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Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Town Called Irony

Suzy was born to hit the ground running, destined to change the face of the earth, starting with the smallest town in the ugliest corner of the world.
 Two doors over, Laura rarely ventured outside her yard unless it was to go to school, and she had every intention of breathing her very last breath in the house her grandfather built. She learned how to bake at her grandmother’s knee. Her father taught her how to drive out on the back roads that took them to the empty shopping plaza parking lot on Sundays. When she wasn’t petitioning the town to keep the old Lawson water pump in working order, it was to protect the hundred-year-old oak on the village green.
 Suzy was aching to shake the dust of her hometown off her shoes, scared if she didn’t she’d soon be seeing her own reflection in the faces of her neighbors. Those old farts who stuck around town waiting for their high school reunions to roll around every year were like taunting demons. ‘I won’t let you catch me,’ she wanted to shriek after burning the rubber off the tires of a smart little import that would let her peal out of town again and again every Thanksgiving.
 Laura always smiled at Suzy’s fantasy and tried not to dwell on Grandmother’s words:
 ‘That girl moves too fast for her own shadow.”
 Of course it was Suzy who noticed the new kid in town, and the first thing she did was introduce him to Laura. They were destined for greatness, she claimed. If only one of them had declined the dare, backed down from the challenge, been willing to concede to the others.
 Laura still bakes. Suzy never misses a high school reunion. The new kid left town in a smart little import right after graduation.

    DWELL 3a : to keep the attention directed —used with on or upondwell on my fears>

Silver for Trifecta week 64!! (http://www.trifectawritingchallenge.com/2013/02/trifextra-week-fifty-five.html)

38 comments:

  1. My husband is from a tiny town, and you've totally nailed the characters that inhabit it!

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  2. I like the contrast between the two girls. (:

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    1. They say opposites attract... Thanks, Draug!

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  3. I love these characters and their story. You seem to have perfectly described the small town mentality, though I'm sort of sad Suzy seems stuck. Great one!

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    1. You get small-town mentalities even in big cities sometimes. Thanks so much, lumdog!

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  4. Made me think of my high school yearbook and the kids inside. Some of each I think. Loved the part about the petitioning... God I know a few like that... I'll take Suzy, thank you. But it does take all kinds. I liked Grandmother's quote.

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    1. Just so you know, Laura's the better cook. : ) Thanks for the close read, Ted!

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  5. Great capture of that small town feel. I grew up in such a town. I was the one who left, but I still have a good friend, a Laura, that I stay in contact with even though we are very different people. But the bond of the hometown is strong. Nice job, Kymm.

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    1. They say you can't go home again, but I doubt we can ever really leave anyway. Thanks so much, Steph!

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  6. This is really good. I could imagine it perfectly.

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  7. This is fabulous! Took me right back to my high school. Love how well you've nailed the small town characters.

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    1. High school always seems to be just around the corner, doesn't it? Thanks so much, Suzanne!

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  8. I love the way you build a story-line up, never missing out on the small details. Good work, kymm

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    1. Small towns give you plenty of time to study small details, he he. Thanks, Rashmi!

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  9. Love the contrast between the characters. Love Grandpa's assessment of Suzy. Neat write.

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    1. Yeah, I think that phrase came to me in a dream. Thanks, Kelly!

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  10. small town-- something i'm very familiar with :) i like the way you've created your characters. i can easily imagine them.

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    1. Yeah, I got far away, but the dust still cakes my shoes. Thanks, kz!

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  11. Seems Suzy and Laura weren't all that different, after all! I got a little confused by that last sentence in the second to last paragraph, but I am sure that is just a typo. Great job describing the population so well!

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    1. Thanks for the heads up, Tina. I usually reread but this week's been busy. Thanks for reading!

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  12. I must admit, I know nothing of small towns personally but I found the story extremely enjoyable just the same. Very nice work.

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    1. Glad you enjoyed it anyway. Knowing something of small towns is no prerequisite. Thanks, Mis.

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  13. I'm from a small town and I think you've described the two types, those who love it and those who can't wait to leave it to a tee. What a great idea for a story. Nicely imagined! :D

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    1. Why are you the one to make me confess this? Laura and Suzy are actually either side of my split personality.
      THanks so much, Linda!

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  14. I love the ending. The last three sentences sum up their lives so well. How ironic that Suzy never left town and the new kid stole her young dream by leaving.

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    1. Well, it is always about the boy in the end, isn't it? Thanks for the love, Janna!

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  15. It's always about the boys ;-) Well done Kymm. I don't know the small town life either, but the characters you built took me to it.

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    1. Ha ha, isn't it though! Thanks for reading, "rambly"!

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  16. Rich in irony, indeed! When burning ambition :) fizzles out.

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    1. If irony makes you rich, then I'm a billionaire!
      Thanks, Colonialist!

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