Mid-Willamette Fiction Writers

What a week I had! Lot's going on, most of it unexpected, but it gave me the opportunity to finally finish my novella. Yay!

It began with an unfortunate event that fortunately wasn't as serious as it could have been. My oldest daughter, who lives in Eugene, had to have unexpected surgery. Malia had a growth on her ovary, which became infected, and once they got the infection under control, they opened her up to remove it. But they also had to remove the ovary and one falopian tube, and scrape the growth off her bladder and her intestine. They tested it to make sure it wasn't cancerous, and it wasn't, but they still don't know what it was. The report came back as "inflamed cells." Very mysterious.

So I drove to Eugene to take care of her after she was released from the hospital. She was in quite a bit of pain, but her spirits were good. I think she had saved up several weeks' worth of laundry and the surgery was an excuse to get me to come do it for her. But aside from the cooking and cleaning and grocery shopping, we had a really great time. We called family on the phone, watched a bunch of movies, and talked for hours, a rarity for us since we both live very busy lives. We also had an opportunity to share a few laughs. I rarely pass up a chance to embarass myself. I'll explain.

Malia had gone for a walk with a young man she'd started dating just before all this happened. I was left alone in her apartment for the first time. Feeling couped up after 4 days of care-giving, I stepped out on the back deck for some air and to feel the sun on my face, pulling the door shut behind me. The second I heard the click I knew I was in trouble. I'd just locked myself out.

It wouldn't have been a problem if her apartment was on the first floor because I knew the front door was unlocked. All I'd have to do is walk around to the front of the building and let myself in. But this was the second floor. I looked over the railing to see how far a drop it was to the ground. The grass looked soft, but I wouldn't be able to offer Malia much care if I sprained my ankle. Still...

Okay, so I have to figure out another way to get back in. I searched for a spare key among the potted plants and found none. I removed the screen from the window, but the window was locked. I put the screen back and once again looked down to the soft grass below. Hmm...

I could wait for her to come back. I mean, how much longer could it be? Only she really liked this guy. She was feeling better. It was approaching late afternoon and her walk could easily turn into a dinner date, but I didn't think so. Surely she'd call first. But if she did, I didn't have my phone with me. I again peered over the edge at the enticing ground below.

All right, that's it, I'm going down. There was a trellis attached to the side of the building with wide enough slats to be a ladder. How strong was it? I reached down and gave it a jerk. It felt sturdy. I climbed over the railing and eased myself down the side of the building, my foot feeling for the trellis. Got it. I felt the fabric of my jeans stretch, heard something rip, then felt cool air against my thigh. Oh, well. These jeans were about ready for the rag bag anyway. I checked to see if anyone could see me, but the area was deserted. Beyond the fence came the roar of traffic from cars traveling way too fast for anyone to notice I'd ripped the seat out of my britches. I continued my downward climb.

So far so good. Halfway down, the slat beneath my right foot broke, but I hung on. One final leap and ta-da! Made it. I speed-walked around the building, trotted up the stairs, and let myself in through the front door. I never ventured out onto the back deck again.

I guess there's no real point to this blog other than to maybe illustrate how we come up with ideas for scenes in our stories. I doubt I'll ever use this exact experience, but I learned something about climbing trellises that might come in handy someday. You never know. My daughter nearly popped her stitches when I told her what I'd done, but she's happy to say that not everyone's mom rides a unicycle and climbs down the sides of 2-story buildings. I was glad I could put a smile on her face.