Shandy sat at the dining table in Clarabelle’s home, and took a long, silent pause before opening up to her friend about why she moved from the nice, warm south to the cold Midwest winters in Iowa. “It’s like this, Clair, I came here to start over for a reason, and since Aunt Cherri had a place for me to bunk for a bit, I decided to give it a try, you see, I came here because I was escaping something.”
“Dear, you don’t have to explain yourself to me, I understand we all make changes for our own reasons, and, well, it’s really nobody else’s business.”
Looking Clarabelle straight in her sweet, soft eyes, Shandy’s brows squeezed with intent, and she spoke to these intentions, “I know I don’t have to tell you my story, but it is a story I want to tell, after all, I find the stories you have shared about Herbie really touch my heart, and, well, I want you to know about my true love, and who doesn’t like a good romance?”
Clarabelle nodded her head in agreement and smiled at Shandy, “well, when you put it that way, I am all ears, please do tell me your story.”
“It all began when I was just fresh out of high school, my friend since grade school, Mason, and I discovered we were falling in love, especially when I learned he would have to go to Vietnam, and, well, I realized right then that I could not bear losing him and I could not bear not loving him for all his worth, and, well, we go married shortly after realizing our mutual feelings and knowing he must go away, we wanted to stay together with a commitment of marriage, so we got married at the courthouse, and it was not long before he had to go away; when we got married there was the marriage certificate to sign by the “X” and Mark looked me in the eyes and said, X marks the spot but you have put a big red X on my heart ever since we met as children, and now you have staked your claim, for that I am forever grateful, and, well, I will never forget that, Clair, and I knew he was even more that one for me.”
*****
This is my story to contribute to Denise’s Six Sentence Story Challenge. This weeks word is “Mark” You can go HERE to join us or to see what other stories are waiting for your reading.
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I like the description of the commitment of marriage as a way for Mason and Shandy to stay together. And the thought of putting an X on someone’s heart.
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Thank you!
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Did she also get a dot and a dot. That X has a lot of meaning!
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The mention of Vietnam is always a bad omen. Sounds like there won’t be a “happily ever after”. Clarabelle sounds like a wise woman. An intriguing start.
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Thank you.
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I just know there is more to this story, Lisa! But wait a second… do I smell heartbreak on the horizon?? Hope to hear more from these two unlikely friends 😃
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Thank you. They keep telling me more and more.
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A sweet start to the story, but something else is waiting in the wings…
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Thank you. This is part of a continuation. Usually, I sew them up in their segments but I dropped the needle on this one.
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a good story going on. . .
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Thank you!
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I agree with the others, the story is engaging, but even cooler is how the characters become…not just more real, but people-like. (Should not make any sense… but there is the idea of the history of (a) person is half of what makes them real.)
Nice work.
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Thank you! Well, some of the story is inspired by real life events, but definitely laced with fiction.
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This is a good lead in to the “rest of the story.”
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It’s nice to hear more about Shandy. The shadow of war bodes no good to anyone.
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Thank you. It does not and since it is an era I am very familiar with, the story has some background I will mix in .
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