Sunday

Anne Bernays and Pamela Painter — What if? Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers prompts —

The Exercise —

Title it “Sunday.” Write 550 words.

The Objective —

Certain words and ideas, such as retirement, in-laws, boss, and fraud, serve as triggers for stories or scenes in fiction. Sunday is one of these. Try to think of others.

Author’s Note: It is Sunday, and I will be joining friends at the boat landing on the Mississippi River. We will smudge, talk, sing, and walk across the river on the bridge by the boat landing.

Because this is fiction, it will be different characters with different experiences. Thoughts and conversations from all those who come back and those who do not come back.

Sunday

Sarah’s thoughts: It is Sunday morning, and I am running late. I shouldn’t have stayed up until midnight last night. I seldom do that. But it was important to address what had been bothering me about my relationship with Cary. I’m so glad it got settled in both of our minds.

Cary said: Drive carefully, don’t fall in, and remember that I love you!

Loren’s conversation with Alex: I wonder who will be at the river this morning. I am bringing apple cider to share and hope to have more than two or three of us there. It would be nice if the water ceremony didn’t conflict with my church life or theatre life at times. I want to be there more often.

Alex said: It feels so good to be by the water. I’m just sorry I had to quit swimming last week.

Loren said, “Wait, you just quit swimming last week?” “Yes, it was way too cold to be in that water, but I just couldn’t resist,” Alex explained.

Loren said, “I love being by the water, but I gave up swimming at the end of August.”

Rose’s thoughts:

On my way to the river, I was hopeful that two of the regulars were no longer sick and would be at the ceremony this morning.

Then I thought about how Peggy told me that she was sitting at home, looking out the window at the lake, and wishing she could join us at the river. She is recovering from major surgery and was hopeful that after the next surgery, she would be able to walk across the river on Sunday at the water ceremony.

Peggy realizes that part of what is keeping her down is her grief. Her wife died this past summer, and she is not feeling much better about that than when it happened. Ellen was in hospice, but for some reason, Peggy thought she would be around for another year or more.

I suppose that is what many think when someone is in hospice. That is just a part of it. Then there are those times when someone is in hospice for one year or even more. I’m sure that doesn’t happen often, but it does happen.

Geri’s granddaughter and great-grandchildren were at the water ceremony last week, and I’m wondering if they will return. It was cold last week at 38 degrees. It is warmer this week by a few degrees, so maybe they will come out.

The girls loved the park and all of the rest. They wore their ribbon skirts. It was clearly fun for Geri and all of us. Hope to see them back.

Geri’s granddaughter Kay had so many questions. Kay is an Alaskan Native, and she talked about ceremony being so different in her village. Then she talked about her pregnancy and how she was due soon.

It appears some of the younger women who handled the water ceremony during the pandemic may be done with water ceremony. There are three that kept it going for us older ones during the worst of the pandemic. They have come back only on occasion.

Most of us have been retired for some time now. One woman has died. Two have lost their life partners. Health conditions for most. Retirement is fun in so many ways, and then there are other parts of retirement that I would rather skip. That is, until someone reminds me of the alternative.

We haven’t had a guest from out of town in a while, but it is always so nice when they can come and visit. The young woman, who was pregnant when she moved to California, and this year she came back with her two children. One is almost a teen.

Wait, have we been doing this water ceremony for that long? Yes, it has been since 2012 for me, when I started to come for sure, and it started sooner, before me.

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First published by Mercury Press, on medium.com