Consequences

"Who could possibly quarrel with eyes like those?" she wondered, taking the cold cloth from her face and leaning toward the mirror. The tears had stopped and her eyes, soothed by the cool water, gazed back at her: two enigma variations in greenish-blue. She slowly ran the cloth around the small stainless steel sink, and then set her purse on the counter, unzipped the center compartment and took out a tube of mascara; steadying her hand she applied the thick black color to her lashes, and then pulled a tissue from the dispenser and carefully dabbed away an errant spot from the fold beneath her left eye.

Why had she gone there for the holidays? She was old enough now to have predicted the first rush of happiness at being home again, the enthusiastic greetings and favorite foods, and then, once everyone’s initial physical and emotional hungers were sated, the beginning of the questions and her awareness of the two red spots on her cheeks that appeared when she was angry or humiliated, even though her long legs in the expensive stockings had remained gracefully crossed and the rapid beating of her heart quite hidden beneath the pale pink linen shirt and confident grey suit.

Well: it was over. She closed her purse, opened the door, and stepped out into the aisle. The plane was full, and the anonymous strangers suddenly seemed as benevolent as the happy clouds outside the windows. A person could walk right through them without falling.

This is the ninth post in an ongoing online game of Consequences. Each successive entry begins with the closing lines of its predecessor. Entries are 250 words long, and are linked thematically. The series started with Hydragenic and was followed by Patteran Pages, Porous Borders, The Middlewesterner, Feathers of Hope, Blaugustine, Small Change, and Via Negativa. The series will soon continue at 3rd House Journal.

Comments

[Dick]

Another seamless thumbnail triumph. Beth, this is great.

[Natalie]

What Dick said. So much is encapsulated in this little cameo, complete of itself.

[Dave]

Killer last line, Beth. Great writing.

[Marja-Leena]

As the others said! Love the play of emotions finishing up with that stunning last line.

[Kaycie]

How wonderful, Beth. When I was a young girl flying on vacation with my parents, I always wanted to try walking on the clouds. I hadn't thought of that for years.

[elizabeth]

So good. I love your memoir-writing, but these forays into fiction make me hope you'll take that path from time to time, too.

[Hg]

Echoing Dave, I love the last line.