Friday Free Write

Today I thought I'd do a little free write exercise based on a post that Bridget recently did. I know it's probably not the million dollar idea she had in mind, but I figured it's as good as anything else I can think of to randomly write about.

__________

Darlene thought it was about time to teach herself to appreciate her surroundings a little bit more. She is too used to rushing through life and taking certain things for granted, she decided. Today she made the conscious decision to go out for a nice walk and let her legs lead her where they may. Her neighbor's cherry tree in bloom was the perfect beginning to set her off with a smile, fresh petals so white they seemed to glow against the vibrant green of the woods behind.

She grabbed a light jacket, closed the side door behind her with a soft thud and a little push to make sure the latch caught completely in the jamb, and made her way out to the road. In these early morning hours just after the sunrise the road would be near desolate. She could marvel in her geographic juxtaposition between towering mountains and the wide expanse of the Hudson river from the main road without worrying that a speeding vehicle would come out of nowhere, plowing her into the pavement.

Darlene has spent most of her life living in this area, or rather, getting through life in this area. She has long been making up for her discordant upbringing. But for today, at least, she only wants to focus on the over sized bumble bees buzzing about with their bee business, and on the way Queen Anne's Lace always seems to grow in wide clumps, never alone.

She walks along, so content to let the fresh, fragrant air fill her lungs. The calming effect is almost toxic. She can't even hear the pebbles crunching under her own feet, entranced by her own revelry. And then she almost tripped over it; a bright white sneaker, lying harmlessly on its side on the road directly in front of her. Darlene stopped, captivated. She bent down and grabbed the misplaced shoe and turned it over in her hands. The leather was so white and the sole so clean that she could tell immediately that it was virtually new. It even had that pungent rubbery smell that new sneakers have. She tucked it under her arm and kept walking.

About an hour later, Darlene returned to that same side door she had embarked from. This time when she went through to the kitchen, Lloyd was home from the late shift he worked over at the factory. Her serene mood was instantly shattered.

"What is this, Lloyd?!" she yelled, waving the sneaker in front of his face as he stood in front of the open refrigerator. "How many times have I told you that you have to be more careful? You can't take care of most of the details and leave something like this behind to connect you, and ME, to everything!"

"Oh. Sorry. I thought I got all her stuff and I guess she must have lost that sneaker in the back of the truck when I first picked her up. I found it when I was cleaning and I just chucked it in the woods. How would anyone know it was her shoe anyway?"

"Dammit Lloyd! If you can't learn how to tie someone up properly and dispose of your evidence we're going to run into some serious trouble here! Now be a good boy and run and get some wood." Darlene turned to head upstairs, "All that fresh air made me queasy. I'm going to lay down."

Lloyd did as his mother bade him, he hated to see her angry. Returning with the wood, he arranged the logs just right in the small cast iron stove. Once the fire was going he threw the shoe inside and closed the door. He lumbered over to the kitchen table and sat down with a tired groan. He wanted to think of something nice to do for his mother before she woke from her nap...