New Beginnings - A Story Challenge for the New Year

[Daisy]

We've eaten the mince pies, devoured the Christmas cake and will soon be packing away all the festive decorations for another year. It's a good time to think about the year ahead and make plans, so while you're in reflective mode, why not have a go at our latest Story Challenge.

The theme is NEW BEGINNINGS and can be on any topic you choose. If you've never tried this before, please have a go. Your story can be long, short, funny, sad or whatever you make it.

Poems are also very welcome - see the Poetry Corner under Creative Grannies.

Happy writing!!

[Gemini]

Great theme, I will give it some thought.

[Daisy]

I'm feeling a bit shaken! I'd been drafting out a story in my head and as I do this I always have pictures in my mind unfolding like a film. The story I'd 'started' involved a small fire and it was only as I progressed the story that I thought it might be a bit insensitive in the wake of the Grenfell disaster, so I abandoned it. This morning I saw the news of the car park fire in Liverpool and the pictures of it were so close to my idea that I feel quite spooked by it.

Back to the drawing board.

[Plantaholic]

That was strange and no doubt disturbing Daisy. Looking forward to reading your story.

[Daisy]

Plant - I am back to needing an idea, now! But I will find one soon.

[Gemini]

I have no ideas yet either, but will think today.

[Daisy]

It's taken several false starts for me this time, but here goes!


NEW BEGINNINGS

Hugh replaced the receiver and scribbled “Tomorrow, 2.30” on the pad he always kept by the phone. He smiled to himself - as if he’d forget the day and time!

Picking up his rapidly cooling cup of coffee he pondered on the strangeness of life and how you had no idea what fate held in store for you. But he had the pleasant feeling that, perhaps, this new year just beginning would be a happier one for him. There are different kinds of loneliness, he mused to himself, and he had experienced his fair share. His beautiful, bubbly, vibrant wife Paula was snatched from him by a cruel, undiagnosed heart problem at the age of 43. The grief had been raw, and had raged within him deep inside while he grappled with trying to be both father and mother. The loneliness had been worst at night as he worked through a nightmare he could never have imagined for himself. They should have grown old together not been torn apart after just 17 years of marriage.

Isla had done her best to comfort him, but she was grieving too, and gradually they learned to give comfort to each other. He had met Paula at work. She was secretary to the Sales Director, and he was a junior programmer in what was then called the Computer Department. Paula and her very best friend, Jaz in the Accounts Department were inseparable - the rest of the office called them the PJs - always a pair. Hugh always joked they were a pair of nutcases, and it wasn’t hard to persuade a fellow programmer, Simon to make up a foursome with the girls. All through that winter they dated, sometimes as a foursome, sometimes on their own, and Hugh found himself falling more and more in love.

Within the year they were married and setting up home in a small flat where only a couple in love could have ignored its short-comings. Would they have been any happier or sadder if they had known they only had 17 years together? Hugh didn’t know, but did know every waking moment he missed his Paula. Ten years on, the pain and loneliness was still there like a soundtrack to his life, but last year, losing Isla, as he had always known he would, opened the chasm of loneliness to with renewed ferocity.

“Dad”, his son, now a man of 25 building his own catering business, “you need company. Do something about it before you become a grumpy old man.” Trust a son to tell you like it is, he thought!

He smiled to himself - this would be his first internet relationship. “Molly”, he said the name several times “Molly, Molly, Molly” and it sounded good.

Molly proved to be everything he had hoped. Friendly and interested in everything around her. She seemed to like him as much as he liked her. The lady in charge explained that Molly had been handed in to the rescue centre by her elderly owner whose health had deteriorated rather rapidly after an accident and she had had to go into a nursing home where dogs weren’t allowed. It had broken her heart, but she had told the rescue centre lady how friendly Molly was and what a good companion she was. She even asked if it would be possible for Molly to be taken to see her occasionally.

The rescue centre had vetted Hugh carefully, visited his home to check its suitability and had carefully noted that he worked from home most days and when he did have to go in to his office both his son who lived nearby and a kindly neighbour would look after his new dog, just as they had cared for Isla. He explained how Isla had saved his sanity after he lost his wife, and how sad he’d been when old age had caught up with her the previous year. Of course, he’d said at the time he wouldn’t get another dog, after all Isla had been Paula’s dog and nothing could replace her.

After a few days Hugh and Molly had fallen into an easy routine. Early morning walk round the park, breakfast, work, ball games in the garden at lunch time, followed by Molly’s afternoon nap, another walk, and finally after they had both had dinner, they would sit on the sofa together while Hugh watched tv and Molly just snored gently alongside him. He realised the arrival of this little dog had indeed given him a new beginning. Already he had met half a dozen other dog mums and dads on his twice daily walks, and this afternoon he was taking Molly to visit Daphne in the nursing home.

Daphne was not as frail as he had expected, and the joyful reunion between elderly lady and little dog brought a lump to his throat. They found they had a lot in common, Daphne and Hugh. They discovered they shared a love of sci-fi films and books, Impressionist art and watching ice hockey. They had even been born in villages in Kent just 2 miles apart. Daphne had a widowed daughter, Josephine, who still lived in Kent. She visited as often as she could and one day Daphne greeted Hugh and Molly and after the customary exchange of cuddles with Molly said that her daughter was visiting that afternoon. Sure enough, Josephine arrived in a cloud of light floral perfume, a messy blonde undo and a stunning red dress worn under a denim jacket. Mother and daughter hugged, kissed and Josephine gave Molly a good cuddle. Hugh watched the excited greetings with a puzzled expression. Josephine, Josephine - he knew her from somewhere …. but where?

Daphne remembered her manners. “Darling, you must say ‘hello’ to this lovely, lovely man who brings Molly to see me every week! Hugh, this is my daughter, Josephine. Josephine - meet Hugh.” Josephine and Hugh looked at each other in silence for a few seconds …. “I know you, don’t I?” said Josephine. Hugh nodded. “Good Lord, Jaz! I don’t believe it”.

They hugged and stood back and looked at each other. Jaz had been away at the time of Paula’s funeral, and there never seemed a right time to pick up contact again with Hugh, and Hugh had been too filled with his own grief to take on board that Jaz, too, had lost her husband eight or nine years previously.

Daphne looked from one to the other. “Jaz?” she said. “Who on earth is Jaz, and do you two know each other?”

“Mum, Hugh and I worked together, years ago. We used to go out together in a foursome - he married my friend Paula.”

When it was time for Daphne to go to the dining room for her tea Hugh and Josephine/Jaz were still talking. Daphne shoo’ed them both off. “Go on, you two. Take Molly for a walk and something to eat.” Smiling at each other, they agreed, and Hugh had a sneaking feeling that this could indeed be a new chapter in his life.




————-

[Clover]

Wow Daisy that’s fantastic. You should submit it to a magazine.

[Plantaholic]

Well done Daisy, great story

[Daisy]

Clover and Plant - thank you both. You're very kind. It was one of those stories where I knew where I wanted it to go but couldn't work out how to get there! It makes a change from having no idea where your story is 'going'!! LOL

[Gemini]

I love it! I didn't predict the ending and I'm glad it was such a happy one.
You can tell it was written by a dog lover and owner
Well done Daisy!




I still have no ideas yet!

[Daisy]

Thank you, Gem.

[Gemini]

One little girl.

That was what Julia had always planned for. A daughter, who would hopefully be her friend for life.
As we all know, plans and reality don't always coincide!

Henry came along first, and three years later, Joshua. Two children were enough, Mark said.
Julia's head knew her husband was right, but her heart disagreed. Maybe next time would be the little girl.
Just over two years later they welcomed baby Benedict into the family. Julia loved him with all her heart, just as she did her other two sons. There was happiness for the perfect little boy that she had, but at the same time a sadness for the little girl that she had always wanted, and would now never have.

The years went by.
Instead of all the girly things she planned to enjoy with a daughter, she was involved with football club, karate, skate parks, and various stages of obsession with dinosaurs and the solar system as her boys grew up.
Julia knew full well that not all little girls were the same, and neither were boys. Josie, her friends daughter had as a child loved football, stick insects and generally getting grubby, and had an active dislike of dolls, sequins, pink or anything which could be remotely described as 'girly'!
Still, Julia would have liked to have that experience of mothering a daughter, whatever type of daughter she may have been.
Josh, her middle son, always had a great interest in crafts and painting as did his mum. The two of them spent a lot of time together on projects over the years, and often went to galleries together now.

One morning early in January, enjoying the luxury of a day off, Julia sat at the kitchen table in her dressing gown, with coffee and toast, checking her emails.
Her phone pinged and reaching across the table for it she saw a text from Henry. She smiled to see her eldest sons name pop up. Like most grown up sons, he didn't get in touch nearly often enough.
'Mum, can I phone you ? Let me know when is a good time H x' the text read.
'I'm at home, not busy, now is fine x' She fired back, a little concerned.

Later that morning, showered, dressed and wrapped in padded coat, with scarf and boots, Julia went for a long walk.

That evening Mark came home to be greeted by the delicious aroma of Chicken Cacciatore, one of his wife's specialities. Julia rose, hugged him and handed him a glass of Merlot.
How wonderful!' he smiled, 'and what service! Drink ready, good meal cooking, my gorgeous wife here. I could get used to this!'
'I don't think so!' grinned Julia.

'I have something to talk to you about,' said Julia later, as the couple carried their mugs of coffee into the living room. The meal had been as good as it smelled, and they both felt comfortably full.

'I think I need a brandy as well as this coffee!' Mark mumbled, as Julia finished speaking .
'Let me get this right. Henry's ex girlfriend is having a baby, and soon! She wants this baby to be adopted, and Henry doesn't want this'
'Who can blame him?' Julia interjected.
'Henry can have custody of the child, and Hannah will be happy with that, as long as she isn't involved?' Mark continued. Julia nodded.
'But Henry still wants to go to New Zealand in March as planned, so wants us to look after the baby??'
Julia smiled. 'That's right, that is exactly it. Henry and I talked it all through this morning. He had given it an awful lot of thought before talking to me. I phoned Hannah too, this afternoon, and she confirmed everything Henry said.
She has no wish for a baby, even if she and Henry were still together she would not want a child. She would have had a termination had she known about the pregnancy early enough. I know it is hard believe that a mother wouldn't want her baby once it was born, but that is how she feels. It really is.'

Julia smiled to herself. She knew her husband would agree to it, she had no doubts. She also had no doubts that for her this was the right thing to do.
Not a daughter, but a granddaughter, soon to be born. There were many unknowns. Hannah could change her mind in time and want her daughter. When Henry settled back in the UK in a few years time, he may want to be a full time father to his little girl. Julia knew these things, and she had to accept them as real possibilities.

For now though, she saw this as a true new beginning. One little girl, just as she has always dreamed!

[Daisy]

Awww Gem, that is lovely. And it just shows that we don't know what life has in store for us and something you think is impossible happens, with a slightly different twist to it.

I can relate to it in a way, after two sons and two grandsons the birth of our first grand-daughter was very special.

[Qwerty]

You clever lady you need to write a book on short stories get it published , I really enjoy reading your stories

Daisy a heart warming story too , you both need to get a publisher I will be you agent 👍🏻