I'm not dead.
I know, it surprised me too! I was beginning to wonder, considering that it's been like TWENTY YEARS since I posted anything.
But, no, it wasn't the grim reaper's fault. Instead, blame the lack of action on...laziness. Yep, pure laziness.
For some reason, I've actually been enjoying myself lately. As in, taking time to soak up life's little pleasures. You know, sitting on the porch during an insanely bright sunset. Re-reading my favorite children's book, the one that's all dusty from sitting on my parents' bookshelf for two decades. Designing stupid t-shirts that depict my love for all things vegan & travel-related.
Wait, maybe that last one only applies to me.
Whatever. You get the point.
Anyway, the laziness is still here (trust me, it's very much alive!). Buuuut, in spite of my incessant desire to RELAX, lately I've been hit with the urge to write. Taking too long of a break from writing is like some form of medieval torture for me. It's about time to get back into psycho mode.
I've got a story to tell, after all.
This one's a little gritty. Maybe a PG-13 rating. That's risque for a Disney-lovin' girl like me.
I won't give the premise, but I will say it takes place (part-time) in Vegas. Only, the main character never meant to wind up there. For that reason, I'm toying around with the title "Accidentally Vegas." Ehhh, not my best title...I may scrap it for something else. But for now, it'll do.
Here's a snippet.
Love, Lisa
He didn’t pick up when I called.
Hey, call me when u get a chance, I texted. There was a sinking feeling in my gut, one that told me Jordan wasn’t going to call. We’d been through this charade before. I wrote to him, he ignored me. It was like sending text messages to a rock.
I pounded my fist against the dresser. I wanted to chuck my cell phone out the window, but I knew that I couldn’t afford a new phone. I couldn’t even afford a cover for mine, which had gotten scratched and cracked in the three months I’d owned it.
Linda was at work. I had the house to myself, but this was the last thing I wanted. I needed someone nearby. I needed a distraction. Badly.
My shirt came off so quickly it’s a miracle it didn’t rip. Rifling through my dresser, I snatched a pink swimsuit. This one held no memories; I hadn’t worn it in years. It wasn’t a reminder of days spent along the coast, admiring the waves with the one human being who could shape my every emotions and dream.
I slithered into the bikini and bolted out the door. There was no time to think, no time to feel sorry for myself. Music blasted through the worn-out speakers in my car. I could feel myself slipping into auto-pilot mode. When things got confusing, I became a robot. It seemed to work just fine.
God, you’ve got to know how much this sucks, I said silently. Not much of a prayer. Then again, at least I wasn’t lying.
I leapt from my car and dashed toward the water. The beach was sparsely populated; not only was it a Thursday, but it was also late in the afternoon. Not exactly the ideal time for a sun-tanning session.
The waves crashed against white sand. There was force in the water, as though it had been given the same bad news I’d received today. The foam inched closer to my toes. Seagulls circled overhead, and I listened for a while. Just stood still and listened.
Then I dove beneath the surface of the water. It was such a soothing sound, the liquid rushing all around me. I could almost forget the rhythm of my own heart.
What would happen if I stayed down here? I wondered briefly. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt at all. Maybe my tired lungs would just give up without a fight.
My parents would miss me, of course. But they’d recover. And they would never have to know the truth. They could think of me as their princess, a girl who was lost in an awful accident. I’d be untarnished.
Even though I knew it was a mistake, I opened my eyes. The salt water stung like a thousand tiny needles. It poked at the surface of my eyes but I kept them open anyway. I didn’t have the energy to blink.
And then a raging fire erupted in my chest. It was explosive and sudden, like a semi-truck crashing into my body. Without thinking twice, I jumped above the crest of the wave. Air couldn’t fill my lungs quickly enough. I tilted my head back and stared at the sky. Not a single cloud, not even in the distance.
An airplane soared overhead. When I spotted the SkyLine emblem on the wing, my heart jumped a little. This was my company, after all. Maybe someone I knew was working that flight. One of my friends from training, perhaps. Or a senior mama, the kind that had worked for the airline since its inception. There was no way to tell. But, whoever the flight attendants were, they were my kin. In a weird way, we were all connected by our lives of instability and uncertainty.
And mine is only going to get more uncertain from this point on, I reflected as the airplane weaved through the sky.
