[What follows was called "a hell of a cliffhanger" by my reviewing posse here at the house. But it's in response to the get-pushed challenge from Liz Hammond, "You mentioned dreaming of writing the Great American Novel. So the challenge is to shoot the cover for your book. If you could squeeze in writing it too that would be perfect!" Never one to shun a writing prompt, I thought I'd try to oblige, but I guess it's more a set-up for a novel than the novel itself...]
Marlena woke up on the 3rd of August, looked out the window at the sky and realized that her daughter would never return. Dottie’s exciting adventure in the Himalayas had seemed impossibly wonderful, but she had been gone three years, her last message from the previous September saying, “I’m not coming home. Don’t worry about me.” Surely, she didn’t mean that literally, but they hadn’t worried for a long time even though no more messages had arrived. Dottie had always been independent and unpredictable.
That afternoon, Marlena told her friend Emily the whole story. “Why aren’t you on a plane and over there looking for Dottie? How many daughters do you have? How many carrot-tops do they have running around Kathmandu?” demanded Emily. After her initial anger full of suppressed retorts, Marlena decided that she was just pretending to be a mother. Goaded into shame, she wrote to quit her job, not even giving any notice. Two days later she sat on the plane experiencing the simultaneous birth of worry, hope and fear, though the last was more related to her husband’s outrage. He had even tried to stop her physically from getting in the cab. Why can’t he see this is the right thing to do, and who cares how many bridges I burn? But she did care about possibly having burnt a bridge with Jeff after 36 years together.
In the middle of September, Marlena ran out of both money and leads. During the month she had spent in Nepal, she had confirmed the email account of two positively amazing years Dottie had spent there. Dottie had affiliated herself with a mission, gotten a non-tourist visa, worked as a trekking companion for elderly ladies, helped with earthquake relief efforts and had managed to go on almost every non-mountain climbing trek there was free of charge. Marlena met most of the people Dottie had mentioned. But disconcertingly, all accounts agreed that Dottie had met a nice boy from New Jersey and that she had left Nepal about a year before to set up housekeeping with him in New Jersey. No, Dottie had not kept in touch.
New Jersey? Marlena and Jeff had always lived in Metuchen; until this trip Marlena had never even traveled much beyond the state. Jeff picked her up at the airport. “I missed you,” he said, and hugged her close. But he seemed almost indifferent to her news. Finally, she said, ”Stop the car!” “Huh?” he said, but he pulled over. “What is going on?” she demanded. “Why do you not care about Dottie? Or want to hear my news?” To her surprise, he began to cry. “You didn’t have to lose your job,” he said. “I don’t want to keep secrets from you. I couldn’t tell you. I had promised. As long as you weren’t worried it was ok. Sort of. But I know where she is. She just didn’t want to come home.”
The blood drained from Marlena’s entire body. She looked at Jeff but saw a stranger. She thought about her daughter, but knew Dottie was a stranger too. This rejection and betrayal was beyond her understanding.
Very suspenseful ending. I would want to keep reading to see what happened to Dottie. Also, you mentioned Metuchen, NJ. That's where my son and family live.
Hi Francoise, so well done. Love the book cover and woukd like to read the rest of the novel and find out where Dottie is and answer many of the whys that are buzzing round in my head.
Have you heard of nanowrimo? How about giving it a try?
Have you heard of nanowrimo? How about giving it a try?