Short Story: Unexpectedly Gone

Married to an ex-military man who was crawling back from the abyss of a previous divorce with alimony and lots of child-support. His rising star was Maitlyn’s favorite creation. She invested in all the programs to teach him coding and hardware to help him become an expert with networking and computer maintenance.

Her aversion to being away so long from her little one, she swallowed along with her anger over unmercifully long hours and no corporate support. It had to be okay because, for the first time in her life, she was a runaway success with money in excess.

Sometimes she wished there was time for guitar practice, small jams, photoshoots, and writing more than grocery orders and inventory counts. Making a good life for those she loved was a dream, though, and she held it in her hands. No sacrifice, no fulfilling extraordinary demands, one could not expect plans to bring hopes to fruition. Maitlyn knew from experience everything could suddenly crumple like notebook paper and catch afire, burning totally away as if none of it ever existed.

At moments she felt like a mouse on a wire-wheel chasing forever faster to catch a tablet-sized cheese, which was inevitably beyond her reach. She wanted a quiet life where items could be alphabetized and checked off the list, where nothing was impossible, and joy was ever-present.

Climbing the ranks had been a vertical ascension, always giving more, reaching higher. It amazed her, but the shadow, she was consistently aware of how quickly one could fall from the heights.

She had seniority and was vested, but there came a time when she had to manage several weeks short-staffed working fifteen to eighteen hours in a row. She called her supervisor for assistance, he offered none. One night around 3am, she crawled into bed. At 5am when she tried to get up, she no longer connected with the world.

Logan called the district manager, her supervisor, he explained that she was sick and he was taking her to the hospital. The DM said if she failed to come in, she was fired. Logan kept her home and took her to the hospital, where she was admitted for an extended stay.

Sweet dreams often end precariously.

Two Poems

Reasons Why

Oh, to be the instrument
That encodes the words, sentences,
Opening minds to experience
Places, plans, things visited
Between the magic covers
Where printed pages live
To give their secrets away to those
Who invest the time to comprehend
Every carefully written line
This the poet, author’s fondest hope
To bring stories, wisdom to life
Helping others conquer the most
Difficult moments encountered in time.

Tracks Cleared

The winding paths sought
By hearts afire with passion
A merry chase may lead
Taking prisoner those who
Never dream again, freedom
To be more precious
Than love, if it should succeed,
Even faults and flaws
Forgiven, overlooked, when
Overwhelmed by devotion.

More Reading

I finished one book that I have been nursing for a while and three others that I more recently started.

The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy, I read in hardcover, with 453 pages. This is a novel of India with a diverse cast. It is filled with surprises and perceptions of people who though broken, have chosen love. I did not expect it. I highly recommend it and rate it a five. This is the one I carried a while. It seems paper books are a bit more demanding.

Merlin’s Booke by Jane Yolen, was on Kindle, with 176 pages. I am a Merlin fanatic. I will read anything with Merlin. I am not sure I did not read this before, in the eighties. Matters not; joyfully read it. Jane Yolen is an author who weaves stories so spectacularly one gets tangled in the threads. This is one of those tens, I must give a five, because of the current rating scales en vogue.

The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan, I read on Kindle, with 277 pages. I cannot express how good this novel is, everything about it is exceptional. The characters are so well described, the situations are so well written, the feeling one comes away with like a precious hug. This one is 100% delight, I highly recommend it and give it a way better than five.

Reader, Come Home by Maryanne Wolf, I read on Kindle, with 277 pages. This is non-fiction, see I do read it, it is about research on print and digital media. Our brains are being restructured with our use of screens. If you have children, this might be extremely informative for you. I have felt that there were changes in attention and concentration as I have become part of the digital world. I think this an important subject and the book very well done. I recommend it. Five stars seem inadequate.

When I do these reviews, I am not sure you know, I include the Amazon links in the titles.

No link to this because I am not reviewing it. My current read is Harlot’s Ghost by Norman Mailer, which I have been saving (LOL) since 1991. This one will take a bit as it is in hardcover and over 1300 pages. I knew it would exceed expectations, and I am not disappointed.

I hope you had a fulfilling week and wish you an enjoyable weekend. This is post 56 for the month, and it is not over yet. I have done some other writing today, so I may be back later.

Blessings be upon you, yours, and all you endeavor to accomplish.

Again

Sometimes the smiles drop,
Belief in love falls limp, strays,
What is left is dismal, drear,
So the smiles get pasted back on,
Nagging doubts are swept off, away.
Even if we pretend,
Eventually, we see
Love staring, sharing,
Toward us generously;
Imagination becomes
A positive proof
No one can refute, deny,
It is plain as reality,
Love chases us down
Coopts our days, fills us completely
Will never give up, cannot stop
Until it proves us precious
Beyond logical understanding;
Love is who we are, what is meant
To be in every event, situation, thing,
We cannot outrun or misguide it
Love knows us intimately,
It brought us alive,
Is throughout our living,
When fear, doubt, tear us apart
Love pick us up, straightens our smile,
Sets us firmly upon our feet,
Whispers, “I am with you, go again!”

The Heart Depends

Crystalline blue days
When the chill makes fires burning,
Cuddle warmth, alright,
Bright stars remind how we are
As spectacular alight.
We choose, choose again
Until matched lives come near, merge,
In a partnership
Meant to cling through good and bad,
Join with loving welds of time.
Believing our one
Finest, best, most beautiful,
To fill our moments
No measure spans such treasure;
Love on whom the heart depends.

Days dancing away
Quick in showy promenade
Leave trails on each face.

When we create, we
Share the rare air of Heaven
Capturing starlight.

I may miss tomorrow. I am having a procedure, but it should be alright. I hope all of you have a great day. Blessings always.