This month’s writing challenge brings writer, Janet Hardacre, with her story The Return. Personally I think this is a fab story. See what you think.
‘Look in the mirror, Freya, and say, ‘I can do this.’
‘I can do this. I can do this’. Determined Freya stood in front of her bedroom mirror, chin stuck out and hands on her hips. ‘But Mads I keep remembering the looks of those people in the store. I get a panic attack just thinking about going back.’
‘So, you felt foolish. The queue behind you didn’t help. But hey, you have the confidence now. Yes, you have.’
‘You’ve lost all that weight as well,’ chimed in Samantha.
‘You’re right,’ says Freya making the others laugh as she struts about the room like a catwalk model.
After her friends left, Freya prepared a light dinner with salad, one glass of Pinot Grigio and she settled down for an evening of binge-watching her favourite serials. Two years ago, it would have been binge eat, binge drink, and binge TV. Two years ago, Freya lived a different life. Two years ago, she’d met Adrian. Alright, not met, matched with on a dating site for curvy ladies. The bigger, the better, apparently. Mads and Samantha had encouraged her to join this site to perk up her spirits.
Adrian was a sweet talker. ‘Hey, girl, you sure look like my kinda woman, pretty face and curves in all the right places.’
Freya revelled in the suggestive texts that flew between them and became an expert at photographing herself using the tripod and camera she’d ordered from a catalogue. She ordered everything from catalogues as trips to stores on the High Street usually ended in tears. Mads blamed the mobility scooter.
Months went by with Freya posing in sexy bras that upheld her girls. She posed in thongs, in knickers, in seductive basques, suspenders, thigh high stockings, especially ones with seams. Adrian could not get enough of those. Freya had found her calling. She was somebody. She was admired and accepted as she was. Life was great.
Once a month Freya, Mads and Sam enjoyed a get-together in Freya’s flat. It was during one of these sessions that Samantha said, ‘Fraze, did you know that Adrian is on the pull again?’
‘Whoa, my Adrian?’
‘Fraid so.’
Freya rushed to set up her laptop while Sam gave her the login info to her own website.
‘Look for Donovan Winters. I could be wrong.’
‘I don’t believe it. He could call himself any name he likes, but this Donovan Winters is defo Adrian.’
Young, blonde and petite screamed the pages on the website.
Freya was devastated, betrayed and humiliated. Maddie and Sam were full of commiserations, and the names they called Adrian could not be repeated in public. That did it.
So now, Freya less curvy and no longer using the website, nor the mobility scooter, is returning to the High Street on her own two confident feet. First item on the agenda? Donate one camera and tripod to the nearest charity shop.
Patricia M Osborne 