LJ Idol Season 11: If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn.
This week's therealljidol is an intersection, where we work with a partner to create something for two different prompts. I worked with the wonderful flipflop_diva, who wrote for the prompt "I'm the Usain Bolt of Running From My Problems".
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She watched the little girl rummage through the old chest with a smile. “Ooohs” and “awwwwws” were heard at every item she held up - old dresses, scarves, a necklace long forgotten, baby shoes, dolls. The little girl would pick up an item, look at it for a moment and toss it aside in excitement to see what else was in the chest.
“Grandma!” The little girl looked up at the old woman, her face full of curiosity. “Who is this?” She held out a photo. It was clearly old - the colors were faded, the edges bent. But in the photo was a young man, dressed in a uniform, standing solemnly but for the twinkle of humor in his eyes.
The old woman smiled fondly as she looked down at it, memories rushing back as she studied the picture. “That,” she told the little girl, “is a story from long ago.”
The little girl scooted into the old women's lap. "I want a story!"
....
She sat dejectedly on the front steps of her new house with her face in her hands. She was turning 5 in less than a week and life was changing fast. She moved away from her best friend, Lizzie because Mommy and Daddy got new jobs, she was going to big kid school as her Mommy told her proudly and not going back to her old school she loved, and as her sister reminded her daily, she'd have to do homework in Kindergarten! She held her doll closer to her chest and tried not to cry when she heard a voice next to her. "Are you ok? Do you want to play?"
She turned to look at the little boy who sat down next to her. He had a smile on his face and he seemed friendly. Lizzie and her promised each other that they'd never play or talk to boys because boys were gross but...Lizzie wasn't here and she did want to play. "Who are you?" she asked, holding her doll for protection.
"I'm Ryan and I just turned 5! I live over there," he pointed to the house across the street with blue shutters. "I have a swingset in my backyard and a sandbox! What's your name?"
She hesitated for a moment. On one hand, she didn't know him and boys were icky. On the other hand, she loved sandboxes and building sand castles and it was really tempting. Besides, what else did she have to do? Sit home and be sad? She had an important question though before she agreed. "I'm Hannah," she responded and held up her doll, "and this is Mary. Can I bring her with me?"
"Sure!" He leaned over and whispered, "my brother says dolls are stupid but I don't care! We can play with her and my dolls. C'mon!"
Hannah giggled, feeling hopeful again. "I have to go ask my mom if I can go." She ran inside as quickly as she could. "Mommy, can I go across the street to play? I'll be good, I promise!" Her mother nodded distractedly which she took to mean to go and she ran back outside. "She said yes! Do you like building sand castles?" Ryan stood up, ready to go.
"I do! I just got some new sandcastle toys too!" He put out his hand for her to hold and after a moment of staring at it, she grabbed his hand and they ran across the street.
...
"He sounds like a nice kid," the little girl commented with a smile. "I'd be friends with him too!"
"He was a nice kid indeed," the old lady woman nodded her head. "The best."
"So what happened?" The little girl questioned.
"Yeah, what happened?" An older gentleman came in the room and sat down next to them.
...
She sat all dressed up for the dance, sobbing on her front step. She was supposed to go to the dance with Brandon, the cutest, most popular guy in their 10th grade class but he called her up and told her that he got back together that night with his girlfriend, Julie, and he wanted to go to the dance with her instead. "Nothing against you or anything," he told her before he hung up. Nothing against her? If only she was a little blonder, a little skinnier, a cheerleader...this wouldn't have happened to her.
"Hey," she felt a familiar presence sit down next to her. Ryan. Her best friend, her confidante, of all of these years. They had been inseperable since that day they met, always there for each other. He stood up for her when some of the girls in their class became bullies; she stood up for him when he was teased for his glasses. They were always together and sometimes, deep down, she wished for more but she never wanted to ruin the best friendship of her life. "What are you still doing here? Why the tears? Aren't you supposed to be with what's his face?" He put his arm around her and pulled her to his chest as she sobbed against him. "Shhhh, I've got you. It's okay."
