Musings & Thoughts for Thursday, April 25, 2024, or: I’m on a Roll This Week – Reunion: Coda’s Chapter 15 Gets a Fourth Scene!

Late Morning, Thursday, April 25, 2024, Madison, New Hampshire

Hi, gang.

It’s a cold spring day here in Madison’s Eidelweiss District. Currently, the temperature is 37°F (3°C) under sunny conditions. With humidity at 29% and the wind blowing from the north-northwest at 4 MPH (7 Km/H), the feels-like temperature is 48°F (9°C). Today’s forecast calls for sunny skies and a high of 53°F (12°C). Tonight, the skies will be clear, and the low will be 24°F (-4°C).

On Writing & Storytelling: Well, One More Scene is in the Can!

I’m pleased to report that yesterday’s writing session was another productive enterprise. I started a bit late; I had a hard time figuring out lunch, and by the time I sat down at my desk for “novel writing” it was 2:15 PM. Nevertheless, by the time I “punched out” (metaphorically, since I don’t actually have a Lathem time clock in my office) at 4:45 PM (I finished early, which is extremely rare), I’d added 452 words to Reunion: Coda.

I’m even more pleased to report that those 453 words enabled me to write a complete scene!

Can you believe that? An entire scene in a novel can be shorter than the average college or high school 500-word essay.

Man…I love writing fiction.

If today turns out to be another productive day, I might finish Reunion: Coda’s Chapter 15 today or tomorrow, depending on what comes out of my little gray cells this afternoon.

And since the scene I wrote yesterday doesn’t have either “spoilers” or sexy stuff, I might as well share it here:

 4

Whispers of Change

The room is hushed, the only sounds Maddie’s soft breathing and gentle snoring as she succumbs to sleep. I move quietly, retrieving my Nokia 3210 from the pocket of my suit jacket, which hangs on the back of a chair. The phone feels cool and solid in my hand, a lifeline to the outside world. I slip out of the bedroom, careful not to disturb Maddie’s peaceful slumber.

In the kitchen, the afternoon sun floods the room with a warm glow. The tea-making essentials are laid out on the counter—teabags, sugar, a clean pot—everything ready for when Maddie wakes. The promise of a storm in a teacup waits patiently, as do the Kedem Vanilla Tea Biscuits, a sweet reminder of her English roots.

With the stage set for later, I find a quiet corner in the living room. There’s no window here, just the comforting embrace of familiar walls. I dial Mark’s number, the beeps soft but insistent in the quiet apartment.

The phone rings once, twice, three times, and then a fourth. On the fifth ring, Mark’s voice finally breaks the silence. “Hi, Jim, sorry for the wait. I didn’t have my phone with me.”

“Hey, Mark,” I whisper, mindful of the sleeping beauty just a wall away, “I didn’t catch you at a meeting, a showing, or while studying, did I? If you’re busy…”

“No, no, just messing around in the kitchen, making a sandwich. What’s up?” Mark’s voice is casual, the sound of someone comfortable in their routine.

“Just checking in. How’s the real estate game treating you? And those creative writing classes, are they sparking any bestsellers yet?” I ask, a smile in my voice.

Mark’s laugh is a familiar melody. “Real estate’s real estate. But the writing? Man, it’s something else. It’s like discovering a part of me I never knew was there. Thanks for the nudge, by the way.”

We drift into talk of old classmates, and when Debbie Voss comes up, I can almost hear the shrug in his voice. “Debbie? Yeah, heard she might swing by next month. She’s been through a lot, you know, with the divorce and all. It’s been tough on her, but she’s thinking about coming back to South Florida once it’s all settled. Been on my mind a bit, actually. If she’s still the Debbie from ’83… who knows?”

The conversation turns to the weather, the trivial banter a comfortable blanket over the distance between us. Then, lowering my voice even further, I lean into the phone, a conspiratorial edge to my words.

“Hey, bucko. I met the most amazing woman a few weeks back at the Moonglow Club. And…you won’t believe who she is….”