Dick, Tony, Les, Liliane, Angela, Beryl, Martin, Ray, BarryM and yours truly.
We had apologies from Susan, Carolyn and Dave.
As usual the Bill Budner evening produced a variety of work that was almost impossible to separate in terms of quality.
The eventual results was that a story entitled SOHO garnered the most votes and that proved to be from Tony.
This was a truly atmospheric tale from London of bygone years, of trams and foggy evenings and the thoughts and actions that led jack through a day of anticipation, when he was due to ring a good friend named Anna and how he had fill his afternoon with a trip to a bookshop then to the Little Savoy theatre for the latest in Pathe News. His wandering led him through foggy streets and eventually to his favourite restaurant, one of only a few that served game. After lunching he made his way home to his second floor flat and mounted the stairs thinking he should telephone Anna but not before her requested time. He had no idea at that time how the call would affect his life.
I will run through the remaining stories, not in so much detail and in no particular order.
THE RING, was a story from Beryl and told of Elise, who lived with others in a nursing home. Her memory was failing and she thought Alex, the Greek helper in the home, had taken her ring, which she originally said was her engagement ring but an item she won one evening at Bingo.
MISSED was a story from Barry M. This told of a son's regret at having not been closer to his parents through the last ten years of his mother's life. He visited home for the first time in ten years and found a grief stricken father who did not yet realise he was alone. The funeral service made him realise how bad a son he had been and afterwards vowed he would keep in constant contact with his father.
My own tale was called THE PIANO and told of how a small child was gradually diagnosed with autism and the introduction of an old piano to the house and how the sound of music proved him to be a prodigious savant when it came to playing.
HAPPINESS IS... came from Ray and told of a young girl who had experienced a turgid upbringing except for the old books she constantly read. She loved the classics and determined to follow her dream and become an English Literature teacher. She was encouraged in this course by her own teacher, George, and so she studied hard all the time understanding that she was falling in love with her teacher, Georgina Louisa...
CUPID came from Martin and told of love seen through the eyes of someone who believed wholeheartedly that it was possible to love more than one person and that Cupid did not just have a single arrow to his bow. There was Constance, the down to earth girl who loved nature, then there was Traci, a go-getter in real estate who wanted to make love on a rooftop, then came Emily, the love of his life and who proved to be a soulmate in a relationship between the two women.
BEGINNINGS was offered by Angela, on one of her few visits from her life in Tuscany. The story told of a cliff top cafe named Horizons and how, one afternoon the owner of the cafe decided he would try to get the same three customers talking, the three who visited every day, and sat, nursing a solitary cup of tea or coffee, he would try to get them talking so the door was locked and after some protestations the three told each other their names. It was a beginning.
THE LAST CHANCE HOTEL came from Liliane and told of an hotel, on the edge of an Australian desert and how Ted and Nelly bought the place, Ted trying to simulate the Wild West but with no real connections to the city the hotel had to be supplied by light aircraft and although the interior was clean and comfortable the guests never did stay long, there was nothing to do, as the children had told Ted and Nelly. They would visit but not for long. Perhaps introducing camels to the place would encourage more visits from the bus tours...
Dick's story LITERARY ENCOUNTER told the story of 34 years old Christine who had taken pity on her mother when father had died. Since selling her little flat, at mother's behest, Christine had settled down into a less than comfortable life of taking care of her mother, who refused to get out and become part of society once more. Christine was paying a visit to the library so she could read her copy of 'Tess of the D'Urbervilles' in peace without constant interruption, when she met a man who sat with her at a small table. They found they had much in common and Christine found herself thinking this could be the start of a new chapter in her life. But she still remembered mother's prescription.
I can recount the whole story Les brought with him. He apologised for it's brevity but having recently returned from an excursion to Australia he had not had time to complete much.
This is it. SHORT STORY. Once upon a time a boy had a girl. The end.
Once more we were are amazed at the quality of the work involved and I thank everyone who attended the meeting.
The next meeting will be on February the 19th and the homework subject is FIRE.
Regards
Barry.
