Charlotte put the car in reverse and expertly K turned, kicking up loose gravel she barely applied the brakes when she reached the stop sign at the bottom of the steep driveway and then peeled off down the dirt road.
It wasn’t until her speedometer hit 55 on the highway that she felt the first tentative sting at the corner of her eyes. Swallowing hard, she punched the buttons on her iPod stopping the song she blamed for them, but even as the car pulsed with the bass of a favorite dance club mix her eyes still ached for release.
Mortified, she felt the first tear roll down her cheek, which of course led to another and soon she couldn’t see through the flood of them seeping from her eyes.
Steering the car off an exit, she came to a sudden stop and looked at herself in the rearview mirror. Surprise mixed with disbelief, “I don’t cry.” She said out loud. “I. Do NOT. Cry!” she yelled to no one but herself.
But she was, Charlotte was sobbing into her hands, her body shaking as the dam in her heart finally broke. It had been 6 years of holding back, silencing her voice and compromising her whole life for him and now it was over.
The thought caused even more liquid to explode from behind her eyelids, but those tears were released with pure happiness as if a noose around her neck had been loosened and removed.
Picking up her phone she pressed a button and soon a voice answered, with what could only be a three year old voice babbling in the background.
“Hey sweetie!” Kate said loudly over the niggling.
“Hi. Kate” Charlotte said, but there was no denying the catch in her voice.
“Char? are you ok?”
“Mmm Hmm.” Not trusting her voice again.
“Are you…. Are you crying?”
“Yep….”
“Oh….” Kate answered.
But Charlotte talked over the stunned voice of her best friend, “Katie, I left him.”
Happy Friday!
I am introducing my new characters today, you just met Charlotte and her best friend Kate. This story already has a “working title” called “Gathering Buttercups” and you’ll see why as I keep writing.
I also wanted to thank each of you that read and loved Kimmy and David. I have been overcome by the love some of you have had for their story especially this beautiful post that my friend Kristin wrote for me earlier this week. There are no words for how much her words meant to me. Thank you Kristin. (and I promise that you’ll see Kimmy & David again!)
and WOE actually used one of MY prompt ideas this week….I am so honored and HAPPY to introduce my new story using my OWN prompt!!!!
The cure for anything is salt water….sweat, tears or the sea.”
~ Isak Dinesen, pseudonym of Baroness Karen von Blixen-Finecke
Did you come to a resolution by the sea? Did a character reach a crossroads of sweat and tears?
have a great weekend everyone!
Yes. Yes. Yes. You captured what it feels like to really cry. This line. “she felt the first tentative sting at the corner of her eyes. Swallowing hard” made it real. Well done.
Oh thanks Lindy…I am so glad it conveyed her being appalled at her own crying…your comment made me happy. Thank you.
These are hard prompts to read… the tears pull at me! But Charlotte– there’s a girl I can relate to. I don’t cry, either. Crying hurts. And you described the pain of it so very well!
yes, Charlotte is just the kind of girl who can’t believe htthat she is crying at all..and I’m so glad that that came through with this. thank you for this comment, it really made me smile.
You did a fabulous job showing the emotions here, Kir. | even had a little tear. What a fabulous start to another great story. I can’t wait for next week.
MORE please.
HI Steph, well first I am glad it pulled you in and you liked it. As one of my inspirations and mentors that means a whole lot to me. As always I love seeing you here.
Oh that wonderful cathartic wail!
Looking forward to seeing more of Charlotte and Katie. Your prompt helped me get back into my stalled novel attempted so I am happy as well that your prompt was used
I am so glad about my prompt making you write…what a great thing!!!! that makes me happy.
and thank you for coming over to see Charlotte and Kate, their story is going to be entertaining, I assure you. So nice to have you here to share it.
I loved the build up to the release, you could gather a lot from her character by how sheis responding to her obvious devestation.
