Short Story 1

A woman looks back on a specific day of her childhood where she first finds the truth about her father

SHORT STORIES

 

I remember sitting on the couch one afternoon as a child, of about 8 or 9, flipping through the channels on our box TV set. My friends were all away on vacation for the summer and I was sat at home, bored. On the couch I laid on my back and kicked my heals together like Dorothy. I switched positions now lying on my side muffling my ears into the pillows moaning and making noises to hear the sound of my own voice in different tones. I was still flipping through the channels when I landed on a commercial picturing a little girl going fishing with her father. At first I was focused on how different the two looked: the little girl with thick dark braids in her, pale skin and large arched eyebrows. The father, on the other hand, was tanned and blonde with clear blue eyes. I remember thinking how could they be related? It then crossed my mind that perhaps the child was not his or that the little girl looked most like her mother, who was not shown. I laid there and played with ideas in my head about the real relationship between the two and then it dawned on me. Where is my father?

                     

I don’t know if he was kept from me intentionally or mother never brought him up because I never though to ask, but now I was curious. I checked all the photos hanging on our walls and there was no man that I didn’t know was my cousin, uncle or grandfather. Mother was upstairs in the bath and I was going through the family photo albums looking for men who could be him. Of three albums I only found pictures of me and mother together on trips to the zoo or aquarium. Along with those, there were a couple pictures of my grandparents holding me as a baby and this woman with wild red hair whom mother knew as Miriam. Still of three full books pictures I found no clue of my father.

 

Mother was still in the bath and I crept into her room to find something that could give some sort of sign. Though as an 8 or 9 year old, I had no clue what I should have been looking for such as a birth or marriage certificate. As I was searching I kept thinking about the black haired girl and the yellow haired father on the screen. I guess that’s what I had been looking for, a picture of a man holding a baby girl in his arms, dressing her or helping her to walk. I didn’t find anything, just a load of receipts.

 

I heard mother drain the water in her bath and the water falling of her as she stood up. I was terrified suddenly; I don’t know what I could have been afraid of. Mother wasn’t a harsh woman at all and I wasn’t doing anything to be considered bad, I was just a child looking for her father. Though, perhaps it was just the fact that I had been sneaking around in her room. I got to run out her room back down to the television when I heard a load of crinkling papers. I looked down to realize I was still covered in receipts. Quickly I pushed all the receipts back to where they came from though not in the order they came from and just ran out. Mother heard me in her and called out my name. I thought perhaps if I didn’t reply and mother found me in front of the television again I could convince her that I had been in the same room that I’m always in. That was the plan; however I hurried myself too much and knocked her jewelry box on the floor. It was a beautiful site seeing all that silver and gold sparkle as it flew across the room and onto the floor.

 

As I looked at everything sparkle I notice a figure standing in the entrance of the bedroom. I looked up and Mother was standing there, looking at me look at her and both of silent. I broke the silence and quickly began picking up the jewelry and placing it all back in to the box. Mother put on her robe and began helping clean up. I noticed her laughing and smiling at me, I felt so embarrassed I caught myself moving faster. It was then I noticed something that didn’t sparkle as much everything else Mother had. It was small gold band with a modest sized diamond on it that had fallen out of envelope. It was quaint yet it had been the most beautiful thing in her collection. Immediately I knew what it was. It looked like something you would see in the jewelry stores in the marriage section for young couples. I picked it up and stared into it and Mother stared at me, now with a more serious look on her. I knew then it was a wedding ring for Mother though I couldn’t remember her ever wearing it.

 

She and I were now sitting in the television room. The ring was in my hand and an envelope in hers. There was silence in the room.

 

Mother opened the envelope and gave what was inside: a letter and picture. The picture of young man and woman holding a baby: the man had coppered skin and curly course hair and his eyes were big and very dark. He embraced the woman next to him, a fairer skinned woman with small eyes like a crescent moon and freckles covered her face and shoulders and her hair was straight colored like brown honey. In their arms, together was a sleeping baby of a creamy brown complexion and birth mark on the chest much like mine.

 

As I looked at the picture and studied it looking at my family as a whole, Mother read the letter aloud to me.

 

“To My Loving Wife,

 

I know it’s been a while since I’ve written but the job here at the dig has been getting more and more exciting. They’re all calling my name right now outside the tent so this one is going to be short.

 

We’ve uncovered more bones! Miriam believes its dragon but uh well, you remember her don’t you? I recon it’ll be another Tyrannosaurus but we haven’t uncovered it all yet. Ill write you again when we do. Pray that it’s a new species.

 

This heat is becoming unbearable and this constant digging in the dust is just tiring but soon it’ll all be worth it. Even though I’m exhausted by the heat and dust I still find it hard to sleep, just thinking about the whole skeleton keeps me up at night; wanting to see it all its full glory. Oh and you’ll be happy to know that I’ve lost that extra Christmas weight that I put on… a year ago. So much so actually, that I’m losing weight in fingers. I even almost my wedding ring in the dig a few times. I don’t really have anywhere to keep it safe so I’m sending it to you and you can keep it safe for me. Don’t think it to mean…”

 

Mother cleared her voice and skipped that part of the letter and continued on from another spot.

 

“… I can’t wait to see our little girl again. Even though you say you see more of me in her, she’s beautiful just like you.

 

I have to run off now they’re getting anxious but I promise Ill write ASAP!

 

With all the love in the world,

-The Happiest Father and Husband”

 

Mother began to cry after the reading the letter to me, she told me that Father had died in an accident at the site he was working in soon after the letter was written.

 

I didn’t cry because truth be told, I was thinking about the father and daughter in the commercial. How the two of them look like they came from two different families. The picture in my hand proved that things like that do happen. All while I was looking for a picture with a man and a baby I had only just realized then that Grandma and Grandpa were not Mothers parents but they were Fathers: they also had copper skin and course hair. So then I still had a little part of Father that was flesh that I could still hold on to. And even though I didn’t know Father, I do remember I began to feel love for him at that point. It was because I realized I did have a father and he loved me too and for that I was happy and I was no longer curious about it.

 

 

Author's Note

I accept and appreciate all criticism, but in small doses
Please know that this is my first short sooo... yep

Reviews

[Lesley]

What a wonderful first short story. I was sucked in right from the beginning. I like how you describe the girl entertaining herself (kicking heels together, making moaning noises etc), it provides a good visual of this little girl on the floor in front of the tv. Although there is intrigue in wanting to know the story of her (your?) father it is presented with the innocence of child and the kindness of her widowed mother.
I really liked it. Outside of a couple of typos (second paragraph - 'though' needs the 't' for thought),
Also, something I struggle with (a lot!), staying in the present or past tense. For example, the first line of paragraph five; there is a mix of present and past tense. Possibly, 'as I am looking at everything sparkle.." in stead of 'looked'. I am an amateur in writing myself so these things are just ideas?!
I do understand the desire to have feedback, after all that's why we post, right? But, yes, gently please as we are trying to gain some confidence!! lol Your writing is wonderful. I loved the story. Keep writing!