Good morning everyone, did you sleep okay? I think the feral cats of the neighborhood have declared war on each other. I also think their battleground is right under my bedroom window. It did not make for a restful night. Also there were tufts of fur decorating the grass this morning when I checked. Luckily there were no dead animals, which given the noise was what I was worried about. Still morning has arrived. So let’s jump in with the morning prompt shall we?
Took me a while to get into this and I still need to decide what sort of community this is, but I like the idea of two people having strained history when they are both in an unfamiliar place. There is the possibility of solidarity as they know each other, but also dealing with old history. It is something that would need to be thought out before writing. And fit into a larger plot of course.
Tuesday, March 4th: It was clear they had a long standing connection.
It was clear they had a long standing connection. Claire wondered if that would help or harm. At the moment it was hard to tell. They seemed polite with each other. She didn’t know if the connection was simply an old one and they were meeting after a long time of not seeing each other or if their last parting had been acrimonious and they were treading carefully so as not to reignite old arguments.
Claire half listened to their basic inquiries of familial health and well being. Parents and siblings were asked after and acceptable comments regarding each were exchanged.
‘But nothing personal.’ Claire realized. She was trying not to look like she was eavesdropping. The window was open before they began speaking in the courtyard outside it and she had not closed it and was trying to look engaged in reading the papers before her. It made no sound and she didn’t know if the two realized she was there. She was making no sound and trying not to move too much and draw the eye.
While she reminded herself that eavesdropping was a nasty habit, she couldn’t stop herself. She lknew Dan and Sarah recognized each other upon arrival as they both started with surprise. Neither was expecting the other. After the initial sighting they both managed to stay out of each other’s path. In the six weeks since arriving, Claire was certain they had not actually been in the same space as each other.
‘Not too surprising,’ she thought. ‘The place is huge.’ Not running into each other could have been innocent. ‘They didn’t have to be avoiding each other.’
Claire found she wanted to know if they had been avoiding each other and if it was going to be a problem for the community. She could arrange duties to keep them apart if necessary but would prefer if they worked amiably together.
‘Not that I have any proof they can’t work amiably together.’
That was the rub of it. She didn’t know anything about either of them prior to their coming here. Others had been with her years, decades even. Both Dan and Sarah were relative new commers. Claire tried the direct approach. She asked Sarah if she knew Dan. She said they met long ago but it had been a while since she saw him. She claimed it was a surprise seeing a familiar face.
When Clair put the same question to Dan, he altered his wording but conveyed much the same information.
‘And yet,’ Clair thought. ‘There is tension of some sort.’
She tried not to sigh to herself as the conversation ended and both parties went on their way. Neither spoke of each other and other than the fact that their each knew the other’s family, she had no more knowledge. ‘They didn’t even ask after each other’s health.’ Clair grumbled to herself. She set the papers down and leaned back in her chair.
She knew she shouldn’t find it vexing, but she did. She was accustomed to knowing every little detail of those working for her and with her. She knew their pasts, their preset and their hopes for the future. ‘Most of them are chatterboxes.’
She knew with the least little question most of them, male and female, were so pleased with her curiosity that entire stories spilled out with the least prompting.
Ten til Midnight 