Hint of Green, a Summery Limerick…
A summery day for a teen
Tan skin, blonde hair, the pool scene
It’s easy to forget what can happen
A simple chemical reaction
Pool water can turn your hair green đ
In response to Mind and Life Matters Limerick Contest, Summer.Â
I always thought it was chlorine that could turn blonde hair green, but my research reveals it is actually copper in the water that is oxidized by chlorine, then binds with the protein in hair strands and turns them green. Â Â
Diane D.
Photo from momsagainstcooties.com
Lessons Learned, Part 7
Here’s a link to Part 6 if you missed it!
I woke up the next morning with a dull headache. Then it got even stronger as I remembered all the crap that had gone on the night before. I couldnât believe it. Bobby was Rob and was here in Maui and I had to see him all weekend because we were in the same wedding!  He had been really sweet to me and that just made it worse, because I had so much — maybe hate isn’t the right word — but all those years of feeling abandoned were there inside me and I still felt so angry when I thought about him not being there for me.
And yet â- what if he hadnât known about the baby? What if it was just like he said and he hadnât gotten a message from his dad and my mom hadnât told him how to reach me when I was away at school? Oh, no, I can’t even  think about this right nowâŚ
My cellphone is ringing and I see that itâs Jamie. âHi,â I say, trying to sound more cheerful than I feel. âYou didnât call me yesterday,â she says accusingly. âI left you a bunch of messages. I thought we were going to meet for dinner last night.â âOh, um, I didnât feel well, James,â I mumble, which is not really a lie. I felt like Iâd had the shock of my life last night, which, frankly, I had. Passing out at the airport was just the icing on the cake.
âOh, no, are you better this morning?â she asks. âDo you feel like getting together for lunch in a little bit and checking out the resort? Mike is talking to Rob right now and we thought you two should have a chance to meet before all the wedding stuff starts.â She sounds so concerned that I start to feel guilty.
âYeah, about that,â I sigh, âJames, I really need to talk to you. Is there coffee around here somewhere?â âWell, Reg, in the kitchen right there is a coffee maker.  But there’s a Starbucks downstairs in the General Store.â
âWhat if you give me a half hour to shower and get dressed and Iâll meet you at the Starbucks?â I say, grimacing at my swollen eyes in the mirror. âSure,â Jamie says, sounding a little surprised. âWe can sit outside on the terrace by the lobby and have coffee and talk if you want. Oh, wait, what, Mike?â She obviously covers the phone with her hand because all I hear is muffled voices and then sheâs back. âOkay, I need to know whatâs going on. Mike says that Rob wants to meet him at the restaurant and talk. I mean, what are the chances that the two of you both need to talk this morning?â
âYeah, well, give me a half hour and Iâll explain it all,â I say and she reluctantly agrees. âYou better be prepared to spill,â she warns, âbecause this is just weird.â  âSure, okay, let me get in the shower already. Iâll meet you downstairs about 10:45.â
I hang up quickly because Iâm starting to get a pain in my stomach. Iâm wondering what Bobby is planning to share with Mike and I try to decide if I have to tell Jamie the whole truth. She knew Iâd broken up with a boyfriend right before college, but I donât think Iâd shared all the gory details with her, even after nights of too many beers and true confessions. Iâd kept this buried for so long and now twice in two days I had to go over all the details again. Oh, well, catharsis for the soul, maybeâŚ
After the quickest shower on record, I bundle my hair into a knot at the back of my head, slip on shorts and a t-shirt and head down to look for the Starbucks. God, itâs beautiful here. Itâs probably 80 degrees and sunny out, maybe one or two puffy clouds in the sky. The pool is huge and blue and sparkling and surrounded by gorgeous tropical flowers growing on hedges.  I cross over a koi pond while following the signs to the General Store. As I go in, I see Jamie is already there and sheâs looking quizzically at me.
I hurry over and we order our coffees and rolls. I can hardly look at her because Iâm so afraid Iâll burst into tears. I guess I’ve been holding these feelings in so long that everything is so close to the surface now. We go outside and find a couple of big wooden rockers to sit in and a table to put our drinks on.
âOkay,â she says, âPlease tell me what it is, Reg. You look as though you could burst into tears any minute. Come on, Iâm getting married tomorrow. I need you to be happy!â
I want to, too, but that just brings the tears closer to the surface. Then, just my luck, a young couple walks by with a little girl in a stroller and she waves at us. God help me, I can feel the tears coursing down my cheeks. I try to wave back and pretend everything is okay behind my sunglasses, but Jamie is looking alarmed. âPlease, Reg,â she whispers, âTell me whatâs going on?â
So for the next half hour, I talk and we rock and sip our coffees while tears run down both of our faces.
~Diane D. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â ~ The photo is my own
Is it worth it?
Doubts sneak in shrouded in darkness
pushing away the bright
Searching out secret hideaways of hope
Filling voids with insecurity
Then pulling tight to crush wisps of
dreams never realized
Creating questions
where there need be none
Once misted with sparkle and shine
Orderly and wrought with purpose
Now dusty as wishes floating on the breeze
What once seemed so certain
now feels merely pointless
Simply pretentious busy work
Arrange and rearrange words on a page
to make a mediocre life seem more
meaningful…
~ Diane D.
Yay, Yay, it’s Saturday…
Well, maybe not my only fantasy! Â đ
The Key (100 Word Story)
The firefighters stood, covered in grime and sweat, watching as the abandoned building burned to the ground. It would be tomorrow before they could sift through the now smoldering debris for anything worth saving.
One fireman turned, saw something moving and watched in amazement as a cat crept through charred rubble, then sat, delicately licking its paws.
âHere, kitty, kitty,â he called softly, feeling foolish. The cat crept closer until Brett scooped it up in his hands, stroking the soft gray fur.
âWhat the hell is this?â Brett muttered, feeling a small key dangling from the catâs collar.
~Diane D.
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