Take a Left

 

Welcome to the Spot Writers. This month’s prompt is to write about a picture frame from a thrift store with a message scrawled on the back. Today’s tale comes to us from Val Muller, author of the kidlit mystery series Corgi Capers.

Take a Left

by Val Muller

“Number 31!” the MC called, holding up a ticket from the bowl.

Ryan stood up and held up his ticket .”That’s me!”

He walked to the front table to retrieve his prize, a picture frame that had been repurposed in whimsical cats of various styles, a trendy decoupage. “Enjoy!” the MC told him. “And all of the cats at Katty Kafe thank you for your support.”

Ryan returned to his seat, wondering where in the world he was going to put such a frame. Like most of the donated goods, this raffle prize had been purchased and repurposed—bought from a thrift store, or maybe donated. The glass front was missing from the frame. What would he do with it?

At the next table, a caged cat wailed in protest. Several of the picnic attendees had brought their cats, and the animals weren’t happy about it. Ryan had only come at the request of his attractive neighbor, who now was nowhere to be found.

A volunteer was circulating around selling 50/50 raffle tickets. Not wanting to have to stay until the drawing, Ryan flipped the picture frame over and pretended to be studying it carefully. After the ticket seller passed by, he noticed something scrawled on the back of the frame. It looked like it had been written before the decoupage. Ryan squinted. The words were in an old-fashioned cursive:

Take the one on the left.

He looked up instinctively. There were two doors to the event hall. The one on the right led to the bake sale. The one on the left led outdoors. He thought of his attractive neighbor and took the one on the left.

At the stoplight home, he maneuvered into the right lane and prepared to take the most direct route. But he glanced at the picture frame sitting on the passenger seat. He put on his left turn signal instead and took the scenic route home.

Later that night, trying different spots for the picture frame, he decided to splurge and order pizza. When the delivery came, they accidentally doubled his order. He stuck his pizza in the oven and brought the extra pie out into the hallway of his apartment. Maybe Emily had a good reason for not coming to the picnic, despite asking him to attend. Her looks gave her a second chance. Maybe a free pizza would make him more appealing to her. But as he approached her door, another door opened down the hall. It was the girl in apartment 3. He hadn’t met her yet, but he’d seen her getting her mail and coming in from a jog now and then. She had moved in less than a month ago. She bent down to pick up a package that had been delivered to her door earlier.

She was not attractive like Emily, but she had a kind face, and she looked up at him with a smile. The pizza box in his hand grew heavy. “The delivery guy accidentally gave me two,” he rehearsed in his head, willing himself to step out of his comfort zone. “No,” he admonished himself quietly. “Tell her your name first. Hi, my name is Ryan, and I guess we’re neighbors,” he practiced with barely moving lips. Was she looking at him? He couldn’t tell, but if he was going to say something, he had about half a second.

He heard Emily’s door open to his right. He had to choose.

“Hi, my name is Ryan,” he said, holding up a pizza box in welcomebto the new neighbor he’d chosen, the one on the left.

The Spot Writers—Our Members:

Val Muller: http://www.valmuller.com/blog/

Catherine A. MacKenzie: https://writingwicket.wordpress.com/wicker-chitter/

Phil Yeats: https://alankemisterauthor.wordpress.com

Chiara De Giorgi: https://chiaradegiorgi.blogspot.ca/