4 OC drabbles
Title: Drabbles
Author: fredsmith518
Beta: unbeta’d
Rating: tame
Disclaimer: Nothing owned.
Summary: 4 drabbles
A/N: This could have been a story, but as I’m still writing a story it’s not, plus the desire to play with words as opposed to write a sensible narrative was strong.
Working to exactly 100 words for each was a good exercise. And I think I am being a bit pretentious, truth be told, but it was fun.
I think it’s obvious who is thinking in each piece, but then I would:) I did think of offering a story to the first person to tell me who each speaker was, but decided that was daft, however it might encourage someone to read...
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He goes by the phone, returns, picks up, fumbles for a creased paper, pecks at digits, slams the handset down. It falls, dial tone annoys. He leaves. Each day, in sequence, the routine repeats.
Later, well oiled, his pattern kicks in. His reactions slowed, the call is answered.
A smile gracing his face, he is changed almost beyond recognising.
The response he’s got is calm, accepting, so much more than he’d hoped for.
He shares his news, all of it, the personal and the once removed.
The routine broken, no longer needed. The momentary peace, cherished.
A new call beckons.
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Sometimes it seems the phone is an enemy. A message will come one day and everything will shatter, carefully constructed walls will fall and force exposure, dissolve the hopes held out by the plans just forming, barely grown, but desired, so wished for.
The call, when it comes is, of itself, a relief. As he is actually able to listen, to pay attention to the tone, the content of the words, he is stunned and grateful, so grateful, for what he is hearing contrasts so strongly with his expectations.
And there is more, so much that his defences do fall.
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The meeting had been so random, out of the blue unexpected, giving no time to prepare. A quick upflick of her eyes to the customer as he paid, mundane, usual, to be followed with a brief thanks and smile and moving on. Instead stunning silence, shock enforced immobility, her reaction mirrored, his reflecting back.
Try a tentative smile, quaking, trembling, fear of rejection uppermost. Half smile back. That’s enough, no immediate rejection - hope leaps.
A meeting arranged, feared, anticipated, shrunk from, desired, kept.
Expectations exceeded.
New flutterings, feelings stirred, evolving.
A paper fingered, caressed, numbers erasing, a response wanted, needed.
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A ringing phone, a hesitation caused by experience, pick up, silence. Repeat.
A different quality to the quiet, words, slow and broken but there.
Her hand clutches, fear clenches as the speaker is recognised. But she listens, upbringing overcoming instinct. Her understanding is vastly increased, no longer clothed by perfection, her judgmental gown tattered and long gone to bitter ashes, the bright halo of self confidence slipped and tarnished.
As we are pardoned so should we pardon.
The seed of acceptance grows, as warmth seeps in, nurturing, mothering.
The call, the hope is passed.
She lingers, smiling, supportive, still needed.
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This last one is ironically, the one I am least happy with, because the images are more trite and still and yet they are the ones that presented themselves and as I am of a mind to post this, so they will stand...unless I get a better idea at a later date! Okay, so the later date was now, because I can't use word count properly and as this was on the page I twigged the final drabble was too long. Last one now less wordy, less trite and A/N as long as content...