I haven’t been able to write anything for a few weeks now due to illness but one morning, feeling rather better, I was suddenly motivated to write my previous post and, surprisingly, a short story for this morning’s writers’ club virtual meeting. The prompt was various objects chosen at random by members
Carol’s favourite coffee pot
Carol carefully lifted her favourite coffee pot from the cupboard and set it on the kitchen counter. It was her favourite for two reasons: it was a gift from Graeme; it was English bone china with a restrained but beautiful design with roses, which reminded her of childhood summer holidays with her grandmother, who always served coffee to ‘important’ visitors from a similar pot but that was Bavarian porcelain, also decorated with a restrained design of roses.
Why she chose to serve herself from her favourite coffee pot this morning she didn’t know. She always made coffee in a cafétiere then poured it directly from that when on her own. This time she must pour the coffee from the cafétiere into the pre-warmed coffee pot, then from that into a cup, also English bone china from the same set as the coffee pot.
Four minutes later the coffee in the cafétiere was brewed. Carol filled the coffee pot with hot water, waited a moment then poured out the water before carefully transferring coffee from cafétiere to coffee pot.
It was now three months since Graeme told her he was leaving her after 7 years of marriage. He moved out the following day. She had not heard a word from him since then. Initial confusion was quickly followed by depression, which remained despite counselling and medical intervention. In fact it was now worse than it had ever been.
Carol lifted the coffee pot and began to pour coffee into the cup, her hand trembling as she did so. She didn’t remember her fingers opening but saw the coffee pot was on the tiled kitchen floor, in a dozen or more pieces though the lid had miraculously remained whole, all surrounded by a pool of freshly brewed coffee.
Carol felt herself sinking to the floor till she lay, like an embryo, legs tucked up and her long hair trailing through the pool of coffee. Close to her eye she could make out a triangular shard of coffee pot. She picked it up and after a minute staring at it she plunged the sharpest point of the shard into her wrist.
She watched fascinated as the pool of blood grew larger, pushing aside the coffee, till all she could see was an ocean of red.
As her eyes closed she felt elation, picturing the evening on which Graeme had lovingly presented her with the coffee pot, carefully wrapped in paper decorated with dozens of tiny red hearts.
As the dream faded, she felt such happiness as she had not felt for the past three months.
She let herself slip gladly into the darkness.
December 28, 2020 at 8:34 pm
I recognise that coffee pot… and the story ended as I was expected 🙂 Sometimes I wish for “slip away” … it won’t happen! I’m strong!
December 29, 2020 at 12:24 pm
I know you’re strong. But for sure you’d recognise the coffee pot!
July 14, 2020 at 10:20 pm
Too feel so alone and depressed must be just awful you expressed it so well in this story.
July 15, 2020 at 7:53 am
Thank you Charlotte.
The news is full of stories about severe depression brought on by the lockdown. Petronela and I have not suffered from this but there is no doubt that is down to mutual support. But there is something more operating here: there is something very wrong with today’s society as people were subjected to at least things as bad during WWII and for a few years after but did not generally have the same reactions.
Petronela and I have an explanation for our apparent stoicism: she grew up is the time of the worst of the Ceausescu regime; I grew up during WWII and the worst of the aftermath. Lockdown seems just an ‘inconvenience’ in comparison.
October 13, 2020 at 2:30 pm
I hope that you are both well and still coping with this covid stalling of the world.
June 22, 2020 at 8:26 am
Be well and take good care of yourself!
June 28, 2020 at 8:08 am
Thank you. Your posts are still helping to improve my Romanian!
July 18, 2020 at 11:13 pm
I am happy as always to hear this. What would make me happier is to hear good news from you regarding your health 🙂
July 19, 2020 at 7:59 am
Thank you! I am able to give you some ‘good news’!
About a week ago I was able to get down (and up) the stairs from our flat so could, for the first time in over a month, go outside. The spur was that our lovely young neighbours in the flat above got married so I wanted to give them a surprise when the got home from the reception. So I hung a large heart-shaped ‘Just married’ balloon over the stairs plus one or two other ‘surprises’.
Since then I’ve been coming out for a short walk every morning; I’m writing this sitting on a bench in the park we overlook at about 6.45am. I’ve done the walk every morning except one (raining hard) since. I even managed to sit outside for about six on one sunny day and got a tan!!
Even better news: a few days ago my consultant said my liver was back to normal after the intravenous antibiotic in hospital so I didn’t need to go on chemo for the moment and put me back on the ‘wonder pills’ 😃😃😃. I have another appointment on 12 August so fingers crossed.
I’m aiming to put the car back on the road from 1 August so hopefully we’ll have some lovely weather and get out for a few picnics, even a trip to the superb Yorkshire coast maybe. Here’s hoping.
Hope you and yours are well.
Roger x
July 19, 2020 at 3:21 pm
Good to head from you with this optimistic update. I hope the good news will come in August also.
That was such a lovely gesture you did for your young neighbors. It makes a whole difference when you have good relationships with your neighbors. Also, going outside and short walks have many benefits so keep up with the daily outings. In my country, things are not too bright, with the COVID numbers growing day by day, so I am as careful as I can, and, until now also healthy. Our health is the most important so for now, this is my priority.