Wednesday, May 21, 2014

I Will Follow

 
        I stood on the bridge at midnight as the clocks were striking the hour.  I looked out on the water below and the twinkling lights of the city reflecting there.  It was in those moments I thought about my life.  I thought about God and asked him for guidance.  My life has spiraled out of control since you took your own life a month ago.  How could you leave me?  How could you?  Tears trailed down my cheeks as I looked out on the harbor feeling utterly lost.



           I thought about the hundreds of cups and saucers I had painstakingly washed at the diner tonight and how I had stacked them neatly in preparation for another long day tomorrow.  I felt bone tired, weary, and heart broken.  All that awaited me at home were bills and the glaring eviction notice that had been delivered today.  Things just seemed to be going from bad to worse.  I thought about the dreams that had brought me to this city.  You know the ones, the ones that kept us awake long into the night giggling and making plans.  You and I were going to take Broadway by storm.  We would see our names in lights.  We were going to be stars.  We were going to live the glamorous life together. Everyone at home believed in us…their small town stars.  What a joke that turned out to be.  I simply can’t go home a failure and face all of them again seeing pity in their eyes, and seeing the “I told you so’s” in the eyes of the cynics.





       Then it hit me like a ton of bricks.  I could shine and touch the stars.  I could be a star after all.  I could soar like you did.  Like you, I could make headlines…go out with a big bang.  With my mind made up, I began to climb.  Balancing on the edge I felt the wind in my face, could see the stars calling me.  I could hear you in my heart urging me on.  We went together like peas and carrots, and we would again.  Holding my hands out at my sides, maintaining a precarious balance, I looked up to the stars and then reached.  I would fly.  I would touch the sky just as you had.  Without another thought, I moved forward and followed you again.  For the last time, I followed you.

Written for the Light and Shade Challenge












58 comments:

  1. Ouch ouch ouch

    Beautifully written but so sad. You show the heartbreak of loss and broken dreams so well.

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    1. Thomas, I am so pleased you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

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  2. Oh that's so sad Kathy.. I really felt the heartache in this piece. I hope you'll write the "before" story to go with this. Excellent.

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    1. Mimi, I am so happy you liked it! Thank you for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

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  3. Oh, wow, Kathy, so, so sad, but amazingly written. Blessings!

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    1. Martha, I am so pleased you enjoyed it! Thank you for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

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  4. That is so poignant! What an amazing take on the prompt! Lyssa M x

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    1. Lyssa, I am so pleased you liked it! Thanks so much for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

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  5. Sad indeed to lose something so dear

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    1. Pat, I am so pleased you enjoyed my story! Thanks so much for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

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  6. Compelling read, Kathy. Love the lines, What a joke that turned out to be. I simply can’t go home a failure and face all of them again seeing pity in their eyes, and seeing the “I told you so’s” in the eyes of the cynics. So true:)

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    1. vishalbheeroo, I am so pleased you enjoyed it. Thanks so much for dropping by to read and for your comments! ♥

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  7. Noooo. I knew the end would be disastrous. So very well written, Kathy. So many stellar lines.

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    1. Susan, I am so pleased you enjoyed it. Thank you so much for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

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  8. There are a lot of good stories at Light and Shade - this ranks way up at the top. Nice.

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    1. tnkerr, I am so pleased you liked it! Thanks so much for dropping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

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  9. Very powerfully written. And so tragic!

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    1. Stephanie, I am so thrilled you liked it! Thanks so much for stopping in and for your sweet comments! ♥

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  10. Oh my goodness... Goose bumps. Yuppers. That was crazy awesome, and so sad.

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    1. Crystal, WOW thank you. I am so pleased you enjoyed my story so much! Thank you so much for stopping by and for your sweet comments...and for the goosebumps..That is just awesome!

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  11. Oh, well done! So heartbreaking.

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    1. Laurel, I am so pleased you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

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  12. Replies
    1. JoJo, I am so sorry it made you sad! It was a sad story. Thank you so much for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

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  13. sad..
    but were you talking about a maid at hotel? hundreds of dish washing in a day..
    sorry, but I am one of those who search for non-fiction in a fiction story :)

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    1. Archana, oh no. She was a dishwasher in a restaurant. Thank you so much for stopping by to read my story and for your comments! ♥

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  14. Such a heartbreaking story and it seems very real. Great job, Kathy!

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    1. Debbie, I am so pleased you liked it! Thank you for stopping by and for your sweet comments!

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  15. ohh what a powerful read. And I read it while the video played in background. Such a beautiful feeling.

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    1. Rajlakshmi, I am so pleased you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for stopping by and for your sweet comments!

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  16. Oh no what a tragic end. But nicely written Kathy.

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    1. Suzy, I am pleased you liked it! Thank you so much for stopping by and for your sweet comments!

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  17. What a sad story of broken dreams, and such a sad ending.

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    1. kymm, it was sad. That is just the way my muse took me. Thank you for stopping by and for your kind comments!

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  18. Nice story Kathy.. a bit melancholic though.. but well written.. liked it..

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    1. Vaisakh, I am pleased you enjoyed it! Thank you for stopping by and for your sweet comments!

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  19. The heartache of being the one left behind...is sometimes worse than the loss itself!
    Well done Kathy!!!

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    1. Joseph, I am so pleased you liked it! Thank you so much for stopping by and for your sweet comments!

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  20. well written kathy.. so well written that we empathize with the person committing suicide

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    1. Mina, I am pleased you enjoyed it. Thank you for stopping by and for your sweet comments!

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  21. Sad but so well written. Good job on this, Kathy.

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    1. D, I am so pleased you liked it! Thank you so much for stopping by and for your sweet comments!

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  22. This is so sad. I'd hoped the narrator would think of something to live for, but I guess the pull of something to die for was a little stronger.

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    1. jannatwrites, true love always is a stronger magnet than the thought of more loneliness and longing. Thank you so much for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

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  23. I knew the end, I feared the end. You are such a gifted writer.

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    1. Susan, awww your words really touch me and make my day. I do my best. Thank you so much for stopping in to read and for your sweet comments! ♥

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  24. Oh sad that she had to end her life so... She followed him right there to the stars.
    Touching, Kathy.

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    1. Anita, I am pleased you enjoyed my story. Thank you so much for stopping in and for your sweet comments! ♥

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  25. The final twist was so powerful ... loved it.

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    1. Amrit, I am so pleased you liked it!! Comments like yours keep me writing. Thank you for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

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  26. Now I need a tissue! Nice job writing it.

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    1. Sherry, I am so happy you liked it! Thank you for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

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  27. found you on the A to Z road trip. Whoa. Quite an intro and ending. Good writing and indeed, sad

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    1. Joanne, I am so happy you enjoyed my story and that you stopped by! Thank you for your kind comments! ♥

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  28. Powerful writing, Kathy.

    http://joycelansky.blogspot.com/2014/05/ww-wordless-wednesday-tug-of-war.html

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    1. Joyce, I am so happy you liked it! Thank you so much for stopping by to read and for your lovely comments! ♥

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  29. Wow, poignant. I was moved to tears, especially at first before I noticed the "fiction" at the top. Well done. Maria @Delight Directed Living

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    1. Maria, that is why I put that big fiction banner across the top. I am so pleased you enjoyed my story!! Thank you so much for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

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