Freewrite Project #1

[major_kerina]

I'm gonna try a little something. I'm gonna freewrite a little something each day for fun.

First bit




Dinner with Ann and David

"Listen. Be nice....please."

Lisa sunk her eyes calmly. It felt like something my older sister used to do. I gave her a nod.

Ann opened the door first after Lisa knocked. She pushed her glasses up and her long hair back. She smiled and said, "Oh. Hi. Brought a friend?"

"Yeah, Ann. Sorry. She begged me."

I gave Ann a polite smile. "It's very nice to meet you."

Ann nodded. "Thanks. Come on in."

Lisa and sat on a couch near the open kitchen. David was standing over a pot of noodles with waves of steam flowing high.

Ann walked over to his side and peered into the pot. She frowned and picked up the bottle of olive oil. David coughed and asked, "What are you doing?"

Ann twisted the cap. "I always add olive oil."

David frowned. "But I don't like it."

Ann kept the bottle in her hands. "Well, you can cook it how you like but I think it turns out better with olive oil."

I watched them stare at one another. It was hard for me to imagine that they were actually the same person.

Lisa leaned in front of me and flashed me a glare. I leaned back and watched the two of them out of the corner of my eye. David finally settled for a little bit of olive oil but he said, "On the condition you don't add garlic."

Ann made a soft noise and said, "But it just flavors it a little."

He finally let her keep the garlic. They even took turns stirring. They stirred so identically. Ann flapped her top and tugged it up a little. David glared. Lisa poked my foot.

I turned to Lisa. She set her hands in her lap and asked, "So...Gina...what articles have you been writing lately?" Ann gave a turn.

I scooted up on the couch and smoothed my dress. Spoke softly, "I just finished one about the good and bad of national preserves in Africa."

Lisa made a forced "Oh!", with more interest than I'd seen from her about anything I'd talked about in years.

Ann slowly relinquished the wooden spoon stirring to David. She leaned on a chair at the table and looked at me. She had the same hair as the photo Lisa showed me. Long, red and feathered. Her eyes were a captivating tone of brown behind her glasses. I noted details about her and the room, constructing a hypothetical article which Lisa would kill me for writing.

Ann asked me, "Who do you write for, same place as Lisa?"

I nodded. I offered a few little details. "For three years. I'd love to get a book out of my head but I don't know what to do it about."

Ann grinned. "That's good. Good luck." She sat on the chair.

Lisa looked between us and offered quickly, "Ann is a writer too."

Ann darted her head and looked at Lisa. Lisa sunk into the couch like she was trying to disappear. David took a few plates out of the cupboard.

Ann fussed with her shirt a little. "I do a little. I love making stuff. Food. Stories. Anything."

I nodded. She looked away and back at the pot. She nudged David with, "Don't overcook it now."

"I know what I'm doing," was his answer.

I crinkled my fingers and set them on my legs. "I'd love to help however I can."

Ann's eyes widened, "Really?..." The next word squeaked in her mouth and she cleared her throat. "Well. Don't expect much. I'm just self-trained."

I smiled. "Don't worry. I love stories."

She glanced down the hall. "I just write them for the fun of it."

"Best way to approach writing," I assured her.

She was standing. David turned down the heat. We were about to have dinner. I really wanted to ask. I wanted to know about the two of them.

I tried my question. "I've heard...about the two of you...and it's something. It's something I'm very curious about."

Ann froze and David turned around. All of Lisa's submissiveness vanished into a look of concentrated annoyance. It was the taboo question.

Ann sniffed through her nose and coughed. Lisa shook her head and began to say something, but Ann interrupted her and said, "I would've been curious too...if it didn't have to do with me. Actually, I wrote about it a little. But I'd need to take it out of context. What would you like to know?"

The questions burst forth one, after the other. Ann waved her hands and widened her eyes. "Whoa! Chill." David moved the pot and Ann darted up and looked at him, "Make sure you just strain the water."

He looked back. "It'll be soggy if we do it your way."

She set her hands on her hips. "There's more flavor if we let the sauce soak in."

David clapped the hands and gently smiled. "Okay. Your meal tonight."

Ann clutched a bit of her hair. "Sorry..."

David looked calm and accepting. "Don't worry."

He drained the water and added the sauce. Ann settled down and asked, "Shall I tell them or do you want to add anything?"

He said only, "Up to you."

She leaned back and adjusted her shirt again. It was a thick, heavy Florida evening.

She began, "I was born in...well I guess it makes the most sense to call it this...a parallel universe. I lived a pretty normal life. I worked at Target in overnight logicistics. Forced me to be frugal but you can be inventive with a few ingredients."

David stirred the sauce. She went on, "So. Normal stuff...but I get these weird dreams sometimes and I'm a man. I think "what the heck?". I mean it's all just like I am but as a guy. It didn't happen too much. But it kinda creeped me out."