Tuesday Tales and Purple Days

Ahoy Fellow Fathomers! It's time for Tuesday Tales.

A group of writers gather together and give our interpretation of a specific word prompt each week. Once per month, we even write to an image.  You never know what you might encounter when you get inside our minds. This week our group writes to the word- purple.  This will be an excerpt from my new WIP for a new romance contemporary.

Enjoy!~

 

“I’ll keep working on the house, and you’ll finish up all your rotations in Dallas.”

“Yes, keep working on your home…and I’ll join you there someday.” Twirling a few strands of hair around his finger, he twirled absentmindedly. “I don’t expect you to forget Garrett. I want Ryan to know as much about him as you can share. I want to blend into your life, not make you create an entire new one. We can’t tuck messy emotions into neat packages. We have no typical response to what we have experienced. You especially…yours wasn’t a typical loss. It’s so rare a young father to-be is taken from his family. Your grief was as individual as you are.”

He sounded like he was giving a speech, some type of seminar at a medical conference. Yet, he made the scientific sound so personal, so beloved and precious. “You’re a very smart man, Conner Murphy.”

“I’ve learned so much from you, from our relationship. All the loss and sorrow made me think deeper, connect more with the people I’m dealing with every day. Life experience is the best teacher sometimes. I couldn’t have learned any of this from a book.”

“I’m still learning to live with him…you know, Garrett. I mean how do I incorporate him into this new situation?” I got louder, I couldn’t help myself.  It was like I was a preacher or something. “The one we believe we lost is actually just as present as ever, only in a different way. I won’t ever take Garrett for granted again, I wouldn’t dare. It’s a damn shame I learned about that so late, taking someone for granted.”

“Living in his shadow might be a challenge sometimes, I understand that.”

“I don’t mean you have to live in his shadow, but, you’re darn sure gonna respect his presence, his place in our lives.” I grabbed both of Conner’s hands. He had to understand what I meant- it was important to me…actually, it was necessary. “It isn’t a race or a contest, it’s honoring his memory in everything I do.” I let go of his hands and began to speak with my own, large abbreviated circles trying to give my words more depth.  “I take everything he taught me and live by the goodness of his intentions. It’s the only way I know how to explain to Ryan who Garrett really was. It’s a lousy substitute for the actual, living breathing Garrett. That’s where you have to embody the representation. Ryan needs the side by side example of what his father would’ve wanted.” If any of this scared Conner away, he wasn’t going to be the right person taking such a hefty position in our lives.

“I accept the challenge…no, actually, it isn’t a challenge. I accept the responsibility. I want to complete your lives in a way no one else can. You deserve purple. It’s the color of champions and royalty. You’ve been through so much.”

Big talk sounded good, but, could Conner really live up to his word?

Please visit us at our main site for more interpretations of purple Tuesday Tales Main Page