Can’t wait to see where this story takes us.
good…I’m glad I’m giving her that characterization, she is not one to cry and she is rather appalled that she is. I have a feeling you are going to have lots to say about this storyline…but that’s good…I can’t wait to hear it!!!!
I LOVE that after there were tears of hurt, there were tears of happiness, of pride. It’s so easy to think of tears as only being signs of sadness. So lovely, I’m looking foward to learning more about Char and Katie!
Hi there…
oh yes, her tears are definately ones of RELEASE and FREEDOM…as you’ll see in the coming weeks. Thank you for coming over to read and meet them. I love seeing you here.
So glad to meet the newest characters! You are a very talented writer!!
I AM soooooo glad you are here to meet them, I just love when you come by to say Hi Amy. xo
and here we go again …
sucked into your world of words, emotions and characters we want to lunch with
I think you are going to like these girls too….plus I just love being able to share these ladies in my head with the ladies in my life. It’s part of what keeps me writing them. xo
Wonderfully said!
thank you my sweet friend. WOW, I just love having you around
xo
After shedding many mixed tears this month, I can relate. Except that, unlike Charlotte, I am a cryaby. Write more, please.
I too am a crybaby….a BIG WAILING crybaby
SO writing her is fun because I need to go inside myself and find her. 
I will be writing her ALL YEAR darlin. Hope you’re here to read it. xo
The dam burst, indeed! I loved how Charlotte fought crying every step, even in her victory. That made it more real to me.
WOW, thank you!!! From you, that kind of compliment is a Keeper to me. WOW. I am so glad you enjoyed it.
I loved this. Charlotte is so much like me.
ahhh, you are not a crier…but if you saw yourself in her..then I did my job with the writing (I hope) and that makes me happy.
THANK YOU for reading and commenting.
Write on Edge loves you, Kir. Your enthusiasm, talent, and loyalty keep us going.
And I’m excited to get to know your new characters!
I AM NOTHING without any of you.
(and um, STOP making me cry…I am beside myself this month with tears.
xo
I love Kimmy and David so I am looking forward to this story. I am glad I will be reading from the start. I had to backread for Kimmy and David at first. Let’s just say I am hooked already.
I am smiling so hard right now my face hurts…because for someone of YOUR talent to say they liked something I did is just a miracle to me. thank you,,,,I have a feeling you are going to like Charlotte even when she does goofy stuff.
I need to start the Kimmie and David story from the beginning. I was late coming to the story, but loved every. single. word! This is an awesome beginning to a new story. You go girl!
thank you…what a truly wonderful thing to say to me. I hope you like Kimmy and David …and I hope you hang around to get to know Charlotte and Kate…it’s so nice to have you here.
First of all, I LOVED this week’s prompt, so thank you for that.
Secondly, this was great. There is something jarring about someone who never cries, crying. I can’t wait to hear more about why she left.
I’m so glad, thank you for saying that….really you don’t know what it means to me.
oh I think you’re going to like this story…at least I hope so. Her tears are the first of many “new things” for Charlotte…I can’t wait to write her.
I am SUCH a crier, so I loved this. I can’t wait to hear more from Charlotte (that was one of my serious contenders when we were naming Abbey!)
me too…I am such a crier that it’s hard to write about NOT CRYING or not knowing what to do because I’m crying…but I think that this one came out the way it should have. Charlotte is ready to “gather her buttercups”.
I love this name too….it was on our short list too.
xo
The email for this post has been sitting in my mailbox for weeks…read. I read this the day it came out. I came back to make sure I had commented and I am disappointed I didn’t. I only read half of Kimmy and David and I loved every morsel I got to read of that story. I am SOOOOOO excited to be reading the very beginning of a Kir original. I have like three other emails of your posts waiting to be opened, but I want just the right moment because I am hoping one of them is the next story about Charolotte. I can hardly stand the wait! You constantly amaze me and I find myself being filled with so much pride every time you write. You are do deliciously talented and I just to see it all! I’m a lucky girl! MWAH -LV