FLASH FICTION: FIRST PLACE
A Fear of Falling
Georgia Bernice Sullivan
It happened so quickly. One minute she was walking briskly along, listening to the
birds and admiring people’s fl ower beds, and the next thing she could remember
was Jimmy Carlson checking her for broken bones and then helping her up. He
insisted upon taking her to Emergency because of the cuts on her face, and she
did not protest.
The X-rays had been completed, and she was
waiting for the doctor to stitch the cuts when Julie,
her daughter, arrived. She said, “Oh, Mom,” and
gathered her in her arms. After the doctor was
fi nished, Julie took her home with her to keep an eye
on her. She stayed for a couple of nights, with Julie
anxiously checking her for concussion, and then
went back to her cozy, little house.
After three days, she decided she needed to go
to the grocery store, regardless of how bad she
looked, so Julie took her shopping. She endured
the jokes about how bad the other guy must look
with a smile. As she was selecting tomatoes in the
produce section, she met Simon Goldwater. “Oh,
Lena,” he said sympathetically. “You must have
taken a terrible tumble. I am so sorry!” They chatted
for a few minutes, and he asked if she would like to
go for coff ee. “Oh, I'm not ready for that!” she said
brusquely and walked off . Julie came around the
corner just in time to hear the conversation.
As Julie was helping her put away the groceries,
she asked, “Why were you so rude to Mr. Goldwater?
He was just trying to be nice. You two were
colleagues for years.”
“Well, not really. He taught in the junior high,
and I was in the high school. And I can’t remember
if I took over any baking or a fruit tray or even
sent a card two years ago when his wife died. And
what would people say if they saw us having coff ee
together? And I am comfortable with my life the way
it is. I don’t handle change well.” She said, jumbling
all her thoughts together.
“Mom, it was just an invitation for coff ee. He might
be lonely. And since when do you care what people
will think?” Then Lena felt bad for being so rude.
The next time she saw Simon was in the post
offi ce. He smiled and asked, “How about that cup of
coff ee?” She looked around quickly to see if anyone
was listening and then agreed, and they headed to
the cafe across the street.
“0h, Simon, that fall seems to have taken a lot out of
me. Now when I walk, I keep my head down, looking
for breaks in the sidewalk. I have become so fearful
of falling again that I'm just not myself anymore.”
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