Tuesday, July 24, 2012

J. M. Blackman Week 5: We Met in a Bookstore Pt. 2



Picture 1


Picture 2


J.M. Blackman’s Picture Choice: 2

Title: We Met in a Bookstore Pt. 2

He crashed into me and I drowned.

When I surfaced, lungs full of love, sputtering devotion, his hand was waiting, outstretched. What could I do but take it?

The day we met I refused to give him my number, though I did give him my name. He found my blog. And my email address. He courted me. My reply was always simple: "And how does your wife feel about that?" He insisted they were separated. The insistence came with flowers. Roses, always roses. White--as if there was innocence to our acts. But he was persistent. He insisted so much that I began to believe it. And once I believed it, my fate was sealed. He knew this, of course and stuck my sealed fate in a drawer in his apartment. A locked drawer. I desperately wanted my destiny back, so I saw him more. I became hungry to own it again. I starved. But he fed me only bits of him.

I became addicted.

Until his wife called me and I found out they weren't as separated as he'd said. I should have apologized. But she didn't own him. And I had already fallen in love. That blindness chained me to him and when I hung on the precipice, anticipating a steep fall and a messy landing, he joined me on the ledge.

They filed for divorce. It was too good to be true and somehow, trust had wiggled out of my heart. It took me over a year to find it again, but he helped me: stooped to look beneath the bed, parted clothes in the closet until it was revealed.

We'd made a mistake. We'd broken a heart. But we'd found each other. In a book store.

----------------------------------------------

J.M. Blackman is a Language Arts teacher, author rep'd by Gina Panettieri and a feminist. She endeavors to review nearly everything she reads and is a happy wife. She's a SFF enthusiast, loves dark humor, and has an unhealthy need to protect the image of Batman.

#DailyPicspiration

8 comments:

  1. Oh, you spoil us!!! Thank you for playing this out. I love that I wasn't sure which way it was going to go for them until those closing lines. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Heh. You're welcome! I felt like I'd cheated y'all, so I had to amend. I'm glad you enjoyed it. :) Thank you so much for coming by and commenting.

      Delete
  2. Love, love, love this, Jalisa! Your descriptions really tugged at my heart--the way she talked of drowning and starving, with him feeding he little bits. Really enjoyed the whole thing.

    It's extremely realistic in addition to being an enjoyable read. And I'm so jealous because I just can't write a short story--mine always get away from me.

    Sarah

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Sarah! I'm really glad that you liked it! Certainly makes me feel like I did something. :D And I'm sure you can write a short story! If they get away from you, drag them back. Kicking and screaming.

      Delete
  3. This is terrific. You capture the emotional rush of courtship so well, really nail all of the feelings involved, and your depiction of the end of a marriage is just as powerful. Great stuff.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Jeff. I'm always so complimented when you like my work, since yours is ridiculously good. Greatly appreciate the comment and you taking the time to read this.

      Delete
  4. I wasn't expecting to like this, to be honest, because of the man being married ... but you did a good job of showing the other side, of how she believed him and his persistence. It would convince most, no? Especially when she felt so passionately. As Sarah said, this was quite real in the emotions and consequences of their actions. Good job.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can see why wouldn't expect to like this. And I wouldn't be surprised if you hadn't. It's not a nice story, really. Though, it had a happy ending for two people, one person was really effed over, so...but I'm glad you felt like I did a good job. I appreciate it.

      Delete