FLASH FICTION:-- HORROR, SCI-FI, HUMOUR, CRIME, SLICE OF LIFE, ETC.

Friday, 3 August 2012

Coping

Hi everyone, and thanks for dropping by. I'm going on holiday next weekend, so I won't be posting a #fridayflash for the next couple of weeks.

Have fun...


PS.
Although I won't be posting a story for the next two Fridays, and I won't be taking my computer with me, I'll try to find time to read #fridayflashes next Friday before we set off, and on the following weekend when we get back.

* * * * * * * * * *


COPING

I picked up the phone on the second ring, glad of the distraction, something to take my eye and mind away from all the black clothing, the chatter, and the buffet appreciation.

It was an old friend, Simon, his voice was a welcome oasis amidst this desert of emotional pretence.

Simon apologised for his absence, family commitments plus the sheer distance involved made it impossible for him to get here. He offered his condolences and asked how I was coping with the day. Just knowing that he cared helped, it helped a lot.

We chatted for a few minutes, then left each other with a promise to get together some time in the near future.

I hung up the phone and glanced around the room at all the people, the little huddles playing catch-up. The sound of occasional laughter further deepened the pain in my heart.

Janine had never been one of the popular relatives, she was thought of as loud and brash, they hadn't known her as I had, she used volume to conceal lack of self confidence, to paper over the emotional scars of childhood abuse and the stripped away self esteem it brought with it.

No amount of talking or counselling could ever make her see her own beauty, and she was beautiful, inside and outside, and yet she took her own life.

A hole had been ripped into my life that none of these present would ever believe she was capable of leaving.

Soon all of these people would be gone, away to resume their own lives, and I would be left alone with my memories.

Maybe, given time, the hole would become smaller... Maybe.


©2012 Stephen. J. Green.
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36 comments:

  1. John Wiswell3 August 2012 at 06:39

    Have fun on your holiday, Steve, and may the hole you return to be of manageable size.

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    1. Steve Green4 August 2012 at 12:46

      Thanks John, and I'm sure the hole I return to will be virtually non-existent.

      Delete
  2. John Xero3 August 2012 at 07:05

    Really felt this one, Steve. Pretty incisive, painful too.

    Have a good holiday, mate. =)

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    1. Steve Green4 August 2012 at 12:48

      Thanks John.

      We're staying with relatives on the Norfolk broads, so it's lots of days fishing for the guys, lots of shopping jaunts for the girls, and lots of evening parties for the four of us. :-)

      Delete
    2. John Xero5 August 2012 at 07:22

      My neck o' the woods! =)

      If you make it as far as Norwich pop into Waterstones and say hi. =)

      Delete
    3. Steve Green5 August 2012 at 11:25

      Hi again John, Norwich isn't too far from where we are staying, so if I do have the chance, then I will be sure to say hello. :-)

      Delete
  3. Peter Newman3 August 2012 at 17:57

    That's one of the saddest things of all. When people can't see their own worth. Happy hols though!

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    1. Steve Green4 August 2012 at 12:58

      It is a truly sad thing, many of us do not possess the self-confidence we would like to, although not to an extreme like poor Janine. I believe there will be a lot of people who read this who can relate to it, or know someone who is in a similar predicament to Janine.

      Thanks for the holiday wishes Peter, I intend to have a great time, and hope the weather is kind to us. :-)

      Delete
  4. Deanna Schrayer3 August 2012 at 19:58

    Oh, this is a heartbreaker Steve. I kept waiting for a punchline, but am glad there wasn't one because the emotion in this is too good to have ruined it with humor. Excellent story!

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    1. Steve Green4 August 2012 at 13:02

      Thank you Deanna, it is a very sad story, and I think adding humour to this would have belittled the suffering of anyone who is of a similar disposition as poor Janine.

      Delete
  5. Tim VanSant Writes3 August 2012 at 22:02

    Sure, tell us to have fun and then depress the hell out of us.

    Nicely done.

    Enjoy your holiday!

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    1. Steve Green4 August 2012 at 13:14

      Thanks Tim, sorry for the downside, but I feel the story addresses a subject that many people recognize but are somehow afraid of.

      Mental health, and emotional problems, are so often ignored or derided by others, and yet are amongst the most common illnesses, they are the hidden enemy.

      Thanks for the holiday wishes, hopefully the big fish in Norfolk are drumming their fins impatiently just waiting for me to get down there. I hope you have fun too. :-)

      Delete
  6. Sonia Lal4 August 2012 at 01:25

    So depressing.

    Have fun on your vacation!

