Mom so wanted to wear that dress to her granddaughter’s wedding. At least she’s getting to show it off to her loved ones waiting to caress her hand or whisper goodnight.
Look, she’s dreaming of dad, hoping he’ll still see his “lovely girl” when they meet soon, after years apart.
Carol Tymann is still banging computer keys searching out meaningful words, sentences, messages.
Our first night in our first home, too hyped to sleep. We roam the halls marveling, planning. In our bright new kitchen, there gleams a behemoth of a fridge bequeathed from generous sellers.
What to do first—stock it with staples or inform police what we found in the freezer?
Carol Tymann is writing, reading, and playing through a typically long New York winter season.
In the grocery store today
I skim several greetings
Rejecting one inane rhyme after another
He hovers
Mute to my “Excuse me”
Oblivious to personal space
Never removing a card from the rack
Or his eyes from me
As I leave with my choice
I hear a breathy “Happy Anniversary”
Carol Tymann lives in upstate New York where her instinct is to believe most people are innocently interested and kind, but sometimes she wonders about their motives. Is she too trusting?
Diana saw Him enter the room… with Her. First time since Their eight years ended. She wanted to run but stayed, coached herself: be brave, be friendly, meet the wife. They’re coming over; breathe… chest out… further out. Here they come, big smile.
And…
There he goes right past her.
Carol Tymann is a retired kindergarten teacher who loves to play with her granddaughter, read, write, cook, and work out.
See lunchtime starting
See students sprinting for seats
See 300 children screeching
See three Sisters shrieking. “Silence! Say Grace.”
See Susan swapping salami for Sally’s Snoballs
See Vinnie vomiting volumes of veggie soup
See Sister Sebastian sliding through slimy soup
See lunchtime ending
See students silently slumping back to school
Carol Tymann attended and taught in parochial schools in Albany, New York. She keeps busy reading, writing, working out, and cooking.
Today’s task: finally clean out the jewelry box
Three piles: Keep Recycle Discard
A gold ring swathed in pink yarn still fits
Still evokes the peak of joy, then the nadir of despair
A hole where his initial is absent
As he often was
Decision: discard pile, definitely
…Next time
Carol Tymann, a retired kindergarten teacher, loves to read and write.
We looked like twins, but:
I read Nancy Drew; she broke her leg falling off a “borrowed” bike.
I baked cakes; she climbed out her bedroom window.
I played with Barbie dolls; she smoked cigarettes at eleven.
I wasn’t shocked when my sister fell into a sewer.
I was envious.
Carol Tymann is a retired kindergarten teacher who doubles as an amateur writer and actress. Outside of writing, her favorite pastimes include reading, baking, and creating imaginary worlds with her granddaughter. She is grateful to FiftyWordStories.com for the inspiration and opportunity to submit her work.