"He....He....He...." he patted her back, "He got back together with Julie Martin. And now they're together at the dance!" she cried. "Why not me? Why am I not pretty enough for him?"
"Did he tell you that you're not pretty enough?" Ryan replied angrily, ready to go kick some ass. He knew that Brandon was not good enough for his best friend, no one was in his mind....except maybe him, if he could bring himself to confess his feelings.
"Nooooo, but he made me feel that way. He went on and on about how pretty she is and how good they look together and .... and...and he thought he had a better chance of winning Homecoming King with her than me!"
"That bastard," he held her tightly against him and kissed the top of her head. "I told you, you could do better than him. He doesn't deserve you."
"Who does then? Obviously not him and the only person who I really want to be with, I'll never tell him because he never would want to be with me." Oh shit, she didn't mean to blurt that out!
"What do you mean?" He asked her quizzically.
She sat lost in thought for a moment. She could backtrack and say never mind, and get out of it. She could make up some guy she had a crush on in their class. That way nothing changed. Or she could just take a chance and tell the truth as much as it would suck when he told her that he didn't like her back. It would be awkward for a few days but she somehow knew instinctively that they would never let this come between them. "Well, I like this guy who is gorgeous, funny, kind, and the best person I know. But I'm afraid that he doesn't feel the same way because we've been best friends forever. So I've never told him how I felt...until now."
He smiled, getting the hint. "That's funny. Because there's this incredibly smart and beautiful girl I know who I've known forever and been in love with forever but I was always afraid to tell her how I felt because I didn't want to ruin the best thing I have in my life. But if this boy and this girl took a chance on each other, I bet they'd be amazingly happy together."
She wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. "Really?"
"Really," he smiled, leaning his head down for a kiss.
....
"Awwwww," the iittle girl sighed, "that sounds soooooooo romantic! So what about this picture? Why is he dressed like this?"
....
She couldn't believe he was leaving her to go off to fight in another country. She understood why he enlisted even if it felt like he was abandoning her. He wanted a better life for them, an education, a direction in life that he felt was missing.
"You're going to write to me and I'll write to you. Every day," he swore. "We're going to make it through this. It's only a couple of years and I'll come home when I can and we will be together."
She adjusted his army uniform coat on him. "But what if something happens to you?"
"I will try my hardest for nothing to happen to me. How could I something happen to me when I have the most beautiful girlriend waiting for me at home. You will wait for me, won't you?"
She stood back and looked up and down as she held the camera in her hand. How could she wait for him at home and have her life on hold while he traveled and fought? What if something G-d forbid happened to him? How would she live with herself? But what if she didn't wait for him? Would her life be the same without him in it? He was her only constant in her life, her soulmate.
"You look so handsome," she murmured not answering his question. "Let me take a picture of you so I can remember how gorgeous you are at this moment. He stood there on her front step, wanting to smile, but feeling the solemness of the moment. She quickly snapped the photo and then ran into his arms. "I love you," she whispered in his ear and held onto him for as long as she could before he was taken away from her.
...
"Did you wait for him?" The little girl asked, enthralled with the story.
"Yes and no," she smiled at the little girl and at the man sitting besides her, who had been besides her for all these years. "We broke up for awhile. I traveled, and partied, went on dates, almost got married to one of those men I went on a date with. But I realized quickly that would have been a mistake on my part and his so we ended it."
"So who is the guy in the picture," the little girl asked. "You didn't say!"
"You haven't guessed, silly girl?" The old man smiled and tousled her hair. "It's me, your grandpa!"
"OHHHHHH!" The little girl jumped off her grandma's lap and gave her grandpa a hug. "I'm glad you two are still together! Now I'm going to go play!"
The old couple leaned back against the couch, reflecting in the shared memories that they had made over the years. "Are you glad things ended up the way they did?" he asked her. "No regrets not living the single life or marrying that other man?"
"None, whatsoever. How could I regret anything when everything led us to our amazing lives together? I wouldn't have it any other way."
