November 17, 2014

TRAVELS, PART FOUR.

Note: Yep, it's another installment to my newest fiction piece. It's been awhile and my new goal is to have a new installment written (not necessarily published/posted) each month. I'm not always the best at keeping up with my goals, but you can always hope, right? Anyway, you can catch up (or refresh yourself) with chapter one, chapter two, and chapter three.
image via Unsplash.

"So, I guess a congratulations is in order?" Jeremy replied, looking down at my stomach.

A simple "thanks" was all I could muster out of my mouth. What was I supposed to say next? It was the truth and it wasn't a lie. Jeremy could have easily made a joke of it, but I could tell he knew I wasn't joking around this time.

10 weeks along and no idea what I was doing. 10 weeks along and there was a human growing inside of me. A human who I had no idea how I was going to raise on my own.

"So do you know if it's a girl or boy?" he asked innocently. I could tell he was trying to lessen the tension, trying to make light of the sudden turn in our conversation.

"Not yet. I don't think I'll actually be able to know for a little while now." My eyes met his and that same sparkle was there, just not as bright anymore.

"So now that I've let the cat out of the bag..."

"Yeah..." he scratched the back of his head and I heard the buzz of his phone.

"You probably just want to stick some headphones into your ears and answer that text, right?" I asked.

He turned his phone upside down and laid it down on the tray that was open over his lap.

"If there's one thing my mom always taught me, it's that you don't leave a conversation with a girl on an awkward note." 

I smiled and our eyes met again. This time when they met, we both blushed and looked away.

My phone dinged this time and I looked at the screen and then put it down again. There was no way I was going to let a text from Drew interrupt us this time.

"So let's de-awkward-ize this conversation, shall we?"

I looked over at our seatmate at the far end of our row, still asleep and then I whispered, I wonder if he's pretending to be asleep but is really listening to our entire conversation."

Jeremy leaned in closer and responded by saying, "Well, if he really is asleep, he's missed out on quite the conversation." 

"Quite the conversation indeed." I looked at the older man again, and then changed the subject. 

"So what do you do for a living? I mean, what's out in California for you?" 

"Well, I'm actually not quite sure. I was invited to come out to California to participate in a gallery showing. I'm a photographer and was asked to show some of my photos out in a small gallery in Santa Barbara. There's a photography school out there, I think, and I'd love to get more involved out there."

"Wow, that's awesome," I started. 

"Awesome in terms of adventure? Yes. But wow? Not so much. I made it sound a lot more fascinating than it really is. I'm not exactly getting paid the big bucks to be out here, but it's something and I need any money I can get to help out my siblings. Help them go to school, you know?"

"Yeah, sure," I replied. Jeremy was starting to sound more and more like the perfect guy and this was going to make the descent down to the tarmac that much harder for me. 


23 comments

  1. Love it! I love seeing/reading other people's creativeness!

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  2. Aaah, you totally made my day! I was waiting anxiously for the next installment. I love Liza. And your writing style even more!! You write so clearly. Does that make sense? I've read every installment around three times now. Can't wait to see how it continues.

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  3. Nice. If you ever need a beta reader or critique partner, let me know. I'm writing a novel too.

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  4. i need to know where this is heading. there are soooo many avenues it could go...EEP can't wait for the next installment!

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  5. Love reading your creative writing!

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  6. Thank you Chelsea! I love getting feedback from others, but especially from writers like you. My heart is beaming right now! :)

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  7. Same here, haha. Sooooo many different ways to take this story line and I am so excited to see where it goes. I pretty much plop down, plug my earbuds in and see where the story takes me next.


    Speaking of writing and installments, I'm kinda dying to find out what happens with yours!!

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  8. Thanks, Angela! I'm actually pretty amazed that I've gone to chapter four with this one, haha. I'm pretty much known for NOT sticking with a story line. :)

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  9. Aw, thanks Ladonna! I've gone back and forth between asking for critiques and reviews, and if I decide to I'll definitely keep you in mind!

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  10. Thanks, Josie! It makes me so excited to hear that you're excited about my writing and actually enjoy it, too. :) And I really loved hearing that you find my writing to be clear (I love feedback like that!). I definitely try to be as vivid, descriptive, and clear as possible when I write. So it means a lot to hear you see it that way. :)

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  11. Thank you!! I love seeing everyone's creativity, too. Especially YOURS. :)

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  12. woohooo you're very talented friend!
    and i knowwwww i might get some smashed out tonight. i'm in that "I REALLY DON'T LIKE BOYS" mood...so that would be PERFECT for writing bailey's story ;) haha

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  13. can't wait to see what happens next!!!

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  14. i love this! I am excited to see where you go with it next :)

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  15. That sounds like the PERFECT mood for writing Bailey's story, haha. Oh men....what a love/hate relationship we've got, right? :)

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  16. Me, too! I know I say this all the time, but I really DON'T know what I'll do next! :)

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  17. Thanks, Britney! I'm so glad to hear that you like it so much. :) I can't wait to see where the story leads us next, too!

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  18. Love it! It reads really well. I need to start writing more fiction again. My biggest problem is that while writing itself isn't really a problem, and I can do individual scenes just fine, once my characters have to start *doing* something, I never know where to take them. My ability to plot out an actual story is sadly lacking.

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  19. P.S. You actually inspired me to go back and take a look at an old piece of fiction I published on the blog last year. Maybe I should revisit it in installments! (http://www.theladyokieblog.com/2013/09/creative-writing-prompt-dinner-party.html)

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  20. Thanks! It is so cool to hear from a legit editor, haha. :)


    And I'm the same way! I have about five different fictional stories going right now and pretty much just stop after a couple chapters because I can never decide where I want to take the story and the characters next. But with this one, so far so good (knock on wood).


    I love that you write fiction, too! I love finding bloggers who write fiction--in my opinion, it's one of the hardest posts for me to write (after personal stuff, of course). You should totally revisit your fiction and add to it!!

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  21. Your fiction, your fiction! I love how they both seemed like they had perfect lives but then through their conversations they're learning that neither of them do.

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  22. This sounds weird, but I never would have realized that if you hadn't written it! But that is EXACTLY what I want people to realize about their own lives (and myself included). We're nooooot perfect! :)

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