I came across the beginning of a short story I wrote, goodness knows when. The idea was about a gang of friends going away for a weekend. In fact, it won’t be long before I’m away with my writing chums for a few days of intense writing, exploring interesting places, being silly, and becoming inspired by the unexpected. So the story I started wasn’t about us, and nor was it about my lovely book group friends although the characters in this story are in a book club.
Here is all that I’ve written so far, maybe I will finish it while I am away and share what happens next:
A weekend away with the book club
It was a mistake from the start. As soon as I realised I had agreed to it my heart sank at the prospect. So why didn’t I make some excuse, make another arrangement for something else and pretend it couldn’t be avoided or postponed.
Perhaps I was playing the martyr, perhaps I had a bizarre desire to feel hard done by, whatever my reason, I said I’d join them for a long weekend away, ‘ but don’t expect me to use the hot tub, and don’t forget I don’t like hot chocolate and marshmallows” I said joking but not joking.
“And you definitely don’t do cocktails!” screeched Sonia.
There were six of us in the remnants of the book club, I would have left already but my social activity was for some reason minimal and I did actually like the others, even though Sonia’s screeching did put my teeth on edge. Originally there had been more people meeting each week in the small room of Tim’s café – it’s actually The Cove, but everyone calls it Tim’s.
Having made the mistake of agreeing it would be a splendid idea to have a weekend away, I compounded it by being persuaded to have a lift with Maggie and Jean. They are the loveliest of people, the kindest you could imagine (hence the insistent offer of a lift) but Jean, whose car it was, is a great Country and Western fan, so it was non-stop Waylon Jennings and Patsy Cline. Simone who I’m closest to, was having a lift with Sonia and Charlie.
They’re my friends, my book-club compadres – (I could hear Jean correcting me – ‘it’s comadres, not compadres’) – I will have a lovely weekend reading and talking about books. It will do me good to have a weekend a way. They are all lovely, nice people – even if I’m not.
Maybe I will finish this story while I’m away, if I do I will share it here!
Lois Elsden 