Sunday Snippet: Transference

Whew. What a week. My middle kiddo—who's not really a kiddo anymore at twenty—ended up in an accident when a car turned in front of him across traffic. His car is pretty crunched up but he's thankfully okay. It's been a lot of phone calls this week to get a loaner car lined up and an insurance claim filed. I can say one thing with absolute certainty. I'm so glad we don't have many accidents or fender benders that need insurance company involvement. Yeesh.

I've been on a bit of a comfort viewing watch this past week. I stuck with more Peter Gunn episodes after watching the weekend marathon. I'm in the beginning of season two and about ten or so episodes in.

Also caught three groups of episodes with Classic Who. The six-part Web of Fear, which had some editing issues but it's better than not being available. I followed that with The Wheel in Space, another six-part arc. And then finished up with The Dominators, which is a five-part storyline. It looks like I'm in the last season of Two's run. I'm a little disappointed with how few episodes are available from his tenure.

I watched the last two episodes of series sixteen of Midsomer Murders and started the first episode of series seventeen. It's kind of odd how there was "The Flying Club" in sixteen and now "The Dagger Club" in seventeen.

I need to try to binge watch the final episodes of Riverdale to prepare for the new season starting soon. My heart is so heavy when I watch because they're the last episodes with Fred. I'm really looking forward to the premiere episode, which will be his memorial show.

And that's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Transference, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Leslie Karr is packing her meager belongings to move into a new apartment and finds a letter from Granger Unger explaining why their night of shared grief over the loss of his brother can't go anywhere. After three years, Leslie still wonders if he may have been wrong and decides to test the waters by looking him up before she leaves town.

And a snippety peek…

"I'm such an idiot." Leslie tossed her phone on the stripped-down bed. "Why did I pack everything before I called Granger?" She could kick herself right now.

Nothing for it but to dig through a couple of boxes for something to wear that didn't involve her usual athletic shorts and tank tops—before her belongings headed for storage.

"Coffee on a Saturday morning. I need casual." Definitely not the interview clothes in her suitcase.

She grabbed one of the boxes marked with a clothing label and dragged it toward the bed. Sitting down, she paused before opening it. Holy shit. I'm having coffee with Granger.

Pulling the lid off, she shook her head. "I'm not an idiot. I'm insane." Why did she think contacting Granger would be such a great idea?

Because he's Thad brother and, dammit, that means something.

What it meant, she didn't quite know.

Yet.

But she wanted to find out because she had no one else and neither did Granger.

Digging through the container, she found three outfits she could mix and match for several days' wear. "Not that I'll need something for more than Saturday." But Ohio weather could run the gamut from bright and sunny to chilly and wet sometimes in the same hour.

Stashing the garments in her overnight bag, she snapped the lid back on when a knock sounded on her door. Perfect timing.

Her former classmate stood outside. "Hey, John. I've got everything boxed and ready."

He did a quick glance around. "Is that it?" His eyebrow quirked.

She nodded. "Yep. Ten boxes." Not much to show for almost five years in one place.

He snorted. "This is nothing. Instead of paying for storage, why don't I just take this over to Mom and Dad's? They won't mind keeping it until you get settled wherever you're going to be." He picked up the first container.

It would be nice to save the monthly rental. "If you're sure they won't mind, that'd be great." She reached down to grab one of the boxes.

John shook his head. "Just put it on top of this one. If you stack, I'll carry." He started for the door. "I kind of owe you big time for helping me get through our last year."

Leslie grinned. "You do, don't you." She followed him to the main entrance and pushed the door open. "I'm going to call and confirm my interview times, but I'll have the next two ready to go when you get back in."

She made a quick call to Maryland and verified the date, time, and location. John returned and she loaded him up again. Another call, this time to a hospital in Wisconsin to double-check the pertinent details. John made two more trips then met her in the foyer of the apartment building.

He nodded toward her suitcase and carryon. "You've got everything then?"

Her head bobbed up and down. "Yeah. Just need to drop my keys off then I'm Columbus bound."

John grabbed the handle of her suitcase. "I'll walk you to your car." He shot her a sideways glance. "What are you going to do? Park at the airport?"

She popped her trunk. "Probably. All in all, it won't even be two weeks." If she got lucky, she might be able to leave her vehicle with Granger.

No… that would be an imposition. Still, the idea had merit.

John stowed her luggage then shut the trunk.

Then he pulled her into a big bear-hug. "You've always got a place to stay if none of these jobs work out." He eased away. "Wait. That didn't come out right. What I mean is—"

Leslie laughed. "I know what you mean." She hugged him again. "And I appreciate it. If I end up in Columbus, you and Mark will have a place to hang out when you come up to see the Blue Jackets." Hockey being the couple's favorite sport.

He gave her a wide grin. "You know that's what I'm hoping for." Giving her a shoulder check, he lifted a hand in farewell. "Call me. Keep me posted. You know the drill."

She chuckled and slid behind the wheel. "Okay, Columbus. Here I come."

In a little more than twenty-four hours, she'd be seeing Granger Unger again.

I'm pretty pleased with how this story is going. I like the wrong timing turns into something better later trope.

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin