After the funeral, I made arrangements for the bills to come to my office.
Every month, I paid her rent, her electric, even her phone.
At least once a day I would call her number and pretend she might answer it, hear her voice on the answering machine.
At first I left messages, but then I couldn’t.
I’d turned her apartment into a time capsule.
A shrine.
In September I got a letter that her lease was up.
Time to face it.
I needed to move on.
I stood at her door a long time, key poised in my hand.
Obsession! Yes! You explored it so well, Joshua
Dear Josh,
That’s some shrine. Well written and layered.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Grief is a sneaky companion, just when you think you lost it, it hits you like a wrecking ball.
Well told–you convey so much more than 100 words.
Wow. Portrait of someone who didn’t want to let go. I was thinking about my Mom. After Dad died, my brother, wife, and I made arrangements for Mom’s bills to be paid since Dad had previously handled all of that. For a moment, I thought this was a similar situation.
A powerful sense of loss and longing. Expertly done.
Well done on portraying this character in so few words. Lovely writing.
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
Wow. So many resonances in this story. Powerfully written, Josh.
Thanks!
Hopefully he had enough time to grieve by the time the lease was up. A poignant piece, J Hardy. Very well written.
That’s so moving, Josh. That inability to move on, that holding on to her things, imagining that she might still answer the phone. I get all that. It took me a while to get used to the idea that when the phone rang it wasn’t – couldn’t be my dad. It takes time for your world to readjust itself to fill the hole some people make. Beautiful writing
Not all people can handle grief…
Adding to Dale’s comment: Not all people deal with grief the same way. This is really well-crafted. Good job.
Some grief takes more time than others, and change and acceptance comes even more slowly. Well done.
Randy
The word ‘shrine’ explains their relationship so well.
Such a poignant story and so beautifully written.
A shrine indeed. It’s a good job the lease expired or who knows where this would have ended.
So difficult to move on, sometimes a nudge is needed.
You took us into his mind. Excellent
Click to read my FriFic!
Oh, so moving. Wonderful.
Sometimes it takes a while to let go. Well written.
So hard to move on sometimes. Very nicely done.
There is a simplicity here that makes for an enjoyable flash fiction story. The short sentence, the clipped paragraphs, the first person perspective all add to that feel.
Such a believable story… I can imagine myself keeping the cleaning up away.
Dang. I saw a messy closet. You made treasure from the photo, a very well spent 100 words.
Grief has a unique DNA for each of us. I still have my father’s phone number on my phone. I’ve not called it since he died, but I just can’t erase it.
Awwwee, a closet full of memories, of togetherness, of life.