My First Report April 24, 2008
Like promised, the following is my first report for my writing 121 class. I really enjoyed using my imagination to write this paper. So to come up with this topic we (my class) had to read the first chapter of any book and then write a descriptive essay on any one of the characters mentioned. I chose to write about the wife of a man having an affair with another woman. The book I read is As If Love Were Enough by Anne Taylor Fleming. Enjoy!
Lost In Transition
Misty Auel
April 6, 2008
Essay #1
Writing 121
WC 1016
She often found herself alone, sitting in the family room, staring aimlessly across the street at an empty lot. She would sigh to herself, lost in the thought of how much she related to that empty lot. It was a slap in the face of how unaccomplished she felt. Fifty-four years have come and gone, and she cannot account for much of anything that has happened. Yes, she had been married for almost thirty years and she had given birth to three kids, all were grown and all pretty well off and accomplished. That was all well and good but what had she really accomplished for herself? Had she even know herself? Her mind filled with regrets: regrets of having a husband she lost interest in years ago, regrets of missed accomplishments, at goals never achieved, and dreams never sought after.
Her 30’s and 40’s were consumed with house keeping and child rearing, PTA meetings, baseball games and dance recitals, rebellious teenagers, proms, and graduations. All of a sudden, existence had quieted itself and Lenore had a chance to evaluate her life and realized she didn’t recognize the woman that she had become. She only saw large glimpses of herself as a wife and of a mother, but no sign of a woman. How had she gotten to this place? How did she arrive in this unfamiliar territory and how would she ever come to know herself?
The family room, with its pale Tiffany blue and brown unused leather sofa, was neat and tidy with everything in its place. Lenore felt lonely and irritated. She finished folding the towels, went to the bathroom, and pinned her long faded yellow hair in a bun. She tinted her lips with a pale pink gloss and brushed her lashes with black. She stared at the mirror and the tears came; they kept coming for what felt like an eternity. Pulling herself together, she splashed cool water on her face, patted dry, and reapplied her makeup. She needed to get out of the house that had imprisoned her for so many years, and do something to take her mind off of her pathetic existence. A craving for a glass of full-bodied deep red Cabernet came to her. She went to the liquor cabinet and found the decanter empty of juice, so she decided to take a walk to the local wine shop. Lenore opened her walk-in closet to change into her day wear, but decided instead to stay in her faded sweats and Cornell University hooded sweatshirt. She laced up her tennis shoes, grabbed her shoulder bag, and headed down the street to La Bodega winery located about 15 blocks north to purchase a bottle or two.
The air was nice with the sun shinning through the breaks in the clouds. She passed by a few antique and trinket shops, full of bustling bodies coming and going with bags full of unnecessary items that end up cluttering large unoccupied houses. Lenore had put her focus on the road ahead and recognized a large black SUV, a habitual smile spread across her face as her hand began to rise but then fell. She was knocked aback as she saw Michael driving the familiar vehicle. In the passenger seat beside him was a young person with long wavy locks and a bright red smile. Trying to make sense of what she just saw, Lenore stood on the sidewalk, frozen in her step. They were laughing in conversation with one another. Lenore stood there stiff with shock and confusion. Did she really just see what she thought she had?
There had been a distance growing between her and her husband for too many years to count. Work became his main focus and the children hers. In the beginning, when Michael started staying late for work, missing family dinners, and then occasionally working on the weekends, she would question the amount of work he was doing. A couple times she flat out asked him if he was having an affair. Of course he always denied it, with his sly “trust me”.
Had it really come to this? Is he in love with someone and for how long? After the initial shock started to fade, a feeling of release started filling up inside. She felt free. Lenore looked around as crowds of people nudged her as they passed her by. A smile returned to her face and her belly filled with laughter and her thoughts full of possibilities. She began to laugh, and people stared at her oddly. She couldn’t stop laughing. She felt such a release from the hell her life was. Lenore began to run. She ran until her stomach started cramping from the strain. She headed toward her house, she was going to pack; she was leaving. She was done, finished. Where would she go? Where could she go? She called her closest friend who now lived in the Sunshine state. “I could stay with her”, she thought to herself, “get my life in order and figure out what my next steps would be”. Lenore spoke to her friend, who was more than happy to help. She booked her flight, and called each of her children to tell them she was going on an extended vacation, not to worry, and look after your father. Her life was not over. She could start over. Start fresh.
The cab arrived about an hour later. Lenore carried her suitcase to the car and eased into the cab. “To the airport, please”, she exclaimed. Suddenly Lenore had an idea: “Driver, pull over, there is something I need to do,” she said. The cabby pulled over before the entrance to the cabled bridge leaving the city. Lenore approached the summit and threw her wedding rings into the deep lagoon. Unyoked. Disentangled. As Lenore turned to walk back to the cab, she was instantly side swiped by a passing cyclist and knocked into oncoming traffic. Lenore recognized the black SUV, and the habitual smile returned to her face before she was struck head-on.
Teacher’s grading:
Format and extra spaces 9/10
Grammar and minor mistakes 18/20
Content and excellent work 70/70
97% - A
Oh and I have to add that William was an excellent runner!! So straight to work I went from William’s school and then from work to my School where I had to write an essay (being used to see if the online placement essay writing portion will work for the college, {our class unvolunteerily volunteered}). And finally back home with two kids waiting for me to yell at them to go to bed. But, in between the shouting there was a moment where I had a chance to pray with Nanna and sing together “He’s got the whole world in his hands”, filling in whole world with names of family and friends. “He’s got Mommy and Daddy in his hands…”. And here’s what I have to say, he’s got all of us willing in his hands.