The Untitled Leap -- Chapter 5A

NOTE: This could very easily be confusing, but I think Chapter 5 is the last segment in this draft. This piece comes before it. I figured if readers haven't read Chapter 5 yet, this may give them the opportunity to read it more in order (there will be more pieces between 5A and 5. I'm thinking I'll name them 5-B, etc. for this draft.) Anyway this is the next segment. Thanks for reading -- Wendy


There came a time, a terrible time, that Mary and Laura later referred to as The Rift. The Brit reappeared. Laura fell under his spell once again. And I, Mary thought, objected. I threw my friendship under the bus, because I didn't trust that my friend would ever come back to me. I was foolish and young and arrogant and I had this notion that friends were disposable, that they had a shelf life. I left my friend for dead, she thought. It was a horrible thing to do.

It took three years for Mary to regain her senses. Then she wrote Laura a note, and they met in a cafe.

“Have you seen any good shows lately?” Mary asked in the silence.

“I gave up television,” Laura said.

“You know, I wondered about that,” Mary said. “I saw one of your flyers. I was just walking down a street in the city, and I saw it on a telephone pole. I saw you were doing a performance piece on that.” She looked at her friend. “You're performing now?” Laura nodded.

“You were in it,” Laura said.

“I figured I would be.” They picked at their salads. “I'm sorry I wasn't there,” Mary said. “I'm sorry I missed it. I'm just so sorry.”

Mary asked about the Brit.

“I was jealous,” she said, “presumptuous.”

“It didn't last,” Laura said. “You could have waited it out.”

“I know, “ Mary said and then said, “Well, I actually didn't know then.”

“It's like the Bible,” Mary said. Laura gave her a look. “No,” she quickly, “I haven't become a fundamentalist or anything like that. But there's this idea in the Bible that's stuck in my head about not letting the sun set on your anger. It's just that notion of forgiveness. It's that idea of not going to bed pissed off. it's that sense that there's something so much more beyond our egos, beyond the petty differences, beyond our limitations, beyond our quirks, that we need to admit defeat and surrender and throw up our hands and love.”

“It's the  California Bible,” Mary said as they ate, “It's in the Book of Friendship.”

“Huh,” Laura said, “It might give Gideon a run for its money.” She leaned forward. “Now,” she said, “What have you been doing?”

“Two words,” Mary said, “Piano and baseball.”

Comments

[Lisa Kenney]

Wendy, I like this a lot. I'm glad they had the rift (not glad but -- that tends to happen in real life a lot). "The California Bible" cracks me up and I also like how you refer to the boyfriend as "the Brit". Baseball, we've had a peek into, but the piano, I'm anxious to hear about. Very nice job and I continue to be intrigued by this friendship.

[Steve Wylder]

Saint Paul of Turlock! I love the way Mary renders Paul into Californian, and does it in a way that makes the passage relevant to the situation. Mary has a better grip on theology than a lot of priests and ministers. For other readers, the reference is Ephesians, 4:26. I admit having to look it up.

[Timothy Hallinan]

Wendy -- Like everyone else, I love the California Bible, and I think the entire piece continues to demonstrate a really delicate sensibility that's been very much part of what I've enjoyed in the story thus far.

I hope you'll string this whole chapter into its proper order and put it up again, because I'd love to read it, especially now that I know what happens at the end of it.

You're writing beautifully.

[Wendy]

thanks, everyone for your very kind words. I really appreciate them.

I might not have anything this week. I was away for a three day weekend, and have a bunch of work deadlines to meet and complete. If I can get something up, I will, but this may be my bye week. (And I'm sorry I've been slow/remiss in my reading as well. Work has been really demanding.)

thanks, again, Wendy

Tim: I'm going to try to write the rest in sequence (we'll see how that goes) Once it's all done, I will post it all correctly.