I have struggled
with today’s challenge. I actually had to Wiki the term “fan fiction” because
all I’ve ever heard about it is the whole Fifty
Shades phenomenon. I get the concept, but this is way out of my comfort
zone as a writer. Still, I’ll honor my favorite college professor by never
apologizing for my work!
I chose to do a short excerpt based on one of my FAVORITE
books: Never Say Never by Victoria
Christopher Murray. If you haven’t read this book, I encourage you to go pick
it up today. This story has everything: love, loss, revenge, violence, the
affair to end all affairs (IMHO)…and forgiveness.
I’ve always wondered what happened in the aftermath of lives
that were so shattered. Here’s my take on it!
*********************************************************************************
Miriam
“Time to wake up, sweetness.”
I rolled over and sighed, lazily stretching my hands above
my head with a big grin on my face. Even after all this time, this man’s baritone voice
still made my core shiver and quake.
“Just three more minutes, babe.”
His lips brushed across my neck and my collarbone, causing
the temperature in the room to rise even higher than the Arizona summers I had
come to dread. But here, in this moment, I craved the heat.
“I just said you had to wake up,” he murmured as his lips
continued to trace a path towards her own personal ecstasy, “I didn’t say you
had to get up.” He shared a conspiratorial grin with Miriam as he eased down
the straps of her nightgown.
Miriam looked down at him with a mixture of admiration and
an all-consuming desire.
“Jamal Taylor, I’ve
always loved you and I always will.”
Jamal made eye contact, staring so deep into Miriam’s eyes,
it felt as though her soul was on a pedestal. “And I—“
“MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM! I need gas money!”
Miriam’s eyelids fluttered as she became aware of the dream
she had had—and the reality of her present life.
Miriam pulled the covers up to her chin to cover, rolled her
eyes and reached over to the nightstand and pressed the intercom button. “CJ,
use the intercom so you don’t wake up your brothers!”
Her 6’5’’ son appeared at her bedroom door, nonchalantly
chewing the apple he had grabbed from the kitchen table. “Sorry, ma. I meant to
fill up the truck last night, but we went for pizza after the game. And can I
get like twenty bucks more for some snacks?”
Miriam opened her mouth to fuss at him for spending too much
money; but when she looked in his eyes, it felt as though she were staring into
the eyes of her deceased husband.
He looks just like his
daddy. Chauncey would be so proud.
Miriam willed the tears at the corner of her eyes to stay in
their place as she grabbed her purse and handed her oldest son a one-hundred
dollar bill. “CJ, I expect you to bring my change back this time. I still have
to get an oil change on my car and—“
“Yeah, I got you. See you tonight.”
When Miriam heard the alarm beep, she allowed herself to
lose control and let go of the sob she had been holding in for the last ten
minutes. As the tears flowed, the dam within her broke. Miriam placed her head
in her hands and wept as the drama of the last three years played out in her
mind.
She recalled the day she sat in the hospital room with her
two best friends, Michellelee and Emily, waiting to hear if her husband was
okay.
She remembered the yellow dress she wore on the day she said
goodbye to the love of her life, Chauncey Williams.
Suddenly, her mind transported to that moment in her her living room. Jamal. His arms. His kiss. The way his body felt pressed up against hers for hours at a time. Miriam shuddered once more, remembering
how his touch seemed to love away every bit of grief in her heart.
In their trysts, Miriam felt healed. Jamal Taylor saved her life.
And then Michellelee found out.
Then Emily. She was in the car. She heard every word.
Miriam groaned as she tried to take back that exact moment
when she decided to sleep with her best friend’s husband. But even in her
mental rewind, her body betrayed her as she thought of how it felt to be in bed—in
ecstasy—with Jamal.
It felt right.
Miriam thought about the long drive through the desert, all
the way to Arizona and Mama Cee, Chauncey’s sweet, spirited mother. Miriam
thought she was doing the right thing, putting as much distance between her
wants and her needs as possible.
Her heart throbbed as she called to mind the day she walked
into Mama Cee’s bedroom and found her dead. Miriam felt as though the
foundation she had tried so hard to restore in the aftermath of Chauncey’s
death had once again crumbled.
Guilt once again coursed through her veins as she remembered
standing in the vestibule of the chapel on the day of Mama Cee’s funeral. She
stood with her sons—Stevie, Mikey and Chauncey Junior—playing the part of the
grieving daughter-in-law. She nodded as unfamiliar faces patted her hand and
offered words of condolences. Every time the heavy wooden doors swung open, she held her breath and prayed it would be him.
They sent a bouquet of lilies.
Miriam,
We are so
sorry to hear about Mama Cee’s passing. We loved her as our own. Please know
that you and the boys are in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult
time.
With Love,
Jamal &
Emily
“We,” Miriam said aloud as she fumbled for a hair tie in the
dark. She brushed her thick, curly auburn hair out of her face and into a high
ponytail. “We.” She crossed her arms and looked out the window, waiting for the
sun to begin its ascent.
“God, give me the strength to let go of Jamal.”
Miriam kicked off the covers and made her way downstairs,
hoping the Lord would answer her before she did something else she would
regret.
Chauncey Jr.
I know my mom slept with Uncle Jamal.
****THE END****
No comments:
Post a Comment