An original short story: English Comp

Hi guys! It's been a while since I posted. I've been busy writing. The big news is I'm writing a book! It's a suspense/crime novel about a girl who is kidnapped into a human trafficking ring and (of all things) the PSYCHIC who helps the police and FBI in the search. It's a pretty dark subject, but I'm really enjoying writing it.

To counterbalance that heavy subject matter, I'm still writing my short stories, and I'm making a concerted effort to keep those on the lighter side. To that end, here's my latest short story. It's 1000 words and the prompt was "Jewel." I hope you enjoy it!

*****

“Mom, I brought you something.”

Laura looked up from scrubbing a pot. “What is it, love?”

Jenny pulled a large booklet out of her backpack. “It’s a course catalogue. Fall registration is in a few weeks. I thought you might want to take a look…see if something catches your eye.”

“Oh, honey. Thank you for thinking of me, but now might not be the best time. After all, we found out this week that the hot water heater is on its last leg. And Dad’s business always slows down in the fall, which means less money coming in—"

“Mom.” Jenny tugged Laura away from the sink and into a kitchen chair.

“You’ve always said you wanted to go back to school, that not attending college was one of your biggest regrets.” Her earnest blue eyes searched Laura’s.

“You’re always so busy taking care of us – me and my girls, Josh and his kids, Dad – everyone. There will always be a hot water heater, Mom, but maybe now’s the time to do something just for you. At least think about it?”

What a girl we’ve raised. Sudden tears came to Laura’s eyes as she fingered the edges of the catalogue.

“Well, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to look.”

 #####

Laura glanced around the room full of young girls in low-rise jeans, boys gathered around them like moons circling bright planets. She’d never felt older or frumpier. Every one of these kids is younger than my own. What was I thinking? I don’t belong here. She reached for her purse.

Just then Professor Eric Compton walked into the lecture hall. He was in his 50s, tall and slim, with a prematurely receding hairline and dark framed glasses. He has a kind face.

“All right, people. Settle down. Welcome to English Composition 101.”

 #####

“What was I thinking, Mark? I can’t do this. I can’t write 1500 words about an ethical dilemma I’ve encountered. I can’t even think of one. And even if I could, I wouldn’t have 1500 words to say about it!”

“Just slow down, babe. Let’s think about this for a minute. Hey, what about when you caught Josh with his pockets full of candy he took from Jim Reeder’s store? You got plenty fired up over that, and I’m pretty sure you had 1500 words to say about it.” Mark winked at Laura.

“Not only did you make him return it and apologize to Jim, you had him at the store every Saturday for months, washing windows and sweeping the floor. That’s how we became such good friends with the Reeders. I remember after it was all over you told me a part of you wanted to just throw the candy away and punish Josh without embarrassing him, but you decided the life lesson he would learn was more important than his – or our – humiliation.”

Laura closed her eyes and breathed in that long-ago memory, felt it envelop her. She remembered Josh’s tears and how her heart had twisted, wanting nothing more than to hug her little boy and tell him it was all right, that all was forgiven and forgotten. But she couldn’t because it wasn’t all right. And it wouldn’t be all right until he made it right.

“Thank you, love. I think I can write about that.”

 #####

“Class, I’ve read and graded your first essays, and I have to say I’m disappointed. Many of them lack a clearly defined thesis. Some of you did communicate a fundamental thesis but failed in your development and support of that thesis. Many lacked originality and sound structure. There was no fluency; your words were flat.” As Professor Compton spoke, he walked among the students, placing their papers in front of them. As he reached Laura, he hesitated, then spoke again.

“However, there are a few of you who excelled. Your papers were organized and well-developed, and you communicated clearly and effectively.” He placed Laura’s essay before her. An A. She looked up at Professor Compton and he gave her a small encouraging smile.

“Well done.”

 #####

“Jenny, what are your thoughts on gun regulation?”

“What?”

“I’m writing an argumentative paper in favor of stricter gun regulation and just wanted to get your thoughts on it.”

Jenny laughed. “Well, mom…I guess I’m for it.”

“Wow…thanks for the help.” Laura stuck out her tongue at her daughter.

 #####

The semester nearly ended, Laura readied herself for the final exam which would be a multiple choice section as well as two essays written during class. The essay topics would only be revealed during the exam. Even though she knew she’d come a long way in her writing, Laura’s anxiety was high. As she walked into the lecture hall, she chatted with her classmates, many of whom she’d gotten to know and like through group workshops, and she felt her anxiety lessen just a bit. No longer feeling the odd man out, Laura knew she belonged. I’ll do my best. It’s all I can do.

 #####

Christmas came and went with its flurry of activities. Laura and Mark enjoyed their grandchildren and made the most of their visits. New Year’s Eve was a quiet affair with just the two of them. Mark made a roaring fire and they toasted the New Year with Champagne.

“I’m so proud of you, babe. You’ve talked about going back to school for years, and look at you. You’re like a shining jewel.” He touched his glass to hers. Laura warmed to his words but chuckled.

“Maybe you should wait to be proud of me ‘til we see if I passed or not.”

“You know you’ve passed. You’ve made good grades all semester. That professor really likes your writing.”

“Thank you, love. I’m still nervous but grades should be posted soon.”

 #####

Laura clicked on the link and logged in. This was it. The spinning blue circle matches my thoughts perfectly. I just hope— The screen opened and Laura read her results out loud.

“English Composition 101 – A!  Mark, I got an A!”