All Installments of Gathering Buttercups are right HERE!
Katie moved through the living room picking up strewn toys almost as fast as Zach was emptying another bin of matchboxes onto the floor.
“BUGGA!” Katie laughed, her arms overflowing.
“MOOOMMMYYY!” Zach shouted back, a smile splitting his 3 year old face.
Despicable Me was on in the background and Zach suddenly dropped the car he was holding to imitate a favorite part.
Hand on his small jutted hip and pointer finger raised to the sky he channeled Gru’s voice, “Da Mooooon!!!”
That’s all it took, a single word, to force Katie to grab the top of the couch to keep herself from sinking to her knees. In a flashback worthy of soapy daytime television, she was suddenly back in that dimly lit hotel room with Lance, his hands and mouth in places that hadn’t been catered to for years. He’d talked to her the whole time he’d made love to her, “Where should I take you beautiful? Paris? Kiss. “Back to the islands?” Nuzzle. “To the moon?” and then he had, taken her right out of this world that night.
She’d literally quivered with the emotions she no longer had to keep bottled up.
Coming back to the living room, she dropped the cars in a jangle of metal and reached for her phone. Before she could stop or rethink it she texted Lance, “I love and miss you.”
Send.
Taking a deep breath Katie pushed another button and mercifully Charlotte answered on the first ring.
“Hey buttercup!”
“Hi sweets…” Katie answered, her voice full of conflict.
“Oh no…” Charlotte sighed.
“Oh yes…” Katie said back, a small sob escaping before she could stop it.
Katie could almost see Charlotte nodding her head and pushing whatever pressing emergency was sitting on her desk to the side.
“What happened?” she asked.
“Zach just imitated Despicable Me”
“I love that movie!”
“Me too. It’s the Cookie Robots that get me every time”
“So that’s what sent you into a moral crisis?”
Katie sniffled and then started giggling, Charlotte did too, knowing the best thing to do was cut through the bullshit and past all the tension. She wasn’t going to let her get away with judging herself about her feelings for Lance.
She heard Charlotte take a deep breath, “Buttercup? I just want you to be happy. If Lance makes you feel that way, if you love him and want to try again you have my full support. You know that.”
“ But what about Zach and Anthony? “Katie paused and added, “Or Sara and Blake…?”
Charlotte stopped her and lowered her voice, “Katie you’re my best friend. I haven’t heard you so happy or full of life, in years. “
“And you’ll be here if it all goes to shit?”
“Of course!” Charlotte laughed, “Like I’d miss that?” and then lowering her voice in a conspiratorial tone “ Now let me tell you all about how I haven’t spent a night away from Nick since I came back from Boston…”
Angie reminded us to “own your words, embrace your strengths, and believe in your writing.”
With that in mind, for Friday’s WOE prompt you have 500 words to write a piece, fiction or non-fiction, which includes the phrase “to the moon.”
Wow. I think this is the best installment so far. The raw emotions are so perfectly told. The fact that something he son says sends her into a flashback about her lover is really telling about how far deep she is in.
And the dialogue between Katie and Charlotte is SO real.
Also? This line, “his hands and mouth in places that hadn’t been catered to for years” is hot
Vic, do you really think so? Wow, that makes me very happy. I can’t tell you what this comment meant to me.
I just channel my own best friend when they talk, we are just like this, honestly.
You made my day Vic, thank you.
I would agree with V. The flashback is very hot, and it’s so true to life, how seemingly innocent things trigger memories.
Thank you Nancy, I was trying to channel that reaction and I’m glad it worked, that the simplest thing can send you to your knees, make you remember and react.
thank you for coming over to read it, that means a lot to me.
Wow. That packed a punch. I liked your description of her having that flashback–that was nicely done!
I sometimes think that it shouldn’t be that easy to text a person, since we don’t always filter ourselves through that medium, but I’m hopeful that things will work out for the best.
you liked it? YAY, it’s a good day then.
I know texting is going to be the downfall of us as a society, it’s so hard not to just REACT, to every single thing or lack of. It’s enough to make sane people crazy.
thanks for coming over to read it, you KNOW it means the world to me.
great dialogue between great friends
The stuff with the kids is very good background to Katie’s internal “stuff”.
This is a well written installment. I loved it.
I just channel my best friend since we DO talk like this. With more cursing.
as soon as I read moon, I thought of that movie (I think we might watch it too much…NAH! I love it)
thanks for just reading it. you liking it? Just the icing!!!
The kids scene made this tangible.The last exchange between the friends, was spot on for the way women talk. My one crtique, which I am always uncomfotable to give is, the sentence, “She’s literally quivered with the emotions she no longer had to keep bottled up.” I had to read it over a few times, the uasge of “She’s” threw me. Maybe it was just me. Great stuff, as always.
