| General Flash Fiction posted November 21, 2021 |
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A new home causes turmoil
Family Matters
by RodG
"Oh, God! I can't believe it!" Stephanie shouted. "It's mine!"
The realtor had just placed a SOLD placard atop the house-for-sale sign. Now my 38-year-old daughter, grinning from ear to ear, beckoned her mother and me to join her and Billy, my grandson, for a family photo.
"C'mon!" she shouted again. Bev will take it."
Bev, the realtor, nodded.
"No," I responded. "It's your house. And Billy's. Ours is back on Cambridge. Remember?"
Stephanie's grin vanished.
So did Meg's smile. My wife elbowed me in the ribs.
"Allen," she hissed in my ear. "Be happy for her."
"Can't be," I hissed back. "She's busting up the family." I turned my back and walked toward my car.
Moments later I sat in the driver's seat simmering. Stephanie, our only child, had always been impulsive. She dated Jeff Moran, a PhD candidate at the University of Chicago. Soon after he received his doctorate, they married and moved to southern California where he worked as an astronomer in an observatory. That move, so abrupt after a three-year courtship, was devastating. Crammed work calendars on both sides limited visits. After Billy was born, I saw her maybe once a year.
Suddenly, she and Billy appeared on my doorstep in early 2020. She and Jeff had separated.
Meg and I had been empty-nesters for so long, and abruptly we became a family of four.
I loved spending the pandemic year in lock-down with my enlarged family. Laughter prevailed whenever Steph and Meg cooked, Billy and I played canasta, or all four of us binged on old TV programs.
She'd only been divorced nine months when on Valentine's Day 2021, Steph heard about Jeff's fatal heart attack. As an ex-wife, she hadn't expected to receive any benefits, so the life insurance check was a complete surprise.
Our lives had already dramatically changed since September when Steph, a fourth-grade teacher, and Billy, a fifth-grader, returned to the classroom. I saw neither most of the day, and both of them had homework in the evenings. Weekends together were not enough.
And then she dropped the bomb that really crushed my spirits.
"Daddy, I want to buy a house."
"Why?" I gave her a rare smile. "There's plenty of room here and no rent or mortgage due."
She tossed those brown curls, widened those big brown eyes.
"Daddy, put yourself in my shoes. Don't you see? I--I need to move on . . . literally."
"No, I don't see. Only one thing matters. Family! Staying together . . . being happy."
Steph gave me the kind of hug I'd gotten used to.
"We'll still be in Oakdale. Walking distance. And we're getting a dog. Our family's getting bigger."
As I sat, remembering out conversation, I realized my daughter was right.
"We'll still be a family," I muttered, "a bit spread out and one canine bigger."
Grinning, I climbed out of the car knowing my family would accept my apology.
~ Family Story ~ writing prompt entry
"Oh, God! I can't believe it!" Stephanie shouted. "It's mine!"
The realtor had just placed a SOLD placard atop the house-for-sale sign. Now my 38-year-old daughter, grinning from ear to ear, beckoned her mother and me to join her and Billy, my grandson, for a family photo.
"C'mon!" she shouted again. Bev will take it."
Bev, the realtor, nodded.
"No," I responded. "It's your house. And Billy's. Ours is back on Cambridge. Remember?"
Stephanie's grin vanished.
So did Meg's smile. My wife elbowed me in the ribs.
"Allen," she hissed in my ear. "Be happy for her."
"Can't be," I hissed back. "She's busting up the family." I turned my back and walked toward my car.
Moments later I sat in the driver's seat simmering. Stephanie, our only child, had always been impulsive. She dated Jeff Moran, a PhD candidate at the University of Chicago. Soon after he received his doctorate, they married and moved to southern California where he worked as an astronomer in an observatory. That move, so abrupt after a three-year courtship, was devastating. Crammed work calendars on both sides limited visits. After Billy was born, I saw her maybe once a year.
Suddenly, she and Billy appeared on my doorstep in early 2020. She and Jeff had separated.
Meg and I had been empty-nesters for so long, and abruptly we became a family of four.
I loved spending the pandemic year in lock-down with my enlarged family. Laughter prevailed whenever Steph and Meg cooked, Billy and I played canasta, or all four of us binged on old TV programs.
