Salted Tears.

This is part of a 3 word challenge that I like to do, it warms me up so I can get on with my writing and editing of Book 3 (I will give it a title soon). Occasionally I do one that I like, those are the ones I will share with you.

Would you like to have a go? Use these 3 words and link it to my page, have fun.

3 words – woman, onion, ice-cream.

 

Shelly stood in her sunny kitchen making up a new recipe for ice-cream, it was her favourite pastime and the family enjoyed experimenting with her new flavours. Today she was doing it to take her mind off things not purely for enjoyment.

This morning her best friend Myra had popped in with gossip about a new woman in town, gossip that Shelly really didn’t want to hear. Myra was busy telling her about this new woman who’d been bragging about ‘having any man she wanted’ and apparently the news was that she’d snagged herself a man who was already taken and he was smitten. She’d only moved into the town a month ago and already she’d got herself a reputation. Shelly knew the woman, Sue, she’d popped in to say hello when she was new to the area. She had seemed nice enough, a bit flash but pleasant. Myra left after she had shared the gossip over a cup of coffee, merrily going about her day. Leaving Shelly wondering.

It had been three weeks ago when her husband had told her that he had a new account at work which he had to take care of personally, he had been putting in a lot of extra hours. Shelly had been suspicious then, and now it almost seemed like Myra had confirmed her worst thoughts. Her husband was handsome, quite a catch and she loved him so much more than she believed he loved her and now her worst nightmare was coming true. She threw herself into her mixing and preparing her new ice-cream flavour, tears rolling down her cheeks. She smiled a little as she thought she would have to call this new flavour ‘salted tears’, naming things didn’t usually come so easily to her. She heard the front door open and she used her sleeve to quickly try to dry her red puffy eyes. “You’re home early, for a change.” She said without looking round. She had no idea how she was going to approach this conversation, her world felt like it was about to cave in.

“Shelly, I’ve brought someone to meet you.” He replied, frowning when she hadn’t turned to talk to him.

“Oh Okay.” Her body filled with dread as she slowly turned to face him.

“You’re crying, what’s wrong?” He asked, concerned. She looked up at him through a sheen of tears and saw a couple with a small child smiling at her, “This is Mike and Jenny Johnson and Jimmy their son, my new clients, I thought you’d like to meet them.”

“Oh hello.” She manged to say. “Sorry I’ve been chopping onions.” Their eyes strayed to the chocolate, caramel and vanilla as she quickly tried to usher them from the room. Relief sweeping over her.