Just Another Day (A Short Story)

I’m posting a short story in honor of my mom’s decision to choose life when she was scared, barely seventeen, and abandoned by an equally scared kid.  While the woman in the story did not choose life, the story still deals with the issue of abortion.  You can read my mom’s  story HERE.

And now …

JUST ANOTHER DAY

From well-conditioned, salon-perfect locks down to fine Italian leather shoes, Carole Kramer was the picture of control. Determination in every step, she made her way past tiny cubicles heading toward her spacious corner office.  She stopped short at her receptionist’s desk.

“Whose are those?” Carole nodded her head toward the bouquet of fresh cut flowers spilling out of their crystal vase.

“Misty’s,” the receptionist grabbed a card from the bouquet.  “The card says, ‘With Sympathy’.”

Carole rolled her eyes as she headed into her office. The door slammed behind her and she jumped.  She hadn’t meant to use so much force.  Her leather chair squeaked as she eased into it and picked up the phone.  She pressed speed dial for Connelly and Dowell’s.

“Hello, Connelly and Dowell’s, how may I direct your call?”

“Is Dan in?”

“One moment, please.” Carole picked up a pen and tapped it on her desk.

“Hello, gorgeous.” Dan’s smooth voice floated into Carole’s ear. “Breaking our dinner engagement again for a stodgy client?” There seemed to be a touch of bitterness in his tone.
Thankful that phones did not betray facial expression, Carole winced at his comment. She had only broken one dinner engagement this week and it had only been because…she broke off the thought as her phone beeped.

“Hang on, Dan.  I’ve got another call.”  Carole pushed a button and her receptionist’s voice broke over the line.

“Carole, Mr. Erickson’s on line four.”  Carole frowned.  She couldn’t keep the president of her company, and her boss, on hold.

“Sorry, Dan, I’ve got to go. I’m not breaking our date. I’ll see you eight o’clock sharp and we can talk then.” Carole hoped Dan didn’t catch the tremble in her voice as she said good-bye. What was wrong with her? She hadn’t earned the reputation as the “Dictator” by falling prey to the usual feminine musings. She wasn’t weak like the big-bouquet-of-flowers-girl, Misty. Misty wore her heart on her sleeve and floated from emotion to emotion. It was enough to make a person sea sick!

Carole’s thoughts floated back to last week and her encounter with Misty at the Doctor’s office, of all places.  She would have rescheduled her “procedure” if she had known Misty would be there at the same time. She could feel the prickle of hairs on end at the back of her neck with the memory. The moment their eyes had met, each coming out of their exam rooms, Carole had wanted to run. It was bad enough for her to be battling a moment of vulnerability; she didn’t need Misty around to prick at her conscience as well.

A “gift from God” Misty had called it. How about an inconvenience, a bit of tissue wreaking havoc with her body? How many meetings had Carole sat through, afraid her stomach would reject her last meal? Misty should be glad “Mother Nature” had intervened on her behalf. Doctors willing to “intervene” were not as easy to find as Carole had been lead to believe.

“Carole, Mr. Erickson is still on hold.”  Carole’s mind jumped back to the present at the sound of her receptionist’s voice.

Carole reached to push line 4, but her sleeve caught the petty cash dish.  It crashed to the floor. A start passed through her body as she caught sight of a quarter spinning on her carpet.

Beads of perspiration dotted her upper lip and her chest felt compressed as a wave of reality settled like a hammer. Color left her face as she continued to stare at the quarter. Heads or tails, it didn’t matter, no matter what side was up the fact was still there. A quarter was a quarter and a life was a life. Whether viewed as a blessing or a curse, it didn’t matter. Life couldn’t be determined by “choice”. It simply was.

The beeping phone brought Carole back to the present again and she gasped. Mr. Erickson didn’t take kindly to waiting.

“Mr. Erickson, how can I make your life easier this morning?” As she slipped back into her familiar role, confidence covered doubt and composure buried vulnerability. What was she thinking? She had just experienced one of those “moments” the doctor had warned her about. She was still the “Dictator”.

“By showing up with your usual brilliance for our merger meeting on December 2nd.” Carole smirked as she heard the exact date the doctor had predicted as the due date. How ironic. She penciled in the meeting and affirmed to Mr. Erickson that she would be there.

As she placed the phone in the receiver, she righted the petty cash dish and scooped up the change, including the quarter. Settled once again at her desk, she straightened her jacket and smoothed her hair. December 2nd, what did it really matter? After all, wasn’t it just another day?

Copyright by T. Ruby Johnson 2009

It’s Time to Get Chunky.

