Stories We Tell

A Fictional Series
It’s not necessarily a good thing when the people you love think too highly of you. Dizzy always did, but that kind of changed the night of the spin the bottle game – when I broke down and told her that I had just as many fears as she did.
Maybe my fears looked differently than hers, but they were fears nonetheless. Even after that, Dizzy still kept me up on this unstable pedestal. And if that unstable pedestal is where a person wants you to be, you have to work twice as hard than you normally would – just to keep from falling off.
Once Martin and I started seeing each other, he did the same thing. I was either the coolest chick ever, the bravest woman he knew, or the prettiest girl in the room. At first I loved it, of course. What girl doesn’t want to hear those things from the man that she loves?
Before I go on, I should tell you that Martin and I never married. We talked about it, but neither one of us was in a rush. We were so young! We wanted to be together, however, so I moved in with him – into his tiny studio near the college.
While he studied engineering, I pursued my dream and ended up with one of the coolest jobs ever – working as an assistant to a somewhat famous fashion designer. I got pregnant not long after, and Martin really wanted to get married – but I needed time to think.
Our relationship was… well… the best relationship ever, but we agreed to wait until Delilah was born before talking about the big “M” again. It wasn’t until Martin told me that I’d be ‘the best mother in the world’ that I began to feel the pressure.
“What if I’m not??”
That was the question that I faced, and that was when fears that I’d never even known existed came rushing in to threaten my sense of security – and most certainly my position on the rickety old pedestal.
It felt like one of those giant boa constrictors had wrapped itself around my entire body – and every day it would squeeze me just a little bit tighter. And as much as I love my daughter, which is beyond words, Delilah was not an easy child.
Martin and I stopped talking about tying the knot after she was born. Honestly, I think that we were just too tired. But Martin still believed I could do no wrong.
When Delilah was about three or four, Martin took her to the grocery store. He came home all sweaty and freaked out. Apparently, Delilah had gotten out of the cart when he had his back turned. Then he couldn’t find her.
Once he settled down, he told me about how he’d heard a voice over the loudspeaker saying that they needed assistance in the produce section for a child without a parent. When he rounded the corner, there was Delilah – balancing on the orange display.
“She could have fallen!” He exclaimed. “That rickety old thing was so unstable it could barely hold her up!”
“I know just what you mean.” I said.
A Note From Me
I wanted to post this tonight, especially since I was able to use the Word of the Day Challenge: Display, but I’ve really had trouble with the end.
That being said, I posted it anyway – haha! I know what Levi was getting at, but I’m not sure I found the best way for her to make her point in that last sentence of dialogue. Anyway, it’s out there now… and soon we’ll learn more about the couple and this ‘pedestal issue’.
The illustration was a blast; I really enjoyed making a child. And her quirky behavior reminds me of one of my grandsons – the one who climbed a ladder to my son’s roof when nobody was looking -who was about the same age at the time. Scary! He survived though!
Anyway, I think that’s about all for now. I’m going to do a little more with this series, but I’m also looking forward to a new set of characters in another realm. I think I veered from my ‘different perspectives’ goal a little because the story is expanding so rapidly – so I want to get back to focusing on that.
Thank you for reading… I hope you enjoyed tonight’s addition and the image of sweet Delilah.
Until later,
-Janet