Open Road

Summer road trips had become my usual by age ten.  We would pack up two weeks worth of everything and head for the hills.  Dad in his glory behind the wheel, mom with her right foot propped up on the dashboard and me and my brother strategically placed between the luggage and snacks.

And though the distance was far I didn’t mind, because there is something magical about the open road, especially at night.  I would stare out the window at the stars and pretend to know them.  And even when we were the only car in sight, it didn’t feel like it.  During the day, I would stare at the countless miles of grass and crops, waiting to catch a glimpse of something offbeat to spark my curiosity.

Whether it was a fire damaged barn standing in disarray, an old beat up truck proudly adorning the American flag, or that lone horse waving his tail, grazing in a field of emptiness – they were all untold stories waiting to be written.

© LaRonda Moore

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[172 wds]
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Inspired by FFfAW Challenge #101
Photo courtesy of Mike Vore

Wednesdays

It’s two minutes before the end of the day and Zak is counting down the seconds to freedom, because unlike any other kid in his class, Zak hates school. He struggles to fit in and is often last to be chosen for any team.  In fact, the only person he has managed to develop a relationship with is Mr. Scott, his hipster bus driver, who always takes up for him when the other students are less than friendly.

But the usual woes won’t plague Zak today. Nope. It’s Wednesday, and his grandmother picks him up on Wednesdays.  That means he has nine unsupervised minutes between the ringing of the last bell and grandma’s arrival at the house directly in front of the school.

Today he doesn’t have to form a line and march to the bus.  Instead, he gets to leave out the door with the “walkers”.  Quickly he scurries along the side of the building to the open lot.  There, he hops in a puddle and wonders what stirs in the shallow woods just beyond the fence.

© LaRonda Moore

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[178 wds]
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Inspired by FFfAW Challenge #100
Photo courtesy of Jessica Haines

Insert Man Here

He finally told her that he didn’t want to do it anymore. It took him three weeks to build up the courage to say what she had already suspected for sometime now. Noah is left hurt, but Melissa is indifferent. See, she wants a man, any man; it could be your man, my man, the neighbor’s man, or the preacher man. And Noah fit the bill. He was tall, employed – breathing.   In the beginning, things were great because she has always known how to get a man. However, and tragically in true Melissa fashion, after a few months, things turned bad.  Because while she has mastered the laws of attraction, she has yet to find the formula for love.

© LaRonda Moore

[119 wds]

Knock Knock

When Jamie was young, she often dreamed of traveling abroad.  “I will visit all of the continents before I turn forty,” she would boast to her family and friends.  Now, two days away from that monumental milestone, she reflects on what was, and what could have been.  She has regrets.  Jamie has seen two countries, a far cry from seven continents.  She believes in playing it safe.  Travel is expensive and you must save for the future.

As she walks into her kitchen to make some coffee and enjoy a quiet Sunday morning, she is surprised by a knock on the door.  It’s her sister Jessica.

“What are you doing here Sis?”

“Remember what you used to tell me about traveling the world?  Well, how about we start with Asia!”

“What…When!”

“Is your passport up to date,” Jessica asks dangling two tickets in her hand.

© LaRonda Moore

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[145 wds]
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Inspired by FFfAW Challenge #99
Photo courtesy of Singledust

Good Morning

“Who in the hell cuts down a tree at 8:00 a.m. on a Saturday?”  Dylan cried as he stared at his phone with disgust.  Besides saying goodbye to his friends, and hopping in the car with a perfect stranger, he could vaguely remember the events of last night.

“What was her name?”  He wondered.  “I hope she left her number, she was fun.”

The loud thud from outside however, interrupted that thought and drew him over to the window where his attention was quickly diverted beyond the fallen tree which once provided him shade, to the yellow truck in the parking lot.

“Why does that car look so familiar?” He mumbled himself.

Poor thing.  He was still standing at the window, deep in thought, with his hand on his forehead when he realized that his worst nightmare was coming true.

“Good morning,”  Jennifer whispered with a wink.

© LaRonda Moore

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[147 wds]
I love comments and welcome feedback!
Inspired by FFfAW Challenge #98
Photo courtesy of Shivangi Singh

We Met on Vacation

Zoe hates family vacations; the guided tours, jam-packed itineraries, endless photo ops, cramped sleeping conditions, and unfamiliar food.   This year would prove no different as she begrudgingly stuffs a hoodie in her backpack, and hops out of the cab.

The line to board the ferry is long, so Zoe uses headphones to buy her a little time. Her parents are holding hands and pointing out interesting sights, while her two younger brothers are taking turns kicking one another.

As they wait, Zoe people-watches.   She sees a couple doing a poor job of trying to disguise the argument that they’re having. Then, she sees a creepy middle-aged, bald guy digging in his noise.

And just as she convinces herself that this too is yet another “family vacation adventure” (as her mother refers to them) that she could have done without, she scans to the left of the crowd and sees him. She looks away quickly, and smiles.

© LaRonda Moore

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[156 wds]
I love comments and welcome feedback!
Inspired by FFfAW Challenge #97
Photo courtesy of Louise with The Storyteller’s Abode