HI Lindy,
thank you for such a great comment. I channel my own best friend, I call her sometimes and say the things that I want Katie or Char to say and se how we each respond. I changed it to She’d..does that help?
and thank you for just reading it, I appreciate you just being here (even if you hate it.)
have a great weekend
xo
The Zach background sets it up for me and the conflicting feelings. “Like I’d miss that?” love it and perfect supporting, humorous, real response from a best friend. Can’t wait to hear about Charlotte and Nick. I think I’ve mentioned I love the older/younger theme
Thank you, I wanted it to come from nowhere and knock the wind out of her, I think it worked. Love that does, it sneaks up and just takes over.
and now that I’ve set Katie and Lance up for a little while, it’s time to turn my attention to Char and Nick…they are getting hot and heavy these days too.
I seriously don’t know if I can take this anymore. My heart is telling Katie to run to Lance and deal with the fallout later. Why does that feel so right when I would never want that to happen in my life but know it could…it could happen to any one of us. I love this story! xoxo
I loved this excerpt and would love to read more. You certainly caught my attention and drew me in, wanting more. Definitely well-written!
HI Tessa,
thank you so much for coming over to read and I’m so glad you liked it. That’s the nicest compliment,from someone that doesn’t know me at all. THANK YOU so much.
You are very welcome and I have started reading the other excerpts a little at a time and they are all well written. I like reading series where I get to know the characters and this is similar to that.
I’m with Victoria and Nancy, this is the best bit yet of this story. I don’t know anyone who hadn’t had the wind knocked out of them by a casual remark, and the flashback is great.
well thank you Cam, to have you give me that kind of comment always makes my day.
I’m glad that this worked, that the story is progressing and the characters are talking to me. To have you like so many parts of it is such a nice surprise today. THANK YOU.
You know Katie’s in deep when even her little guy reminds her about Lance and her feelings for him!
I like the unequivocal support they have for each other; everyone needs that kind of friendship in their lives.
I know…but sometimes that’s all it takes, to TAKE US right back to that moment. I think I’m watching Despicable Me too much because as soon as I read MOON, it was the first thing I thought of.
Katie and Charlotte are the best kind of friends, I truly truly adore them. (and am so glad I have a friendship like they do)
Katie! tsk tsk Girl’s gonna crash. Charlotte better keep her word and stick by her when she does!
Your flashback was PERFECT! love LOVE it!
OH I LOVE that you’re here!!!! YAY.
don’t worry the crash isn’t coming anytime soon…she and Lance are going to have a HOT summer
Thank you for coming over and reading it. SO MUCH.
I know I didn’t go into great details in my earlier email so I’ll try to give a bit more feedback now
Overall, Love the emotion. I love how you threw in that flashback, definitely demonstrates the emotional involvement.
You fixed those few little niggly edits I noticed so no worries there.
Curious: that “Love you and miss you” text…was that the one Lance received at the bar, the one that made him all “cat who caught the canary” satisfied and happy?
I didn’t get an email from you!!! I was thinking…”GOD SHE HATED this!!” now I feel better.
no, this was not that text, she was away during that time and had told him she couldn’t text or call..and you see how that worked out for her don’t you??? LOL
I’m just glad that this piece moved the plot along for both of them, time to concentrate some time on Char and Nick now
I really enjoyed reading this! I think the background with the kids and that one character that took you back to another world was very real. But I especially loved the dialogue between you and your friend!
Hello Yvonne and thank you so much. It’s always great to have a new face around here. I am just glad you enjoyed the story, it means a lot to me. I do channel my best friend when I write Kate and Char…while this is a fictional story, I like making seem as real as I can with our responses.
I appreciate your visit..thank you.
Book signings, city to city … fans and autographs … I see it all xxxx
OH Nicole, you will not make me CRY OR BLUSH today..(you know you will, dammit) ..it’s not that good, but if you are enjoying it, if you look forward to the stories, that is MORE THAN ENOUGH for me.
love u xoxo
As always, supremely well written. I love the contrast between the innocence of “Despicable Me” and the flashback. Well done!
HI!! thanks so much for coming over to read it, that means a lot to me. SO glad you are enjoying the story (that really is the best compliment. )
Hope you’re having a fantastic weekend.
GREAT installment!
thank you Misty, for visiting and for reading…that means a lot to me.
As always, totally late to the party.
I loved the flashback scene too. Just like last week with the texts, I can totally relate. Maybe not to the exact situation, but the feeling of leading a double life, of feeling like a sexy woman while out with a man and then picking up toys and taking care of the mundane in my “real” life as a mom.
I’m still so torn by this because there’s going to be fallout. I can feel it. And as much as I want her to find happiness, I think she’s playing with a fire that’ll leave her burned.
I love when you visit Mandy, are you SURE you don’t want to “write with me” ..pretty please???
I’m glad that you liked this and could relate, I think we all feel like this sometimes, even in committed relationships, we are doing nothing special and a memory slams us.
the fallout isn’t coming soon, I’m giving Katie and Lance the summer they deserve
xo