisa?”
“No,” Michael said. “Not tell, sort of call and make sure someone knows that Lisa needs to have a plan be since you, her plan A is not working. Otherwise the wedding day will come and nothing will be set up.”
Gwen thought about how Lisa and Toby called her for the car and the hairdressers the night of the dance. She could see Lisa calling once in her wedding dress and asking where the wedding was being held. “Sadly I can see that,” she said.
“Did you go to the dance?” Gwen couldn’t help asking.
“I did, although I missed the fireworks. I was across the room when everything went down and only saw Lisa and Toby both coated in punch when they went off to dry off and change. Kinda wished I had seen the dousing.”
“I kinda wish I had too,” Gwen said. “But I am also kinda glad I didn’t. I would have felt sorry for Lisa if I saw her, you know. This way I don’t have to.”
“And you didn’t have to be the one she called to help her out,” Michael said. “You know she called for you,” he said.
“When?” Gwen asked.
“After she was dripping with punch. She called your name and looked around for you and then when you weren’t there she had to call her mom to bring her a different dress.”
“Huh,” Gwen said. “Glad I wasn’t there.”
“Probably best. Hey, are you going to be at the Charity thing at the end of the month? My step-mother said you would be and she now wants me to go.”
“Maybe, my grandmother gave me a list of things she wants me to go to, I can see if that was one of them. Didn’t you go before?”
“No I usually don’t go to things with them,” Michael said.
Ten til Midnight 