Friendships
#WritcoStoryPrompt8
The picture in the frame held a lot of memories. Some good, some sad. Her tired eyes roamed over it one last time before she tossed it in the fire. It was time.
She knew it in her head already, it was her heart that wouldn't help her to let go.
It seems everyone has their own ideas of how much time it takes to "move on"and her family was all too happy to give her their take on it. She just had had to find her own timetable.
The picture ignited quickly and the flames in her fireplace consumed it without any regard. It could have been anything, trash, wood, marshmallows, it was all the same to the greedy logs. Not to Marjorie.
Born Marjorie Mallard, unlike her last name because mallards are generally very social creatures, she had always been a quiet girl, ill at ease in most situations others are comfortable in. Beginning in kindergarten she was mostly by herself . Kids would make “duck calls ” when they first heard her last name, and every opportunity they got after . Some adults could even be heard quacking under their breath.
Her parents pushed her to take dance classes and sports in grammar school hoping to help her be less awkward and make friends. Marj as her mother called her, did make a few friends and once in awhile went to a birthday party or on a playdate her mom arranged, but it wasn’t until high school that she met the girl that would become her best friend.
Thirty years ago a reticent 14 year old girl walked into her freshman homeroom.
She stood just inside the door waiting and wondering where she would be told to sit. The thing is that wasn’t the way it was in high school, at least not in her new homeroom. Sister Renee liked her young ladies to pick their seats and keep them. There were two reasons she would change the seating. The first was if the classmates were too disruptive after being warned. The second was for social reasons and had fortunately only happened once. One of the girl’s fathers had an affair with the other girl’s mom. An ugly divorce ensued leaving the two families devastated. The seats were separated.
While Marjorie stood there redfaced , a pretty, petite dark-haired girl noticed her and waved her over. That was the beginning of a friendship. Jerylinn was a bright, gregarious girl who made friends easily and she decided to take this shy girl under her wings. They became best friends and did everything together including being maid of honor at each other’s weddings and Godparent to their daughters. Jerylinn had introduced Marjorie to her now husband and they had double dated often. They even had become neighbors after getting married.
The picture that Marjorie burned was taken of the two of them on their trip to Acapulco, Mexico four years ago. They had always celebrated their birthdays since they had met and this one, the big fourty, was going to be the best. She remembered how much effort it took to get their time off of work synced as well as to clear the schedules with their husbands and help arrange childcare and driving for all the after school activities.
Now in the ash she could only see the remnants in her mind of their smiling faces on the beach the first day they had arrived. The picture was taken by a much younger, handsome man who had whistled at her friend as he walked by. His name was Antonio and he was staying at the same hotel.
Their trip was one week long and yet it changed a lifetime. When Jerylinn’s husband Roger found out about the affair he went berserk. The friends had been back for four months. Marjorie told her husband Joel about what had gone on during their trip after trying to hold it in. Joel and Roger were, after all, friends too. It was a nightmare she began. Jery stayed out all night after there had been some friendly drinks with Antonio and his college friends. Marjorie, still sober had gone back to the room alone . She was hurt and angry at her friend. They barely talked and were distant when they came back.
Joel tried not to say anything, he was confused about what to do. Then Roger saw some pictures of the gathering in Mexico and asked Joel to ask Marj about them. He didn’t like what he thought he saw with his wife next to “some kid “ as he called him. His wife hadn’t shown him those pictures. He found them in her bag he was going through to give to their daughter for an upcoming eighth grade school trip both Joel’s and Roger’s girls were going on.
Joel caved and told him what he’d been told.
There would be an ugly divorce. Jerylinn blamed Marjorie for telling her husband who then told Roger. Jerylinn lost custody and moved. It had taken two years. The daughters had stopped talking their freshman year and their seats had been separated. Both girls made new friends.
As Marjorie stared into the the fire she knew she had nothing to feel guilty about and reminded her heart that she was not that uncertain, scared little girl anymore. She was a happily married woman, a mom, and completely capable now of making new friends on her own.