This past week I spent hours proof reading and editing a book written by a friend. It was just what the doctor ordered!

I have been inspired again! I have been encouraged and ignited. These are things I continually need to keep me going on the journey of writing.

Being an At-Home-Mom may give the impression of countless hours available to devote to what I want, but that is a false impression. Being an AHM simply means I have the luxury of choosing to clean my home when my family is not around. This choice means that I have time to exercise and go the grocery store alone. It does not equal hours of unclaimed time.

I continually battle with a mind-set that says hours spent writing are selfish hours. After all, they do not equal income or a tidy home. Quite often they equal chaos because when I am on a roll, all I do is create at the keyboard! The prevailing mindset too often is that writing is meant for a different time in my life. And so I stifle the dream and desire. And is quite easy to drowned it out with the screaming laundry, toothpaste encrusted mirrors, and never-ending dishes.

That is where my resolution comes in. I have been convinced, once again, that I am a writer and should write … now. I just need to put it into balance. I need to get more “chunky” – and I don’t mean body size (although my new espresso machine and countless lattes just may take care of that aspect for me).

In September of 2008 I attended a fantastic writer’s conference and attended a class taught by Allie Pleiter. She discussed the need to find out if you are a big chunk person or little chunk person and then order your life accordingly.

I am a little chunk gal. That means I need to plan ahead, order my days, and accomplish my tasks in little chunks. An example of this would be:

Stumble out of bed and hit “on” button on espresso machine (make sure it has water in the tank and fresh grounds where they should be!).

Put clean dishes from the dishwasher away while machine heats up. (What is that smell? Oh, did I forget to start the dishwasher last night? Make that: Start the dishwasher…)

Begin your day right with a love letter from your first one and only and a response (my devotions) with that coconut latte in hand!

*insert more crazy routine things like remind your children to get dressed and brush their teeth and hair before running to the bus…

Sit down and don’t move that slightly larger derriere until you have written 500 brilliant words in your novel.

Throw in a load of laundry.

Put your arms up, sniff, and decide if you need a shower today. (seriously? I don’t do that … all the time)

Set your timer for one hour and look up all the verses that have to do with strength. Record notes and write one page of Bible study.

Take chicken out of the freezer for supper. Make lunch.

Drop off homework child forgot and pick-up the mail.

You get the point. I have a lot of learning to do yet to fully make this work, but with a little trial and error and a lot of determination – I’ll get there!

And I need to. Just this past week I was presented with a regular editing adventure and was inspired to write a devotional. Add that to the skit book, novel, novella, and Bible study I currently have in process and you have a whole lot of “chunks”!

So what am I waiting for? It’s time to get chunky!!

A New Year, A New Dedication.

I’ve never really been a part of the “resolution revolution”.  Sure, once in a while I come across a great new resolve that I’m ready to put into permanent place, but on the whole I have never made a point of doing it.  I think it’s a waste of time to think a certain day will motivate me.  The sad truth is that I am still searching for what truly motivates me.

Before you determine that I am a complete slug, I must tell you that I DO make lasting and permanent changes in my life and I DO find inspiration and motivation in life.  I just don’t find it in a day.  Quite honestly, I tend to find it in quiet moments of failure.  In moments when my failings are very clear to see and the results of continuing to walk in them are no longer acceptable.

As I looked back over my 2008 I realized that the only advancement I had made in my writing was to write a review for a book that a friend wrote and attend a conference where another writer aquaintance found an agent and advancement for her novel.  I did nothing except visit and make one feeble pitch for my book that caused the editor’s eyes to glass over and move on to the next writer at the table.

Failure.

Since then I have done the easy thing of immersing myself into my home and family.  We all know how completely that can consume your life.  Dishes, laundry, dusting, sweeping, vacuuming, cooking, shopping, snuggle time with kids, snuggle time with hubby, homework, Dr. appointments, coffee with friends, and the list could go on and on.  It’s so easy to let that all get in the way if you don’t have two very important things: determination and discipline.

For the first time I am allowing myself to make a resolution that may fail, but is so desperately needed.  I am resolving to grow in my discipline of writing and to keep up my determination!  I am not going to let another year pass without my name in a published work – and each year the published work needs to be bigger and better – at least in it’s quality.

This blog is my first step.  I’m not sure just what I want to do with it, but I am determined that “do with it” I will.  I will think, search, whatever I need to until I find what I want.

Hey, if I can resolve to never take a load of laundry out of the dryer without folding it first and keep that resolution for years – I think I can keep the resolve to be determined and grow in discipline … just don’t ask me to put those folded clothes away!!