Love is Tricky
Justin Deming challenged writers to write a 50-word story for this photo. Here's my offering as well as five others about how love sometimes stings or surprises us.
Justin Deming’s photo to inspire fifty-word stories.
What Brought This On? Shirley was always so quiet, so demure, so poised whenever she navigated a roomful of the finest Victorian society. Until this moment, she had all suitors vying for her affection. Suddenly, venomous accusations poured from her prim and pretty little mouth, spoiling all her prospects. Everyone froze, aghast and mystified. Last Words Stacy talked about people she'd lost: her mother, who gave her up for adoption; her first child who she relinquished as well. Her husband died at work. They argued before he left, but his last words were, "I love you, Stacy." Now she's afraid something will happen to her son. At the Recycling Center As the cans cascaded into the recycle bin, three plastic bottles tumbled to the bottom. Struggling to reach them, she searched for a stick then hoisted herself onto the rim. "I can help you, you know." He seemed incredulous at her effort. Then he reached down and plucked them out. The Letter She put all her passion into that letter. Wads of crumpled paper covered the floor as she made sure it stated everything she felt. She copied the best version so it would be perfect. After he read it, he snickered. "There's not a crossed out word in the whole thing." Does He See Me? One argument too many landed Marcy on the street. Afterward, not even a ping on the Missing Persons radar. At least she was safe at the shelter. Today, she watched him scan the street from the opposite corner, looking right at her. Had she changed so much in two months? The Messiah? He sat on the stoop in ragged clothes and dreadlocks that belied his race. A poser, she surmised, yet something about his story, the torture in his eyes, touched her heart. She led him upstairs and let him bathe. Her hair fell across his feet as she dried them with a towel. After he ate some food, she offered her couch for the night, but nothing more. Next morning, he announced she had passed his test. He had finally found a good woman. His arrogance disappeared as she led him to the door. "I'm tired of being tested. Get out!"
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All my books, Paradise Ridge, When the Horses Come and Go, and Ghost in the Forest are currently available on Kindle. Ghost in the Forest, is also available in paperback. Paradise Ridge is out-of-print, but the Kindle version is re-edited and better quality.
Book Review of Ghost in the Forest:
"Ghost in The Forest' is a great read! Take note People. If you love stories about environmentalism and nature, its clash with urban mindsets, as well as personal transformation, this is the book for you!
"Ghost in The Forest" is a quick 126-page read. It's the story of Dori, a woman trapped in a mix of grief over parental loss and refusing to accept how her hometown and her friends have changed over the years. Because of this, Dori has become a recluse and a self-imposed misanthrope who finds more comfort amongst the hiking trails around her hometown of Morristown than in her dealings with the raw reality of other humans.
The book, in some ways, resembled Edward Abbey’s “Desert Solitaire” in that the story follows a protagonist's love of nature and angst about humans encroaching on it. In this case, it’s how Morristown is transforming into a mountain biking destination where cyclists run rampant on trails and nature.
However, a tragedy involving said mountain biking becomes a major pivot point for Dori, leading to a series of events that eventually bring about personal evolution and discovery.
If you're a nature lover, this book is a must-read. It beautifully portrays the clash between environmentalism and urban mindsets and the journey of personal transformation. The book's vivid descriptions of nature and the protagonist's love for it will surely intrigue you.
Paradise Ridge Review by western author D. B. Jackson:
If you draw circle roughly around an area that includes northern Nevada, southern Oregon, and southern Idaho, within that circle exists a culture and people who live a lifestyle largely untouched by modern values. These are the "buckaroos" and Basque characters author Sue Cauhape brings to life in her literary novel, "Paradise Ridge".
Leandro, the illegitimate seventh son of patriarch Xavier Arriaga and his mistress, Gisela, is at the center of this intriguing story that travels exceedingly successfully at both the personal level of the characters, as well as the compelling level where the story is told.
Cauhape writes in a literary style that reminds me of Annie Poulx. Paradise Ridge, on the surface, appears to be an upscale Western novel...once inside the pages, you will soon discover a potential classic waiting to be discovered.
I rated this book a 5...because that's all the stars there were.
Wow, Sue! You have been writing! ( So great to be retired, isn't it?)
Last Words is so tragic. "Her husband died at work" Jeeez.
I loved the last line of "The Messiah", but I don't understand the title
Love. My mom and dad lucked out. So did my sister and brother-in-law. So maybe there is something after all about religion and marriage with someone from your church. Certainly nothing has worked for me.