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Write about two old friends meeting for the first time in years.

Posted in Adults on Nov 25, 2022

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✍️ 59 stories

Martha Johnson

Submitted to Contest #174

We used to boast about being able to stay friends longer than any of the others. When old acquaintances would ask, "Are you still friends with Lily?" knowing of our inseparable friendship throughout the years, I’d proudly reply, “Yeah, I just saw her this weekend.” Through grammar school, middle school, high school, and college: our ties never cut. We beat them all. We defied the odds. Even when my mother told me our friendship would crumble because people don’t stay the same and you were going to be another clone of her once-best friend Mar...

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My Friend, Kyle.

Submitted to Contest #174

August 5th, 1940 - 10:10 AM I stepped foot into a colorful cafe, and I was welcomed by the sweet smell of the croissants and warm coffee the smell made my nostrils glow. I kept walking till I found a red booth in the corner of the room, this is where I was supposed to meet my friend, Kyle. We hadn't seen each other for years and I hoped to catch up, ever since the war started and I got my position I had been very busy. 'coffee sir?' the waitress asked. 'Yes, thank you, ma'am.' I replied. And she poured me a nice, warm, cup of coffee. Now a...

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The View from My Swing

Submitted to Contest #174

    Packed away for safe keeping, I have an assortment of old black and white pictures. Many of which has information written on the back partially covered with bits of black paper, as if someone had hurriedly ripped them out of one of those old photo albums from the forties and fifties, held on with little black triangular fasteners that fit each corner of the picture. I have no information of what year they were taken, or who they are, and now, after all these years, there is no one left to ask.     ...

14 likes 0 comments 0
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Seven

Submitted to Contest #174

 “I think you should come live with me, and we can be pirates.”   The short but gorgeous Taylor Swift song hit my ears through my earbuds as I pushed on against the bitter Illinois wind. I was walking alone back to my barracks on the Great Lakes Naval Station base from having dinner at the galley on a cold December evening. Even though I was bundled up with my fleece liner inside my uniform parka and my black knit cap covering my ears, the wind coming off of Lake Michigan bit and tore at my exposed skin.   “Seven" wa...

13 likes 0 comments 0
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A Meditation, In Two-Parts, on an Encounter at Trader Joe's

Submitted to Contest #174

Part-One: My Thoughts Upon Encountering an Old Friend at Trader Joe's Did somebody just call my name? That guy walking over to me looks exceptionally comfortable here. He carries himself with a sense of belonging that I’ve always imagined having myself. I'll probably never achieve it. I’m useless. Why isn’t he carrying anything? No cart? No basket? Why do I always feel the need to shop while I’m here? Why can’t I just be? I have so much to learn from him. He looks so much like… is that Itchy? From high school? Why is Itchy we...

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Karma

Submitted to Contest #174

 Karma Ivy could feel the waistband of her nylons digging into her stomach and it was all she could think about. So, every time the waiter came by with a tray of nibblies she would be tempted but then change her mind, her pudgy hand hovering over a mini sausage roll before retreating once again. She sipped on her soda and lime wishing to the good lord above that it had a double shot of vodka in it. Her eyes scanned the crowd and with each gray or bald head they landed on she wondered again what she was doing here. Tapping her feet to ...

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The Holiday

Submitted to Contest #174

The fog hung thick in the cold autumn air, so that everything more than a few feet away was reduced to eerie silhouettes. With it came an uneasy silence, penetrated by the muted whisper of the occasional car that dared to venture out in such weather or the murmurs of our group. Empty bird feeders hung from trees in gardens like miniature 18th century gibbets.  We huddled together, hands shoved under armpits, suitcases at our feet, as we waited for the coach to arrive. “Wish the driver would hurry up,” grumbled Jack.&nbs...

