My Response:
My eyes tracked her progress through the park. She walked the same route every day. The breeze rustled through her hair, lifting the tresses from where they rested against her back and twirling them around before allowing them to fall back into their original spot. She didn’t seem to notice, her eyes forward, and her feet sure in their heeled boots.
She was on her way to work at the bookstore just down the way. She never noticed the footsteps that sounded behind her own. Or the eyes that followed her as she laughed with the children and helped the adults pick out the books they wanted to read.
Her skirt fluttered with the breeze, lifting it tantalizingly, and her hand came down to brush it down as she glanced around, her blue eyes searching for anyone who might have seen anything, but she was quickly on her way, once more oblivious.
The scent of her perfume was heavy in the air behind her, but no one else int he park seemed to notice. Fools, all of them. Running around and laughing as if a Goddess hadn’t just been in their midst. They didn’t see her for what she truly was. They didn’t understand.
Even she seemed ignorant to the effect she had. The beauty that radiated from her and engulfed the rest of us in it’s all consuming light.
The echo of her step changed as she stepped from the path on to the sidewalk that would bring her the rest of the way to the bookstore. This was it. The final chance. Would this finally be the day?
A hand landed on her arm, twirling her to face the hard form and she let out a small shriek.
“Hey, Jen, it’s just me,” A deep voice rumbled. Tall and dark, he was an unwelcome sight. He dimmed the beauty that radiated from her.
“Ted, what are you doing here?”
“You know what I’m doing here,” He said, “I didn’t want to break up. I want you to take me back.”
“We’ve been through this.”
“No, we haven’t. You just said that you didn’t want to be with me anymore. I don’t understand.”
He didn’t seem the kind that would understand anything. Or even notice the unhappy looked that marred Jen’s face. She should never look like that. How dare he upset her!
“Ted, look, it’s not you, alright? I just don’t think I’m ready for this. I don’t want to be tied down.”
“I proposed to you!”
“You held up an onion ring and asked me to marry you in the middle of a fast food restaurant.”
“So you just dump me?”
She took a small step away from him, but he hadn’t let go of her arm yet.
“Let me go, Ted, I have to go to work.”
“Not until you explain what happened. I need to know.”
Her frown tugged down even further, and she ripped her arm from his grasp. “Because! I don’t love you anymore, Ted. Are you happy now? Is that what you wanted to hear?”
“Is this because of the money?”
She shook her head, sending her blonde hair flying around her head, “No, Ted, this has nothing to do with the money. Do you really think I’m that shallow?”
“Well, I don’t see what other reason there could be.”
Jen stared at him silently for a moment, “No, you really can’t, can you? I’m going to work. Don’t follow me.”
She turned and took off down the street, leaving Ted standing there, staring after her.
My chance was gone once more.
If you would like to also take on this challenge, I would love to see what you come up with. Post it in the comments!
All exercises are taken from The 3 A.M. Epiphany by Brian Kiteley.
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