Did you catch Monday's blog featuring Bill W's story, Consolation Parents? It's a short story written for the 2014 Summer Anthology The Backup Plan. The story is one of many of Bill's short stories written for the anthologies. Have you read them? He explores many different themes, social conventions, and more all packed into tiny bite-sized plots that can capture readers. This one pulled me in as a parent. 

I picked this scene because it resonated so well with the emotions and showed just how things can be, even in the midst of an emotional upheaval and trouble in family. Sometimes authors can be tempted to take the drama too far, or make things just that much more complicated that creates a situation that goes beyond rea life, but Bill's story felt like a story I could have told or been told by a friend who needed a sympathetic ear through a tough time. 

Quote

 

Once I hung up, I dialed my boyfriend next.

"Where are you?" he wondered, so I knew he hadn't understood what I'd told him a few hours previously.

I quickly filled him in about everything that had happened and he was deeply shocked and saddened as well. I could tell he was very concerned about me and wondered how I was holding up, because he offered to call into work and take a few days off too. He said as soon as he did that, he'd drive over to my sister's house to give me a hand, so I told him I'd appreciate that and would see him in a little while.

I was still in my sister's bed, trying to decide what to do next, when there was a knock on the bedroom door. It opened after I said, "Come in," and I quickly saw it was her oldest son, Tyler.

"Hey, Uncle Scott. What are you doing here," the 12-year old wondered, while looking in my direction. "Where's my mom and dad? It's late and no one woke us up, so aren't we going to school today?"

Tyler had auburn hair and brown eyes, just like his mother and me, but his hair was currently unruly and sticking out in all directions. In fact, except for the bad case of 'bedhead,' he looked a lot like his mother. He also appeared fairly cheerful, but I knew that wasn't going to last for much longer.

"That's a difficult story, so why don't you come over here and sit down beside me, so I can explain," I replied, hoping he wouldn't panic.

He looked totally confused, but did as I requested. I had no idea about how I was going to break the news to him, but I wanted to do it gently. On the other hand, I wondered if there actually was a good way to do it.

"Tyler, I got a call last night to come over here and stay with you boys," I began.

 

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