Thursday, June 25, 2015

RUNAWAY


RUNAWAY

I've relocated before. Disowned at sixteen, I showed them and graduated college, then graduate school. I more than survived, I excelled.

The second time I was running for my life. Hidden bruises would never compare to the emotional baggage his terror produced.

The third time I went in search of opportunity because a manager refused to recognize my skills, after all, I'm merely a woman.

Today, as I walk that lonely road and explore my new cities crowded streets alone, I have to wonder, especially after thirty years together; maybe running is just an excuse for not trying harder.

99 Words
Yolanda Renée © 2015
*****



Friday Fictioneers is hosted by Rochelle Wisoff Fields. She's provided the following PHOTO PROMPT via Kent Bonham -- the copyright belongs to Kent. Tell us where it takes you in a hundred words or less. 

What does this photograph provoke in you? Join the fun -- share your story HERE!


35 comments:

Anonymous said...

Injustice is difficult to deal with, whether you run or you don't.
Good piece.

Pat Hatt said...

Sometimes we have to try and other times running is a good option

Michelle Wallace said...

Love your take on the prompt.
Great FF!

Chrys Fey said...

After graduating college and graduate school after being disowned, I wouldn't say she wasn't trying.

Nice piece!

Anonymous said...

We have to pick what battles we fight.

The Happy Whisk said...

Wow, that's pretty darn good stuff.

brudberg said...

I think for some life means being doomed to run.. especially for women.

Perry Block said...

Not sure her running wasn't a necessity given her circumstances. She achieved brilliantly against all odds, left an abusive husband (it seems), and continued to look for an opportunity where she could succeed on her own terms. If that's avoiding your life, I'd like to know what isn't. Very provocative story.

Yolanda Renée said...

Hi Perry, Thanks. I saw her questioning the loss of a thirty year marriage. The first three moves were necessary, but she's wondering if running became too easy, too familiar.

Yolanda Renée said...

I agree brudberg. Sometimes there is no other choice. Thanks!

Yolanda Renée said...

Hey Ivy, thanks. Hope all is well at your house!

Yolanda Renée said...

Yes, creatingahomeng we do, some battles require a loss of comfort for survival.

Yolanda Renée said...

Thanks Chrys, I think by the fourth move, she's questioning the thirty year marriage, and if running became too easy. She a survivor for sure, but being alone is the hardest part.

Yolanda Renée said...

Thanks Michelle, if I'd noticed the garlic earlier it might have gone differently, but I saw dark lonely streets lit by neon instead.

Yolanda Renée said...

Exactly Pat, I agree!

Yolanda Renée said...

Thanks micklively, we do have to deal, because the personal scars can't be left behind.

klahanie said...

Hey Yolanda,

Yes and sorry, I know you've been twiddling your thumbs waiting for a comment from shy and humble me! :)

Nicely done. A thoughtful piece of writing, Yolanda. You can try to distance yourself from what was but you can't run away from yourself.

Gary

Unknown said...

This is very thoughtful indeed.
I think, facing up to one's fear shows courage, but sometimes we have to choose our battles wisely.

draliman said...

Sometimes run (like the "second time"), sometimes try harder - it's all about picking your battles.

Anonymous said...

I think that running is the same as trying harder, depending on the perspective. You have set up a nice tension, as we learn why she ran before. But not specifically why she ran after the 30 year marriage. Her other runnings were well justified.
Great take on the prompt. I wish her well.
In case I remain anonymous, it's Phylor commenting.

Jo said...

Never had to run, lucky I guess.

Yolanda Renée said...

I always wait with baited breath, your comment! :)
True, self always follows, no matter how fast you run!

Be well, Gary or is it Bond?

Yolanda Renée said...

Thank you Francesca, courage and doubts combined!

Yolanda Renée said...

True Alistair, the sentiment of the day!

Yolanda Renée said...

Hey phylor, your name shows up every time. Thanks for the thoughtful comment, there should be more, but for 100 words, I usually write and finish and never go back. I admire the stories that continue each week.

Yolanda Renée said...

Hey Jo, and yet all lives have their stories!

Maurice Mitchell said...

That last line is haunting Yolanda. Chillingly good

Yolanda Renée said...

Thanks Maurice, appreciate your visit!

margirene said...

I like how you've built this character. Her early experiences have made her the person she now is, and she's developed skills of survival. Her self-doubt at the end is poignant - has she taken the wrong path this time?

Yolanda Renée said...

Thank you margirene, exactly!

Denise Covey said...

Second try to comment Yolanda. You're a master of ff now. Haunting. I wonder if she thinks about trying to stay instead of run.

Thanks for the sidebar teasers for WEP. Exciting!

Greetings from Noumea!

Denise :-)

Rochelle Wisoff-Fields said...

Dear Yolanda,

Pity she still feels she has to run after all she's achieved. Well written story of a driven woman.

Shalom,

Rochelle

Tiffany M. said...

Wow - after all she's done, it's a pity she has to continue running. I hope one day she finds a place where she can stop. Nicely done.

Alice Audrey said...

All three sound to me like excellent reasons to move on. If the result is loneliness - well, that can happen even without making a change.

P.S. Joshi said...

Well written. You've managed to get part of a woman's life into a few words. I admire someone like her as she's a fighter, not a quitter. She just needs to find a place where she can excel. Good story, Yolanda. :) --- Suzanne