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 163: Michael laughed. “You are forgetting I spent the summer with you.”
Michael laughed. “You are forgetting I spent the summer with you.”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
Michael shook his head. “I’ve been coming here every summer since I was a kid. All I did was play video games and walk down to the park occasionally. Then I started hanging out with you. You found things, planned them got both of us there. Which I appreciate. It has made my summer the best one I ever spent at my father’s house and it makes ,e less worried about staying there while starting school. “
“Thanks,” Gwen said smiling. “I appreciate that. And it was fun to have someone I knew around too.
“And as much as I enjoyed it and I sort of got used to you planning things, Toby had it for longer and Lisa had it for pretty much ever. I am willing to be that a summer without you made this their worst summer ever. I’m betting they both realized how much they missed having you around.”
“Well miss having me around and missing me aren’t the same things,” Gwen said.
“I know,” Michael said. “And as long as you know that too you’ll be fine.”
“What do you mean?”
“That they are selfish and they will want their little planner back so their lives run smoothly even if it isn’t the best thing for you. I’m pretty sure at least one of them will come up with some kind of guilt trip.”
“Huh,” Gwen said. She leaned back in her seat as the flight attendant began her safety lesson with the seat belt and Michael slipped on his earphones. She thought that there would be a chance she would run into Toby and Lisa and thought it might be a bit awkward but it hadn’t occurred to her that either might want her back.
‘Now that Lisa isn’t planning a wedding I doubt she will really want to talk to me.’ Gwen thought. ‘And I can’t imagine Toby stopping by at all.’ She shook her head thinking Michael must be wrong. ‘But I’m glad he had a good summer.’
Gwen took out her papers and as the plane taxied down the runway and began the journey back to Westport, she started working on the things she needed for her return.
The trip seemed shorter and Gwen couldn’t decide if it was having Michael with her or her own state of mind that made it seem so. Traveling with a friend seemed more like an adventure, even though she remembered telling herself that the trip out was an adventure. Here she felt it.
At the end of the journey, they simply left the plane, went to their respective restrooms and then joined up again to walk out to the pickup area. With no baggage to claim it felt like they were forgetting something, but it was a quick and easy escape. Her father’s car was waiting with the taxis and she and Michael got in.
“Gwen,” he said giving her a quick one armed hug and a kiss on the cheek before pulling away from the curb. “You are looking great. City life clearly agrees with you. And Michael, good to see you. I’m glad you will be driving back with Gwen. Did you two have a good trip?”
As they drove away from the airport, conversation was kept light and mostly about the trip.
Ten til Midnight 