© Magaly Guerrero
She pulled her grandmother’s shoes out of the packing case, dusted, and then polished them. Leah regretted neglecting her passion, the one she learned from Grand Mama. Mendel had been such a good husband and they had a wonderful life together, but looking back, she had devoted all of her life to his pursuits. Poor, dear Mendel passed last month, and it was time for her to pull her art books and paints out from under the vase and put them to good use again. It was time for Leah to live for herself.
I wrote this for The Friday Fictioneers photo writing challenge hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. The idea is to use the photo above as a prompt to write a piece of flash fiction no more than 100 words long. My word count is 86.
To read more photos based on the prompt, go to InLinkz.com.
yes she simply must! a sad reminder of how we can sometimes box away our true self…
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Often after the death of a loved one, we have to reinvent ourselves in our own image.
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The circle of life in an original way. Someone dies, another gets born. In this case, reborn.
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Very true.
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Sounds like Leah’s about to embark on an amazing journey of self-(re)discovery.
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After the death of a loved one, I think you have to whether you want to do it or not.
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Too true.
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Your story touched me as I think that we can end up living our lives for others until it is too late.
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I think in any marriage, the give and take can be uneven. Once you are alone, it’s both a freedom and an obligation to pursue your own interests.
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I think that rediscovering half-forgotten talents is a good way to deal with the loss of a beloved partner. Unless there was too much suppression of self, then his death is liberating for her, and that would be very sad.
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The marriage was long and happy, but now it’s time to fill the empty space with talents she hasn’t used in a long while.
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Makes me wonder what my long-suffering wife will become when I pass on. Hopefully, she hasn’t put too many dreams on hold.
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It’s never too late to follow your dreams, Russell. Maybe you could encourage her right now.
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She’s a lucky one. She had a fabulous life with her husband and now has interests to pursue in his absence. Nice take on the prompt.
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Thanks, Dog lover.
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A new pursuits she always loved yet put on hold is the perfect way for her to move on from her grief.
James, a nicely written account of a day in the life of a woman beginning again.
Isadora 😎
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Thanks, Isadora.
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A touching tale of rediscovering oneself and moving on. Well written.
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Thanks, Amie.
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A release for more than one person then. How often is that the case.
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Very true, Sandra Thanks.
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She must live for herself, indeed. I felt the time had come once my children had grown enough to cope for themselves, I started writing again. Nice sentiment, well portrayed
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Thanks, Michael. My Mom is facing that now that my Dad has died. It’s a difficult adjustment for her since they’d been married well over 60 years and Dad did most things. Now Mom has to learn to fulfill that role for herself.
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There is relief and hope in his death. I wonder if she really loved him. Did she serve him just because she was his wife? A lovely take on the prompt.
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Oh, she loved him all right. However, no marriage is perfect and you cannot absolutely follow your pursuits when you are with another. Now she can.
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I completely agree with you. Well said. A great take on the FF prompt.
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Thanks.
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