She'd only been divorced nine months when on Valentine's Day 2021, Steph heard about Jeff's fatal heart attack. As an ex-wife, she hadn't expected to receive any benefits, so the life insurance check was a complete surprise.
Our lives had already dramatically changed since September when Steph, a fourth-grade teacher, and Billy, a fifth-grader, returned to the classroom. I saw neither most of the day, and both of them had homework in the evenings. Weekends together were not enough.
And then she dropped the bomb that really crushed my spirits.
"Daddy, I want to buy a house."
"Why?" I gave her a rare smile. "There's plenty of room here and no rent or mortgage due."
She tossed those brown curls, widened those big brown eyes.
"Daddy, put yourself in my shoes. Don't you see? I--I need to move on . . . literally."
"No, I don't see. Only one thing matters. Family! Staying together . . . being happy."
Steph gave me the kind of hug I'd gotten used to.
"We'll still be in Oakdale. Walking distance. And we're getting a dog. Our family's getting bigger."
As I sat, remembering out conversation, I realized my daughter was right.
"We'll still be a family," I muttered, "a bit spread out and one canine bigger."
Grinning, I climbed out of the car knowing my family would accept my apology.
The realtor had just placed a SOLD placard atop the house-for-sale sign. Now my 38-year-old daughter, grinning from ear to ear, beckoned her mother and me to join her and Billy, my grandson, for a family photo.
"C'mon!" she shouted again. Bev will take it."
Bev, the realtor, nodded.
"No," I responded. "It's your house. And Billy's. Ours is back on Cambridge. Remember?"
Stephanie's grin vanished.
So did Meg's smile. My wife elbowed me in the ribs.
"Allen," she hissed in my ear. "Be happy for her."
"Can't be," I hissed back. "She's busting up the family." I turned my back and walked toward my car.
Moments later I sat in the driver's seat simmering. Stephanie, our only child, had always been impulsive. She dated Jeff Moran, a PhD candidate at the University of Chicago. Soon after he received his doctorate, they married and moved to southern California where he worked as an astronomer in an observatory. That move, so abrupt after a three-year courtship, was devastating. Crammed work calendars on both sides limited visits. After Billy was born, I saw her maybe once a year.
Suddenly, she and Billy appeared on my doorstep in early 2020. She and Jeff had separated.
Meg and I had been empty-nesters for so long, and abruptly we became a family of four.
I loved spending the pandemic year in lock-down with my enlarged family. Laughter prevailed whenever Steph and Meg cooked, Billy and I played canasta, or all four of us binged on old TV programs.
She'd only been divorced nine months when on Valentine's Day 2021, Steph heard about Jeff's fatal heart attack. As an ex-wife, she hadn't expected to receive any benefits, so the life insurance check was a complete surprise.
Our lives had already dramatically changed since September when Steph, a fourth-grade teacher, and Billy, a fifth-grader, returned to the classroom. I saw neither most of the day, and both of them had homework in the evenings. Weekends together were not enough.
And then she dropped the bomb that really crushed my spirits.
"Daddy, I want to buy a house."
"Why?" I gave her a rare smile. "There's plenty of room here and no rent or mortgage due."
She tossed those brown curls, widened those big brown eyes.
"Daddy, put yourself in my shoes. Don't you see? I--I need to move on . . . literally."
"No, I don't see. Only one thing matters. Family! Staying together . . . being happy."
Steph gave me the kind of hug I'd gotten used to.
"We'll still be in Oakdale. Walking distance. And we're getting a dog. Our family's getting bigger."
As I sat, remembering out conversation, I realized my daughter was right.
"We'll still be a family," I muttered, "a bit spread out and one canine bigger."
Grinning, I climbed out of the car knowing my family would accept my apology.
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Writing Prompt *Read All Rules* Write a FICTIONAL story that involves a human family. The word length is 600 words or less. NO 'blood & guts" gory story, such as murder of people . Do NOT include time travel among characters, or 'Dear John' letters. Do NOT have any music that automatically plays when story begins. You may use 1 picture that has no words, animation, or music, one color font with one color background, dedication line (optional) which doesn't count in word length, and author notes that may include 1 video (may have vocal sound/music). |
 Recognized |
Clip art is courtesy of Google images.
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