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Remembering the Crab Creek Bridge

Submitted to Contest #174

The elderly gentleman fiddled with the buttons on his sweater as his daughter drove him across town.          “Quit fussing with it, Dad. You look fine.”         “These lousy buttons are all crossed up. Why didn’t you let me wear the one with the zipper?”         “Because you spilled your breakfast on it, remember?”         Daisy knew that her octoge...

11 likes 5 comments 5
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Lady Beetles

Submitted to Contest #174

Goodbye was a thick syrup that gurgled near the back of the throat, coating fleshy walls with a dense, guttural flavor that would not let go. The taste of it has tipped my tongue for the past twelve years since I left the palace. I pursued something grander than a royal enclosure could offer, though most figured the daughter of a lord could want for nothing else, and what was there to seek out in the world anyway? For me, it was the insects.   I heard it time and again, the chastising tongues that flicked and wagged, unrelenting o...

11 likes 11 comments 11
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Brain Waves

Submitted to Contest #174

Returning to her childhood bedroom made Sophie feel like she was examining the prototype of a familiar technology. The bookshelves were lined with paperbacks organized alphabetically by author. Plastic dance trophies topped with gold ballerinas were perched on top of her dresser. A gigantic corkboard was mounted over her bed with achievements and memories pinned to every surface. Ribbons from the math team and medals from the science team hung next to photos of Sophie and her friends posing during competitions or dressed up for homecoming. ...

11 likes 1 comment 1
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Quick Byte Cafe

Submitted to Contest #174

He tapped the PAUSE button and smiled. “I can wait.” “Why?” asked the barista, waving a menu at Phil. Phil clarified. “He should be here any minute.” “Who should?” “My friend—Joe.”“Oh,” the moody scarecrow snickered, “a friend.” “Yeah.”After adjusting a puffy gray scarf, the inquisitor and sole employee at QBC scowled. “Well, take your time.” “Thanks, I will.” “My name is Charles, by the way,” the barista announced. Two bloodshot eyes rolled dramatically and a bony finger pointed to a nametag that read: Wai...

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Promises

Submitted to Contest #174

I’ve always loved airports. Airports are where emotions peak. There’s the euphoria of coming home– to a country or a someone-and there’s the grief of leaving home–a country or a someone. I guess this makes the arrivals area my favourite place at any airport no matter how big or small or fancy.Arrivals are promises. Promises of coming back, meeting again, fulfilled. Promises of new beginnings, life changes, new energies born from the collision of two or more souls reuniting… or simply uniting, meeting for the first time.Arrivals are big bouqu...

10 likes 6 comments 6
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Tiny Differences

Submitted to Contest #174

The only person Malorie could think of as she walked down the halls made of tiny tile was Oskar Gillion Best. Just the thought of her teenage flame brought goosebumps to the surface of her skin. What changed? Was he married? This tiny fixation might seem like obsession, but to Malorie, it was simply nostalgic excitement. Who didn’t ask these questions when they came face to face with people from the past? All the trophy cases were in the same places. The glass was barely holding together after decades of quick fixing. Everything looked smal...

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Veronica Ward

Submitted to Contest #174

*this story contains a few swear words*She was sitting restlessly in the restaurant. Her phone kept beeping, and she tried to politely decline each call without slamming it against the table. Why was it so difficult for her colleagues to respect her time off? Yes, it was the middle of Friday afternoon, but she worked extra hours this past week to make up for leaving early. As she was figuring out her calls, someone put a hand on her shoulder. She turns around to find Ronnie. To others, she was known as Veronica Ward. It was th...

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Evolving

Submitted to Contest #174

Yes, she could have made some different choices in life, but she did what she did, both good and bad, and she turned out to be who she now is. It's simply just growing up and moving on. But as the years passed, she continued to dream that all was not too late and that something genuinely romantic might eventually happen to her.   In her wild, heady past, most female friends had a similar ilk and would hunt in bars to find a guy to flirt with. After a heavy, boozy night, it usually ended with a quick fumble and speedy se...

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