Picture it & Write! - Bygones

Picture it & Write

He'd arrived on a night much like this one; misty, whimsical clouds low in the sky, Lake Michigan lapping at the shore of her rented cottage. She had known he wasn't one to stay in one place for very long.

Two weeks ago, he'd glided down from heavens like a gift from God. His hot air balloon from a bygone era landed in the field behind her silver electro minivan.

Tonight, she stood there wondering where his adventure lies next. Would he remember her? Like she did, as his smell still lingered in the very air that surrounded her?

He'd changed her even with the few hours they had together. How would she explain those changes when questioned by well meaning friends and family?

Some would think she took their advice and paid Kurt back by sleeping with someone else. But they were wrong. Sex wouldn't fix what was wrong. 

She'd begun her own adventure to find peace after the scandal of Kurt's betrayal spread through their close knit community. Some would understand that she moved away from the pain of Kurt's affair. Others would claim she never cared in the first place and she had gotten what she deserved.

Hugging herself close, oh, she'd cared but now. . . watching the balloon float off into a different time and space. She knew she was going to be okay.

Hope you enjoyed,

Leann Holland

Nosy Driver

   Do you ever notice vanity license plates? For me the answer is sometimes. I don't do a lot of driving. When I do, I have places to be and things to do. In other words, I'm focused.
   Today, however, I had relatively few errands. On my way home, the white foreign car in front of me had one of those vanity plates. This one was easy to read, YES JOHN.
  Call me crazy, creative, curious or even a nosy neighbor, all fit. But YES JOHN to what? I'll marry you. I'll live with you. I'll have your baby. I'll drive you anywhere you want. See my delemna? What is she, I assumed a female, saying yes to? A mystery that in my city of ten thousand will never be solved by me. 
   The vanity license plates invite us into the driver's life, usually with a boast or joke. The state considers them a self imposed tax. Taxpayers paying extra for the right of self expression in our abbreviated world. What do you think of vanity license plates? Do you have one? I don't. I need more space for my self expressions.
   How funny would it be if a ninety eight pound, ninety eight year old man crawled out from behind the steering wheel? I imagine a conversation like YES JOHN you're in my will.
   Share your thoughts on why the the driver is saying YES JOHN. Keep comments to PG-13 please.

Leann Holland