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    1. Steve Green4 August 2012 at 13:16

      Hiya Sonia, yes it is definitely a story from my "Melancholy Quill", I'll try to post something humourous next time. :-)

      Delete
  7. Cindy Vaskova4 August 2012 at 19:15

    "It was an old friend, Simon, his voice was a welcome oasis amidst this desert of emotional pretence." Beautiful line Steve!

    Heartbreaking writing and truly one of the saddest things told in a superb way. Bravo.

    Now, have much, much fun on your holiday! And take care!

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    Replies
    1. Steve Green4 August 2012 at 19:53

      Cindy, thank you so much for this lovely comment, and I will indeed be having as much fun as I possibly can. :-)

      Delete
  8. Caroline4 August 2012 at 20:09

    I was in the room. Simply and powerfully written. Thank you

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    1. Steve Green4 August 2012 at 20:21

      Hi Caroline, thanks for stopping by, and thank you for the very kind words, they are very much appreciated. :-)

      Delete
  9. liminalfiction4 August 2012 at 23:25

    Ditto Peter's comment, it's so upsetting when someone cannot see her/his own worth, and worst of all when tragedy occurs as a result. In paragraph 6, by the way, I think you meant to write "known" in place of "know"? Enjoy the holiday, Steve.

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    1. Steve Green4 August 2012 at 23:52

      Hi Richard, and I agree totally with yours and Peter's thoughts.

      Thanks for the heads-up on the typo,(sorted now) and for the holiday wishes. Thank you. :-)

      Delete
  10. Helen A. Howell5 August 2012 at 00:12

    Very sad and emotional piece. The sadness seeps out not just because of the main character's loss but also for what was hidden beneath the mask the girl wore.

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    1. Steve Green5 August 2012 at 11:45

      Thank you for the heartfelt comment Helen, I think that emotional scars are ones that only the bearer can truly know the depth of.

      Delete
  11. Larry Kollar5 August 2012 at 01:09

    I was looking for a twist, too. It's so hard for someone to recover from childhood abuse. All I can think of to say is I hope she was at peace.

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    1. Steve Green5 August 2012 at 11:46

      Hi Larry, I believe that the earlier the problem is put there, the more difficult it can be to remove, sadly, some demons can be impossible to exorcise.

      Delete
  12. Danielle La Paglia5 August 2012 at 02:28

    You packed some heavy emotion into this one. Sometimes there really are things that one can never get over or move beyond, but at least she had the love of a good man.

    Have a wonderful time on your holiday.

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    1. Steve Green5 August 2012 at 11:50

      Thanks Danielle, possibly the love and support of another is often enough to carry someone through their difficulties, sadly though sometimes it is not.

      Thank you for the holiday wishes, I'm sure we will have a great time, hopefully the sun will shine for us too. :-)

      Delete
  13. Lee-Ann6 August 2012 at 08:59

    The last 3 paragraphs really hit me. It's heartbreaking that so many people never see how much they are truly worth.

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    1. Steve Green6 August 2012 at 21:52

      Thank you Lee-Ann, I think this kind of thing is far more common than many people would believe, and also many sufferers become very skilled at hiding their feelings too.

      Delete
  14. Icy Sedgwick6 August 2012 at 17:07

    It's easy for people to go their whole lives with no one ever truly getting to know them but in some ways it's beautiful that your narrator saw the true value of Janine.

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    1. Steve Green6 August 2012 at 22:15

      Thank you Icy. To truly love someone is to love them for what they are, and to support them unconditionally, sadly, sometimes this is not enough.

      Delete
  15. Craig Smith7 August 2012 at 18:02

    A very touching piece Steve. Sometimes you have to look beyond the surface to see what a person is really like.

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    1. Steve Green7 August 2012 at 23:28

      Thanks Craig, I think a sad fact of life though, is that too many people can't see beyond their own needs and wants.

      Delete
  16. Stephen8 August 2012 at 07:42

    Hi there Steve - touching and sad. There's lots of big things you have to work out in life and one of them is your own self worth, even if bad things get in the way. St

    PS: As for good things, I may have nominated you for an award: http://cafeshorts.co.uk/news/kreativ-and-versatile/

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    1. Steve Green8 August 2012 at 10:18

      Hiya Stephen, this are very true words, but for some people the bad things can be just too bad for them to go beyond.


      I'll pop over there and have a look at the good thing. :-)

      Delete
  17. Katherine Hajer13 August 2012 at 03:50

    Yeah, there are few traditional social gatherings more messed up than a funeral. Some weddings top them, I guess.

    I want to know more about Janine.

    I also want to know more about the narrator.

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    1. Steve Green18 August 2012 at 17:38

      Hiya Katherine, I haven't really got any plans to expand on this, it was just a snippet that popped into my mind, but I have unexpectedly come up with follow-ons for other stories that were never earmarked for a Part 2, so who knows?

      Delete

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