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There are occasionally, stories one shouldn't read in certain moods. I loved it, but Randalynn's story "Case Closed" hit me hard. The trouble i have is how much I feel like Paul:
"what do I have to look forward to? Years stretching ahead of me, all alone and in pain, tormented by all the real people? That’s the clarity you gave me this morning, by the way. I know now that I can’t be anything but what I am — the human joke. It’s not going to change.”
“You could — ”
“Could what?” His eyes narrowed. “I have no options, really. What was that old saying, biology is destiny? The one the mask trotted out the other day. It fits me like a glove.”
“Once I got out of that uniform, I looked you up on the Internet. Spent the day reading about you, before I trashed my computer and left it on the sidewalk along with everything else I owned. You’ve always been beautiful, confident, in control. You rule your empire like a queen, and people respect you. So you have absolutely NO idea what I’m going through or what I feel like. And you never will.”
“Like I said, I’m done. I know you’d rather have a woman in my spot, so hire one and everyone will be very happy. You could even save some money and hire someone who’ll fit the uniform. On the other hand, you could just burn the ones you made for me in effigy, so everyone can get the rest of that hate out and get back to their lives. Think of it as a team building exercise.” He shrugged. “Whatever you choose, I came to thank you for forcing me to see the truth. It’s always best to know where you stand ... and now I know.”
The man turned and started for the door. When he reached it, she cleared her throat, and he froze, his back to her.
“Where will you go?”
“Somewhere ... not here. A place where I can be ignored, one last time.”
“What ... what will you do?”
He looked over his shoulder, and for the first time since his arrival, he smiled.
“You don’t really care, do you? After all, I'm just a man, and a poor one at that. As far as you’re concerned, I‘m nothing but a bad joke. And everybody knows that the best thing about a bad joke ... is how easily it’s forgotten.”
That's pretty much how I feel this morning.
Comments
You're right
You're right, you read the wrong type of story.
Look for happy stories, romantic stories, fun stories. Personally, I think there are far too many miserable stories on this site and someone as sensitive as you should avoid reading them - I certainly don't, and I tend to think of myself as robust. Why read a story which will make you miserable?
Go to the bookshop now and buy some Mills & Boon and a large pack of tissues, and spend the rest of the weekend crying a little, but finding happiness in every ending. Fiction is marvellous, but only if you read the right kind.
Moved by "Case Closed"
Me, I say read Working Girl by Susan Brown http://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/title-page/331/working-girl as well as her other stories. She writes feel good stories
May Your Light Forever Shine
May Your Light Forever Shine
Dorothy ...
I just posted a sequel to Case Closed, because there's a part of me that knows damned well that optimism is a survival trait ... and I don't believe in the "no win" scenario.
It's called Won on Appeal, and you can find it here: http://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/fiction/26582/won-appeal
Sorry to upset you. It upset me, too. That's why there's a sequel. *grin*
Randa
Needing to hear positive true stories, too
Thanks Randalynn.
Blessing or curse?
I've been pretty close to where you are now. What has always turned me around is something that I discovered whilst I was in the middle of transition, about the time my father threw me out of the family.
That realization was that the only difference between a curse and a blessing was your point of view. It seems absurd, I know, but it is true, nonetheless.
What I had to decide was whether to throw in the towel, or make the conscious effort to move forward.
A dear friend was in the Northwestern University marching band. You know, the band that played for all of the football games; during that time, the highlight of the entire afternoon. My friend related a story about the director who gave this advice to his band, "If it isn't working, change it."
All this said, I was moved to post a poem that I wrote about two years ago. I will let it speak for itself.
The Outstretched Hand
Our thoughts and prayers are with you. We know you can pull through this.
Janet
Mistress of the Guild of Evil [Strawberry] Blonde Proofreaders
To be or not to be... ask Schrodinger's cat.
Janet
Mistress of the Guild of Evil [Strawberry] Blonde Proofreaders
To be or not to be... ask Schrodinger's cat.