He didn’t see her. Everyone else did. Not him. He saw a meal ticket as he stood at the altar watching his white gowned bride pass candles, glowing. The scent of sterling roses floated above her beloved friends and family, soaring with the best voices in her college choir. He saw arm candy, they, carrot-topped grace, unearned love and favor. A congregation of 200 Lutherans and 51 upwardly mobile witnessed her stare into his baby blues. Heard her uncertain, “I do.” Nearly forty years and he remained willing to squander resources on pipe dreams. Had she missed his “I don’t?”
About the Creator
Barbara Steinhauser
Thank you for taking time to read my stuff. I love writing almost as much as I love my people. I went back to college and earned an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults and often run on that storytelling track. Enjoy!
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More stories from Barbara Steinhauser and writers in Fiction and other communities.
Embody Me
The granddaughter bowed a legato Etude with strong, smooth strokes, her liquid bob shielding emerging cheekbones. The pine scent of wafting resin made me sneeze. Two violins rejected, she was testing a third. “It needs tuning. But that’s okay.” Her wide, toothy grin exposed hope. She down bowed with a flourish. “This is it!” Joy exploded my chest like fireworks. Violin cases were exchanged, light for heavier. She clutched the heavier case to her heart. My faded blue credit card scraped the music store slot machine. My voice stuck in my throat as she whispered, “She’s meant to be mine.”
By Barbara Steinhauser 2 years ago in Fiction
Violence Begets
"Any last words, cowboy?" "None you'd understand, sodbuster." "Funny. That's Marshall Sodbuster to you. But I meant some last nugget that would help us in the adjudication of the myriad offenses counted against you and your gang. I wasn't asking for penitence."
By Adam Diehl5 days ago in Fiction
Fallout Season 2 Episode 1 Explained (Review & Breakdown)
Let me dive straight into Fallout Season 2 Episode 1, and yes—this premiere is packed with so many easter eggs, lore drops, timeline twists, and pure what did I just watch? moments that we absolutely have to walk through it beat by beat.
By Bella Anderson2 days ago in Fiction
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