Writing Prompt:
“I want to go home.”
“And I want to go to the moon. It ain’t happening, sweetheart. Time to accept that.”
Writing Time: 15 minutes
“What are you moping about now?” I rolled my eyes at Ginny. No small part of me wanted to slap that pout off her pink lips with my wash rag.
Ginny sank down in the next booth, the one she was supposed to be bussing, as if my question gave her permission to do so.
“I want to go home.” She heaved a loud sigh and plopped her chin in her hand. Her sparkly purple nail polish was chipping badly.
“And I want to go to the moon. It ain’t happening, sweetheart. Time to accept that.”
I finished wiping down the booths surrounding her, hoping she’d get the hint that she was holding me up. She didn’t.
“Do you really want to go to the moon?”
“Ha!” I couldn’t help but laugh. “No, girl, it’s just an expression. I’ve never wanted to go to the moon.”
“Where do you want to go?” Ginny stared at me intently, her bright green eyes fixed on my flushed face.
I could have rattled off a dozen places without even a moment’s consideration. InsteadĀ I tightened my ponytail and shook my head. “No use thinking about that, kiddo.”
She scowled at me. She hated when I called her that. Ginny was 19 and I was 41. I was old enough to be her mother. In fact, she was the same age as my daughter would have been. Something about this girl, homesick whenever she was tired at the end of a shift but earnestly, optimistically independent the rest of the time, something about her wouldn’t let me forget that fact.
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Published by Carrie Sue Barnes
Carrie Sue Barnes is a fiction author and blogger who fell in love with creative writing as a grade schooler in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. She resides now in Wisconsin with her family, often pulling her love for the Midwest into her writing. Carrie Sue's debut novel, The Hidden Legacy, was released in 2018 by Bold Vision Books to strong reviews. Since then, she has published several short stories and continues to write short fiction and faith-inspired reflections on this site. Carrie Sue loves reading, kayaking, hugging her children and friends, rewatching The Office, and connecting with readers in person and on social media.
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