I have been going through my computer folders trying to clear up some space on my hard drive. I found some things I have written that are by no means finished (many of them are entirely incomplete thoughts), but I thought maybe occasionally I would share some things as I find them and as the mood strikes. Many of the scenes are things that I have sort of written in my head time and again over the years, and some are just little incomplete vignettes.
Here is one example of one of those vignettes (who knows if I will ever pick it up again to work it into something more complete):
Marjorie began to suspect maybe Joshua liked her when he began bringing her things from his garden.
One morning, early, the light on the highway blinding as she drove towards sunrise and the late shift at the diner, it dawned on her, his intentions. Or so she thought.
It had been a week of gifts. One day tarragon and rosemary. The next strawberries and horseradish. Followed by two days of wild flowers. And finally, a handful of dill and a paper sack from Waldbaum’s brimming with cucumbers.
“What am I gonna’ do with all these cucumbers?!” she said, but he just smiled and shrugged.
He said, “Spread the love, give ‘em to the other girls. Give ‘em to your neighbors!”
She took the gifts and let her hand linger on his forearm before pouring his coffee and reaching across the table to pour the sugar for him as well.
“You know just how I like it, Marjorie.”
The way he said it, was slow. His eyes glinted in the morning sunlight coming in through the windows as it reflected off the semis in the parking lot.
Marjorie couldn’t help but feel a sort of thrill in spite of herself. In spite of Rick who would be waiting outside to pick her up at 1:30 so she could drop him at the gas company for the second shift before driving herself home in the Seville where she would roll her hair up in curlers and nap away the afternoon.
Marjorie rolled her hair for no one. She sat for long hours into the evening pushing back her cuticles, painting her toenails, listening to NPR on the radio.The smooth lilt of the announcers' voices as they splayed their wit across the airwaves soothed her.
