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Then Ted came, and Barbara flamed out.
And there he was again, like he'd always been. Shoulder the burden, help as best he could, and that first Altair had become the means to an end. Grandfather and grandson, tied together forever by a boat, and yet he'd not been the only connective tissue holding this family together, because his mother was always there too, always taking on the role Barbara should have...
And that had confused Ted.
Once Ted went to kindergarten, once he learned how other families got on, he'd begun to wonder why his family was so different, and, naturally, soon enough the boy had begun to wonder if it was something he'd done. If it was all his fault.
And, of course, as a new father, he'd never seen it coming.
But his mother had. And she'd done her best to answer all Ted's questions – but, he knew, it's never enough.
In time he watched his son grow up in the shadow of benign neglect – on Barbara's part – and an almost smothering love – on his own mother's part – and then one Sunday, against his wishes, his mother had taken Ted to Sunday School.
(c) adrian leverkühn | abw | just the fiction, ma'am...just the fiction...
- COMMENTS
Adrian Leverkuhnover 6 years agoAuthorAs is often the case with these stories, characters are archetypes, their characteristics are archetypal; these characters may indeed appear "broken" in some way, yet the point being made is more often that any given character represents a part of the human condition. As such, I'd ask that you consider these 'broken characters' as stand-ins, or, if you will, metaphors, pointing the way to the main arcs of the story-line.
The only pain these elements reveal, regarding me personally, is the pain of creating something meaningful that helps the story along. Sometimes it's just not that easy to do.
A_Bierceover 6 years agoHow many broken people have been part of your life? Does writing about them dull the pain enough?
rightbankover 6 years agoEach step gives us another glimpse into the lives of the slowly growing little crew. I lost my footing a couple of times as we bounced forward and back filling in our knowledge of who these people are.
Thank You for providing a realistic view of sailing, not just the romantic image, logs and all
Richie4110over 6 years agoGreat characters, compelling story line, and nice slow pace. My only difficulty is that the segues are disconcerting. This isn’t a complaint only an observation.
I’m looking forward to the rest of the story.
Thank you for sharing your talent and efforts.