To see another way Hannah's life could have gone, go read flipflop_diva's entry here!
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She watched the little girl rummage through the old chest with a smile. “Ooohs” and “awwwwws” were heard at every item she held up - old dresses, scarves, a necklace long forgotten, baby shoes, dolls. The little girl would pick up an item, look at it for a moment and toss it aside in excitement to see what else was in the chest.
“Grandma!” The little girl looked up at the old woman, her face full of curiosity. “Who is this?” She held out a photo. It was clearly old - the colors were faded, the edges bent. But in the photo was a young man, dressed in a uniform, standing solemnly but for the twinkle of humor in his eyes.
The old woman smiled fondly as she looked down at it, memories rushing back as she studied the picture. “That,” she told the little girl, “is a story from long ago.”
The little girl scooted into the old women's lap. "I want a story!"
....
She sat dejectedly on the front steps of her new house with her face in her hands. She was turning 5 in less than a week and life was changing fast. She moved away from her best friend, Lizzie because Mommy and Daddy got new jobs, she was going to big kid school as her Mommy told her proudly and not going back to her old school she loved, and as her sister reminded her daily, she'd have to do homework in Kindergarten! She held her doll closer to her chest and tried not to cry when she heard a voice next to her. "Are you ok? Do you want to play?"
She turned to look at the little boy who sat down next to her. He had a smile on his face and he seemed friendly. Lizzie and her promised each other that they'd never play or talk to boys because boys were gross but...Lizzie wasn't here and she did want to play. "Who are you?" she asked, holding her doll for protection.
"I'm Ryan and I just turned 5! I live over there," he pointed to the house across the street with blue shutters. "I have a swingset in my backyard and a sandbox! What's your name?"
She hesitated for a moment. On one hand, she didn't know him and boys were icky. On the other hand, she loved sandboxes and building sand castles and it was really tempting. Besides, what else did she have to do? Sit home and be sad? She had an important question though before she agreed. "I'm Hannah," she responded and held up her doll, "and this is Mary. Can I bring her with me?"
"Sure!" He leaned over and whispered, "my brother says dolls are stupid but I don't care! We can play with her and my dolls. C'mon!"
Hannah giggled, feeling hopeful again. "I have to go ask my mom if I can go." She ran inside as quickly as she could. "Mommy, can I go across the street to play? I'll be good, I promise!" Her mother nodded distractedly which she took to mean to go and she ran back outside. "She said yes! Do you like building sand castles?" Ryan stood up, ready to go.
"I do! I just got some new sandcastle toys too!" He put out his hand for her to hold and after a moment of staring at it, she grabbed his hand and they ran across the street.
...
"He sounds like a nice kid," the little girl commented with a smile. "I'd be friends with him too!"
"He was a nice kid indeed," the old lady woman nodded her head. "The best."
"So what happened?" The little girl questioned.
"Yeah, what happened?" An older gentleman came in the room and sat down next to them.
...
She sat all dressed up for the dance, sobbing on her front step. She was supposed to go to the dance with Brandon, the cutest, most popular guy in their 10th grade class but he called her up and told her that he got back together that night with his girlfriend, Julie, and he wanted to go to the dance with her instead. "Nothing against you or anything," he told her before he hung up. Nothing against her? If only she was a little blonder, a little skinnier, a cheerleader...this wouldn't have happened to her.
"Hey," she felt a familiar presence sit down next to her. Ryan. Her best friend, her confidante, of all of these years. They had been inseperable since that day they met, always there for each other. He stood up for her when some of the girls in their class became bullies; she stood up for him when he was teased for his glasses. They were always together and sometimes, deep down, she wished for more but she never wanted to ruin the best friendship of her life. "What are you still doing here? Why the tears? Aren't you supposed to be with what's his face?" He put his arm around her and pulled her to his chest as she sobbed against him. "Shhhh, I've got you. It's okay."
