Romance Rewind: See You At The Game (Plus Announcement of Next Serial)
Patrick pulled into the school parking lot just as all the other cars were leaving. Late. Again. He walked towards the bleachers and found his son sitting alone, his helmet on the bench beside him.
Patrick pulled into the school parking lot just as all the other cars were leaving. Late. Again. He walked towards the bleachers and found his son sitting alone, his helmet on the bench beside him.
“Hey, Zachary,” said Patrick. “Sorry. I got tied up with work.”
“Hey, dad.” The tone of the eight-year-old’s words stung. He’d let his son down.
“Did you win?”
“We lost. Like always.”
“I have an idea. Let’s get ice cream.”
“I just want to go home.”
“Home? Are you sure?”
Zachary fiddled with the radio during the drive home, but couldn’t seem to find anything he wanted to listen to.
“Listen, buddy,” said Patrick. “I’m really sorry I missed your game. I promise I’ll be at the next one.”
“You said that about the last game, and the one before that. It’s okay. You don’t have to be there. Just as long as you pick me up.”
“I promise. I’ll be there.”
The following week, Patrick stared at his watch. His boss had already gone twenty minutes over the scheduled time for the meeting. He wondered if anyone else felt trapped. Any longer and he’d miss the beginning of his son’s game.
“Excuse me,” said Patrick. He stood up from his chair. “I haven’t had a chance to get to my presentation yet, but I’m going to have to leave. My son has a football game. I mentioned it to you about it earlier, Mr. Tenison.”
“Yes. Yes. I remember. You can leave after you’ve given your presentation. I’ll finish shortly.”
“Uh. Okay.” He sat back in his seat. What was he doing? He’d promised. He shook his head. It wasn’t the first time he’d promised, either.
Patrick stood up and gathered his things.
“What’re you doing?” asked Mr. Tenison.
Patrick could feel the eyes of his co-workers staring at him.
“I made a promise to my son,” said Patrick. “I’ll present my slides tomorrow.”
“Don’t you dare walk out that door when we’re in the middle of a meeting. One more step and you’re finished.”
Patrick took a step towards the door, then another.
Patrick pulled into the parking lot just as all the other parents were walking towards the bleachers. He parked his car and followed along. He found an open seat right in the middle.
When the coach motioned for his son to enter the game, Patrick felt butterflies in his chest.
“You’ve got this, buddy!” he shouted.
Zachary turned around and smiled. He waved before putting on his helmet.
Another serial has come and gone. Did you enjoy Chemistry Countdown? Starting next Friday I’ll be introducing another 10 part series titled Pictures on The Wall.
This new serial will be about Mark “The shark” and Sherry. Mark has been working at a car dealership for nearly a year. His friend Jerry has gotten employee-of-the-month every month so far, and will probably finish off the year with his face come the end of December. It’s just as well, since Mark wants nothing to do with the whole thing. Sherry, however, can’t wait to join her co-workers on the wall at work. Everyone she passes by each day smiles back at her. After a few more years, she’ll find herself up there, too.
When Sherry’s car breaks down, she calls the number on the business card in her purse. Jerry is too busy with another customer to help. Will Mark step up?
You can find an already completed 10 part serial on Kindle Vella. The Tree We Used To Climb - Erik and Olivia met at a party hosted by their mutual friend Mark. They discover they have a lot in common, including a favorite spot they'd visited in their youth, a lakeside tree in a park. Memories were made when they were younger, but now both are eager to make new memories alongside the tree they used to climb.
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