I am lying on the couch, trying to decide what to do with my day. I am home alone and it's boring. Suddenly, outside I hear a noise... I lift up my head, and strain my ears. I am certain that this is just wishful thinking. Then I hear it, the car door slams and there is the unmistakable beep of her car alarming. "She's home!!!" I jump off the couch, repeating my cheer over and over. My tail is wagging a mile a minute. I wait patiently and sit like-a-good-girl for her to put down all of her stuff, and pet me. I do a happy dance. Normally, she heads to the small room with the water bowl that is not for me, and comes back to put food in my bowl. Today she heads down the hall to the sleeping den and lays across the bed. I jump up next to her confused because it is not dark. I worry she forgot the food, I lick her face and it is wet and salty. I am worried of a lead. I lick more and think it worked, and she smiles. "I love you" she sits up. "Let's eat."

My mind holds me hostage until

Exhaustion overwhelms me

Finally respite, the soundness of sleep.

Nina pushed the cobwebs out of her face, and adjusted her light. The attic was disgusting. She estimated that there was at least three generations worth of junk up here. She wished her grandmother had taken more time to go through it all before she passed. Now, with her mother in the throes of grief and the bank closing in on the old house there wasn’t much time to look through the attic for hidden treasures. Nina prayed she could find a Picasso or a Monet hidden amongst the junk. Anything really that could be sold off to help her mother keep her childhood home would be great.

After about an hour, she had a pile of items set aside to go to auction. She stood up quickly from her stooped perched and slammed her shoulder on to the edge of a hat box. The box toppled over, spilling its contents across the floor revealing a stack of letters. Curiously Nina picked one up and opened it noting it to be addressed to her Grandfather.

Scanning the letter briefly, she read the words, "You'd want to keep me. I'd want to be kept. What a disaster that would be." Intrigued, Nina scooped the stack back into the hat box and headed downstairs. Washing her hands of dust and grabbing a snack she headed in to the formal library. She flicked on the light and settled into her favorite reading spot.

Dear John,

You are without a doubt the greatest man I have ever met. When I am with you I feel safe, loved and protected. Which is why it is so difficult for me to tell you that I must turn down your marriage proposal. I wish I could tell you in person, but I don’t know when I would see you again. You have returned to the Army base after your furlough, and I have just found out that I will be leaving for the United States for my next film. I was just cast as a lead in a movie called Casablanca John, a lead! The fact of the matter is, that if I married you, You'd want to keep me. I'd want to be kept. What a disaster that would be. What an utter tragedy of lost potential. I could not possibly give up now on my dreams of being and actress. I know that lifestyle is not for you John, and I respect you too much to allow you to compromise your dreams for me.

Ever Your Darling,

Ingrid

Nina’s mouth dropped open. No, it couldn’t be. Could it? She knew the movie well, having watched it hundreds of times with her grandfather.  She flipped over the envelope and saw the return address for the first time. Miss Ingrid Bergman. The address was from Sweden. A quick perusal indicated that the entire pack was letters written by the World War 2 starlet. 

Nina let out a strangled shout. She looks up towards the sky, “Thank you Poppa” she whispered, and ran out of the room to show her mother.

When I give you a heart on these posts, it's because I really liked it.  I rarely notice who wrote something at first.    It either is something that really speaks to me, or jumps out as just an excellent piece of writing.  I also try to comment too at times, to tell authors what I actually liked about their piece.  I like the feed back too! 

Sitting in the waiting room

The noise was deafening

The child that has been screaming

As a harried father holds tries to reel him in

The chatter of the staff behind the desk

The click of her own heels on the linoleumAs she paces back and forth

The carts that clatter with broken wheels

The incessant beeping of machines

And monitors, that crescendo

When the metallic doors slam closed and open

Revealing the Doctor

Her heart pounds in her ears

"How is he?" She cries

The pause is too long

His eyes will not meet hers

The world stops spinning

And the silence engulfs her

Never so silent, and never so loud

She cannot hear his responseAs the silence pulls her to the dark.

I work hard, and I get good pay

I wonder though if I should stay

The stress fills me with rage

I appeared to have agedBut my boss says I just need a lay.

I always wanted to write my own story

But you wanted to write it for me

I could get my silly degree

(As if six and a half years and a doctorate-

was equivalent to a certificate)

But you knew that when I was done

You would tuck me away

In a home in New Jersey with 2.5 kids

And a dog

You wanted to control my body

Told me that if I would just let you

You could tell me what I would like

You could be my master

I couldn't breath

But I didn't even know I was drowning

But the final bells rang and we went homeTo the holidays and to our families

The cold air hit my face

And I could BREATHE

For the first time in months

I could see the shoreAnd I knew what I had to do

I told you it was meAfraid to hurt you with the truth

But in the end I had to say it

When you wouldn't let me go

I had to make it stop

Scared to be a statistic I always knew

It wasn't me - It was you.