"Bill"

Happy New Year, One and All!

I have some very exciting opportunities unfolding at the onset of this year, 2014. I am publishing a couple of works to this blog in preparation for one of those opportunities.

This piece, "Bill," is a short story I wrote while studying creative writing in Greece in 2010. I had the privilege of studying with author George Crane (writer of The Bones of the Master: A Journey to Secret Mongolia). He told his students to write a complete short story - beginning, middle, and end - in as few words as possible. My chest swells when I remember how much he praised my story. I hope my followers will enjoy it as well as it came from the depths of my heart. I wrote it less than a year before my Opa, Bill, passed away, and I find the story has even more meaning to me now that he is gone. Please feel free to leave your feedback, good or bad.

"Bill" 

by Veronica Spettmann
 
     It's sad when those you love grow old and feel themselves dying. Opa died four years ago with his wife, though his facade is strong. He confided in me recently that he wishes to visit his roots in Germany. He hates traveling, but I think his desire to see it once more is stronger than his distaste for the size of coach seats.
     "May I go with you?" I asked.
     "I might not come back."
     I know he does not mean he will like it so much, he'll move there. Maybe saying good-bye to roots is easier than saying good-bye to the ones that love you.
     "I'll stay with you."
     He smiled because he knew I meant, "I will not let you die alone." Sometimes, I remind him of his wife. It makes him cry. I am honored to look like her.
     Tomorrow we embark on our journey to the old homes and hangouts of the Spettmann's and the Ritterbach's. I wonder how long we'll be there.


Published first to this blog: January 6, 2014