© Jodi A
The picture in the frame held a lot of memories. Some good, some sad. Her tired eyes roamed over it one last time before she tossed it in the fire. It was time.
She knew it in her head already, it was her heart that wouldn't help her to let go.
It seems everyone has their own ideas of how much time it takes to "move on"and her family was all too happy to give her their take on it. She just had had to find her own timetable.
The picture ignited quickly and the flames in her fireplace consumed it without any regard. It could have been anything, trash, wood, marshmallows, it was all the same to the greedy logs. Not to Marjorie.
Born Marjorie Mallard, unlike her last name because mallards are generally very social creatures, she had always been a quiet girl, ill at ease in most situations others are comfortable in. Beginning in kindergarten she was mostly by herself . Kids would make “duck calls ” when they first heard her last name, and every opportunity they got after . Some adults could even be heard quacking under their breath.
Her parents pushed her to take dance classes and sports in grammar school hoping to help her be less awkward and make friends. Marj as her mother called her, did make a few friends and once in awhile went to a birthday party or on a playdate her mom arranged, but it wasn’t until high school that she met the girl that would become her best friend.
Thirty years ago a reticent 14 year old girl walked into her freshman homeroom.
She stood just inside the door waiting and wondering where she would be told to sit. The thing is that wasn’t the way it was in high school, at least not in her new homeroom. Sister Renee liked her young ladies to pick their seats and keep them. There were two reasons she would change the seating. The first was if the classmates were too disruptive after being warned. The second was for social reasons and had fortunately only happened once. One of the girl’s fathers had an affair with the other girl’s mom. An ugly divorce ensued leaving the two families devastated. The seats were separated.
While Marjorie stood there redfaced , a pretty, petite dark-haired girl noticed her and waved her over. That was the beginning of a friendship. Jerylinn was a bright, gregarious girl who made friends easily and she decided to take this shy girl under her wings. They became best friends and did everything together including being maid of honor at each other’s weddings and Godparent to their daughters. Jerylinn had introduced Marjorie to her now husband and they had double dated often. They even had become neighbors after getting married.
The picture that Marjorie burned was taken of the two of them on their trip to Acapulco, Mexico four years ago. They had always celebrated their birthdays since they had met and this one, the big fourty, was going to be the best. She remembered how much effort it took to get their time off of work synced as well as to clear the schedules with their husbands and help arrange childcare and driving for all the after school activities.
Now in the ash she could only see the remnants in her mind of their smiling faces on the beach the first day they had arrived. The picture was taken by a much younger, handsome man who had whistled at her friend as he walked by. His name was Antonio and he was staying at the same hotel.
Their trip was one week long and yet it changed a lifetime. When Jerylinn’s husband Roger found out about the affair he went berserk. The friends had been back for four months. Marjorie told her husband Joel about what had gone on during their trip after trying to hold it in. Joel and Roger were, after all, friends too. It was a nightmare she began. Jery stayed out all night after there had been some friendly drinks with Antonio and his college friends. Marjorie, still sober had gone back to the room alone . She was hurt and angry at her friend. They barely talked and were distant when they came back.
Joel tried not to say anything, he was confused about what to do. Then Roger saw some pictures of the gathering in Mexico and asked Joel to ask Marj about them. He didn’t like what he thought he saw with his wife next to “some kid “ as he called him. His wife hadn’t shown him those pictures. He found them in her bag he was going through to give to their daughter for an upcoming eighth grade school trip both Joel’s and Roger’s girls were going on.
Joel caved and told him what he’d been told.
There would be an ugly divorce. Jerylinn blamed Marjorie for telling her husband who then told Roger. Jerylinn lost custody and moved. It had taken two years. The daughters had stopped talking their freshman year and their seats had been separated. Both girls made new friends.
As Marjorie stared into the the fire she knew she had nothing to feel guilty about and reminded her heart that she was not that uncertain, scared little girl anymore. She was a happily married woman, a mom, and completely capable now of making new friends on her own.
© Jodi A