It's Good to Talk?
The letterbox clattered in Gemma’s head with a resonance that made alarm clocks superfluous.
Instantly awake, she silently draped her dressing gown around her, inched out of the bedroom door with catlike stealth - and then recoiled as the BT logo winked malevolently down the hallway at her.
So it was here at last! Gemma had been intercepting the mail for weeks, awaiting with terror this bill, which would betray to her parents the true cost of her romance with Scott.
He lived 200 miles away - she missed him! But Dad would be livid to learn their last conversation had spanned three hours.
Gemma winced and squinted at the itemised bill. £240! Four calls to Manchester were listed, but the most recurrent number was Scott’s in Carlisle.
‘What’s the damage then, love?’
Gemma’s mother, Sue, approached with catlike stealth and snatched the offending invoice away.
‘Mum! Oh Mum, I’m so sorry! I’ll pay you back! I’ll get a job!’
‘No need, no need. I know it’s easy to get carried away when you’re in love.’
‘You’re not furious?’
‘I’ll let it go just this once, Gemma. But perhaps in future you should try writing to Scott.’
‘You won’t tell Dad?’
‘No! Let’s say no more about this. Now what do you want for breakfast?’
Sue secreted the mail in her pyjama pocket. She was in no position to chastise her daughter. Not when she had been phoning Manchester for similar reasons...!
© Leigh Rowley, 2002
Inspiration...
Another evening class piece. This week...we were provided with an intro: ‘She knelt down to pick up the envelope which had just dropped on to the doormat and, with trembling hands, ripped it open and unfolded the sheet of paper,’ and asked to finish the story in 200 words.
The 'sheet of paper' could be anything: a love letter, exam results, a court summons or, if you're me, an incriminating phone bill.
For these purposes I have, as you can see, written a new intro as the ready-made one was not terribly inspiring (and was not my work!).