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| AI generated image of a couple arguing |
Beth rolled her eyes. “You assume that you can flop here whenever you please, after disappearing for months or even years, without considering that I might have made a life for myself while you were gone.”
Kevin thought about that. “Of course you should have fun when I’m traveling.”
“I am not talking about fun, Kevin!” Beth yelled. “I’m talking about being an adult, having responsibilities, and making commitments.”
Eww, the C-word. Kevin shuddered. That was almost as bad as the M-word. Wait, what was that on Beth’s left hand? “Beth!” Kevin gasped. “Are you engaged?”
“I am.” Beth held out her hand, and the diamond ring sparkled in the afternoon sunlight.
“But I thought we agreed not to be bound by a fussy old contract. We’re both free spirits!” Kevin frowned. “That’s why thoughts of you are always so gentle on my mind.”
Beth sighed. “We said those silly things when we were teenagers. I’m thirty years old now, and I want a home and a family. A husband and children. Someone who will be there for me every night, not sleeping in bus stations and hooking up with whoever happens along.”
At a loss for words, Kevin grabbed his stuff and left. As he wandered back to the freeway, he decided that this was for the best. He was a nature photographer and couldn’t settle down in one place. Beth had changed so radically he didn’t even know her anymore. A home and a family? Who would bring children into a world like this? Crazy talk. Kevin shook his head and popped out his thumb to hitchhike.
Decades passed, and Kevin found that he could no longer revisit rivers of his memory to be comforted by images of Beth. Their last conversation ruined those gentle feelings. He tried to recreate the relationship they’d had early on with new women, but nothing ever worked out for more than a few nights. No one desired an ongoing, yet open love affair. No one wanted to let him stash his stuff at her house. He had to keep renting lockers as he traveled around.
Kevin woke up on a train outside Boise on Christmas morning. It was bitterly cold, and there was something heavy sleeping on his chest, probably Beth’s cat. He tried to nudge the kitty away, but he couldn’t lift his arm. “Beth?” he whispered as everything went dark.
~*~
This fictional story was inspired by the song “Gentle on My Mind,” which was written by John Hartford and popularized by Glen Campbell in 1967.
Nice to see the female perspective here! - N
ReplyDeleteWow, what a fantastic take on the Glen Campbell classic, Paula! You really flipped the nostalgic tone of the lyrics on its head to show the real-world fallout of someone who refuses to grow up. That final scene in the cold on the train gave me chills. Great storytelling in so few words!
ReplyDeleteIt's perhaps the worst kind of relationship misfire -- he could have had something really good, but threw it away for the sake of a transient priority, not realizing how rare such opportunities are.
ReplyDeleteIf a man wants a woman who "desires an ongoing, yet open love affair", then what he really wants is a sex robot. That's not what women are like, with vanishingly rare exceptions.
I'd like to say, "Hey, it was the 60's," but lots of men are still this way TO THIS DAY and if I weren't already married, I'd choose the bear, ya know? - N
ReplyDeleteInteresting reading here.
ReplyDeleteThe selfish asymmetry of wanting the benefits of emotional intimacy without the responsibility or presence required to sustain it is so well portrayed here.
ReplyDeleteThat's a sad story.
ReplyDeleteKevin just didn't get it, did he? Sad story, well written.
ReplyDeleteThank you, everyone! I appreciate your comments 🩷
ReplyDeleteDang, Kevin! Too bad you couldn't understand your own needs.
ReplyDeleteWell told, Paula!
C'est moi. Sorry about the anonymity.
DeleteThanks!
Delete