Chelsea's Choice

Chelsea's Choice

Sunlight spilled in through the window, blinding Chelsea as she blinked open her eyes. "There's no pain in sleep" she whispers under her breath. Shrugging off the blanket, she stood up to a dull pain in her head and that all too familiar taste of hangover in her mouth. Glancing quickly at her nightstand she took in the empty wine bottle laying there, mouth pointing at her as if in accusation. She quickly gave it a flick and spun it away, "Stop looking at me." Empty pack of cigarettes lay on the bedroom floor and with a groan Chelsea picked them up, wishing desperately she had saved one from last night's made up fun.

That desperate ache of loneliness that stabbed her in the heart every morning was back. "Isn't there a better way?" she asked herself while mentally going through the checklist in her mind that she knows by heart. She sees memories of herself jogging alongside a river on a crisp spring morning and remembers the air in her lungs and the pounding of her heart and the sheer freedom she felt. "Yeah, I remember that you, not so long ago." "Maybe I'll put on my shoes and go for a run today," she states out loud, to no one in particular. She pictures herself laughing in the sun and playing on the beach with her children when they were young and innocent. Another stab of guilt cuts through her mind so she decides to get coffee and banish the memories of when she was good. "Face the day, it's only a matter of weeks now" she reminds herself.

Her phone rings and she sees it's him. In her lover's voice she answers, "Hello, baby." His voice washes over her and for a quick moment the fears and guilt slide off of her as he asks in his husky voice, "How are you doing, baby?" Silent tears stream down Chelsea's face as she tells him, "I'm fine, staying busy." In her mind she wonders when she became such a good liar. He tells her "This is it, once this job is done, I'm home for good." "I'll be outta this hellhole of a country, finally." As she hears the words she's been longing to hear for close to two long years a jolt of ice cold fear rushes through her. They speak like lovers again and say their goodbyes. Chelsea walks to the kitchen and by the door she glances down to see her pair of brand new running shoes she bought almost two years ago. She looks at the waste basket, overflowing with empty wine and beer bottles. She walks towards the shoes and slowly picks them up by their still shiny white laces and as they dangle in her hands she longs to feel the wind rushing through her long auburn hair, to feel the jolt of adrenaline from feeling good again. In a moment of decision Chelsea smiles and says to the shoes, "Hi, you and I are gonna get to know one another because I need a new friend." With a smile and a flicker of hope, she holds the shoes tight to her chest and rushes to her bedroom to change into running clothes. She runs out the front door, past the wastebasket of empty tears drowned in bottles full of loneliness. Outside she lifts her face up to the sun and a smile starts to form, her brown eyes sparkle and she begins to run.

Good writing. Very well done.

reply to post by queenofsheba


I really liked that, there is a lot in there that rings true to me, also. haha, put into words very well.

Apart from the end, I'm still in walking shoes and getting on a bus. lol

its stimulating its very vague as in i cant really picture everything clearly but i still like it has like a crazy instead of dramatic feel to me. It would be a great short film

a reply to: LordD Hey thanks. I woke up one morning and wrote that, no edits, no proofing; clearly lol. But I think of her every day and her story and how it might unfold. Can't decide if that should be the beginning chapter or the last chapter Time will tell...

a reply to: queenofsheba

Who could stop if you open with that? I'm visualizing that as an opening scene even before the introduction of the movie it would be great they would want more. Then you give them movie title, directors, and such... or you could skip it all. Maybe even a tv show.. only time