"He....He....He...." he patted her back, "He got back together with Julie Martin. And now they're together at the dance!" she cried. "Why not me? Why am I not pretty enough for him?"
"Did he tell you that you're not pretty enough?" Ryan replied angrily, ready to go kick some ass. He knew that Brandon was not good enough for his best friend, no one was in his mind....except maybe him, if he could bring himself to confess his feelings.
"Nooooo, but he made me feel that way. He went on and on about how pretty she is and how good they look together and .... and...and he thought he had a better chance of winning Homecoming King with her than me!"
"That bastard," he held her tightly against him and kissed the top of her head. "I told you, you could do better than him. He doesn't deserve you."
"Who does then? Obviously not him and the only person who I really want to be with, I'll never tell him because he never would want to be with me." Oh shit, she didn't mean to blurt that out!
"What do you mean?" He asked her quizzically.
She sat lost in thought for a moment. She could backtrack and say never mind, and get out of it. She could make up some guy she had a crush on in their class. That way nothing changed. Or she could just take a chance and tell the truth as much as it would suck when he told her that he didn't like her back. It would be awkward for a few days but she somehow knew instinctively that they would never let this come between them. "Well, I like this guy who is gorgeous, funny, kind, and the best person I know. But I'm afraid that he doesn't feel the same way because we've been best friends forever. So I've never told him how I felt...until now."
He smiled, getting the hint. "That's funny. Because there's this incredibly smart and beautiful girl I know who I've known forever and been in love with forever but I was always afraid to tell her how I felt because I didn't want to ruin the best thing I have in my life. But if this boy and this girl took a chance on each other, I bet they'd be amazingly happy together."
She wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. "Really?"
"Really," he smiled, leaning his head down for a kiss.
....
"Awwwww," the iittle girl sighed, "that sounds soooooooo romantic! So what about this picture? Why is he dressed like this?"
....
She couldn't believe he was leaving her to go off to fight in another country. She understood why he enlisted even if it felt like he was abandoning her. He wanted a better life for them, an education, a direction in life that he felt was missing.
"You're going to write to me and I'll write to you. Every day," he swore. "We're going to make it through this. It's only a couple of years and I'll come home when I can and we will be together."
She adjusted his army uniform coat on him. "But what if something happens to you?"
"I will try my hardest for nothing to happen to me. How could I something happen to me when I have the most beautiful girlriend waiting for me at home. You will wait for me, won't you?"
She stood back and looked up and down as she held the camera in her hand. How could she wait for him at home and have her life on hold while he traveled and fought? What if something G-d forbid happened to him? How would she live with herself? But what if she didn't wait for him? Would her life be the same without him in it? He was her only constant in her life, her soulmate.
"You look so handsome," she murmured not answering his question. "Let me take a picture of you so I can remember how gorgeous you are at this moment. He stood there on her front step, wanting to smile, but feeling the solemness of the moment. She quickly snapped the photo and then ran into his arms. "I love you," she whispered in his ear and held onto him for as long as she could before he was taken away from her.
...
"Did you wait for him?" The little girl asked, enthralled with the story.
"Yes and no," she smiled at the little girl and at the man sitting besides her, who had been besides her for all these years. "We broke up for awhile. I traveled, and partied, went on dates, almost got married to one of those men I went on a date with. But I realized quickly that would have been a mistake on my part and his so we ended it."
"So who is the guy in the picture," the little girl asked. "You didn't say!"
"You haven't guessed, silly girl?" The old man smiled and tousled her hair. "It's me, your grandpa!"
"OHHHHHH!" The little girl jumped off her grandma's lap and gave her grandpa a hug. "I'm glad you two are still together! Now I'm going to go play!"
The old couple leaned back against the couch, reflecting in the shared memories that they had made over the years. "Are you glad things ended up the way they did?" he asked her. "No regrets not living the single life or marrying that other man?"
"None, whatsoever. How could I regret anything when everything led us to our amazing lives together? I wouldn't have it any other way."
To see another way Hannah's life could have gone, go read flipflop_diva's entry here!