Evening Walks
Short fiction
John walked the dog while Michelle pushed the stroller on their evening walk. As they approached the home on the corner, the elderly woman, Violet, set her broom down and hurried inside, closing the door behind her.
“You think she’s okay?” John asked Michelle in a hushed tone. “She’s been doing this for weeks now.”
“Maybe she just doesn’t want to say hi anymore,” Michelle replied. Once they reached the stop sign, they turned around and headed home.
In a way, both John and Michelle had missed their talks with Violet. She was sweet and kind and great-grandmotherly – a wealth of knowledge on what it meant to be human.
But sometimes people act or react for unknown reasons. They walked on.
The following evening, John and Michelle approached Violet’s home. She happened to be bringing boxes out to the recycling bin at the end of her driveway. Before John or Michelle had a chance to say hi, Violet flung the boxes onto the ground and hustled inside without saying a word. She closed the door behind her.
The family of four – if you’re counting the dog – walked closer. The boxes lay scattered in disarray across the lawn.
“Maybe you’re right,” Michelle said. “I wonder if her mind is on its way out.”
“It doesn’t make any sense.”
They reached the stop sign, turned around, and walked by Violet’s house. Before they reached the slight incline, they heard someone: “Hey!”
John and Michelle turned around. It was Violet walking towards them, clutching a small bag in her hands.
“Hello there. And hello to you,” she said to the baby, bending over to look in, flashing a wide, smile. “I’ve been trying to hand this off to you for a while now, but I seem to be getting slower and slower as time goes on.” She chuckled good-naturedly.
“Oh…thank you so much,” Michelle said as she took the bag and looked inside – baby clothes. They were all clean, new – never worn.
“That is so kind of you,” John said to Violet.
“Oh, it’s nothing,” she replied as she fished out a small dog bone from her pocket.
The three adults chatted until the sun touched the mountains in the west.
Thank you for reading “Evening Walks” — I hope you enjoyed it.
Fifties by the Fire Prompt for Friday, September 30th: Integrate the word “season” or “seasons” into a fifty-word story. For an extra challenge, try to begin or end your piece with the prompt word. Happy writing! (If you need additional guidelines, please click here.)
Have a great weekend, everyone.
It's funny the things we think are true are often the result of a simple misunderstanding. It's good to see Violet still has her senses 😁
Nice slice of life. 🙂