A/N: Based on James Thurber's "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty". Done for Honors English in 9th grade.
The Secret Life of Mrs. Mitty
"She's here!" A young girl screeched from behind the door. The woman on the other side wore a straw hat, delicately placed on her head with a fresh flower on the rim. Her floral dress flowed gently about her knees. She waited patiently until the door was opened by Mrs. Nate, the young girl's mother. She smiled politely before speaking, "Come in, come in. Would you like a cup of tea ma'am?" "A cup of tea would be wonderful." The woman walked with a graceful sway into the foyer, where tea was already served. They sat down. The woman picked up her tea. "I really want to thank you for coming to see me. It is an honor to have you here in my home," Mrs. Nate tentatively said. The woman had a secretive Mona Lisa smile. She put her tea cup on its saucer on the coffee table and spoke, "Oh, it's my pleasure Debra. I fully appreciate your hospitality." A cup of tea is the best hospitality I can give," Mrs. Nate laughed nervously. The woman laughed whole-heartedly...
"Lisa, must you laugh so loud?" Mr. Mitty asked, looking around him at the train station, noticing a few eyes locked on the laughing woman and her stout husband. The smile completely vanished from Lisa's face and was replaced by a look of shame, her face flushed red. "I'm sorry Walter. Are you going to see George or not?" "I've decided that I will. What are you going to do while I am visiting him?" "I'm going to get my eyes checked," Mrs. Mitty replied, pushing her expired glasses up her nose and her small brown hat down.
The train came speeding in and Mr. and Mrs. Mitty boarded it. While Walter took up his newspaper, Lisa subtly eyed the people around her. An old lady was reading a baking book that seemed a decade old. An annoyed middle-aged man was checking his watch impatiently as his grip tightened around his suitcase handle. Before she knew it the train was slowing into the neighbouring town, and the doors screamed open. "Don't forget my pan Walter," Mrs. Mitty reminded him as he walked towards the stairs. "I won't forget Lisa. I'm not a six-year-old," he called back, waving her off. Mrs. Mitty sighed and began trekking the opposite stairs. Her heels clicked like beats of a tambourine.
...The crowd screamed for an encore. Lisa Mitty smiled and picked up a couple of the long-stemmed red and yellow roses. "Thank-you so much!" Her voice was ragged and her smile contagious. She looked behind her at the rest of her band and they nodded. The drummer began dishing out beats that makes you thump your foot against the dry soil. The wind came through, making a beautiful swishing sound that added to the ambience. Lisa clicked her heels and laughed. A guitar plucked it's way in and she began to tap her foot to the drums. Her speed increased in a melodic way and her taps met with the music in perfect harmony. Her fans cheered and jumped up and down. Her smile grew wider yet as she spotted a few young girls on top of their dad's shoulders, their teeth gleaming in the bright white light. This was her gift to the toe-tapping world. Lisa's finale drew closer as the tips of her tappers hit the ground behind her and echoed throughout the open stadium...
"Ma'am? Excuse me, ma'am?" Mrs. Mitty had found herself over by the drummers on the upper level. She looked at the man speaking to her with a dazed expression. "Yes?" "That was great dancing ma'am. Do you dance professionally?" She smiled shyly, her face turning red yet again like the roses she had imagined. She shook her head. "Uh, no. No I do not." "You should think about it." "Thank-you, but I don't see it in my future," she replied, tipping three dollars and smiling politely before turning around and continuing on.
Mrs. Mitty reached the city level and headed to her eye doctor. She did not catch a cab for the ophthalmologist was only a block away. Her eyes dotted between different people, observing them as she always does. She would shake her head pitifully at the people angrily talking on their cell phones, making a scene and shoving their way through the crowd. She would smile at the first old lady being walked by a young girl she had seen in months. On her way, she spotted a news-stand and decided to pick up the latest issue of Home Garden. The man handling the teller today was very grumpy and smelled funny. She cursed under her breath as she dropped a dime and gave the man a scornful stare when he began snapping his fingers at her.
Mrs. Mitty tucked the magazine under her arm and pulled out a water bottle from her bag, disposing of it and replacing it with Home Garden. The bell dinged as she walked into the eye doctor's office. She signed in and sat down on an uncomfortable purple chair. Fifteen minutes later and the doctor did not appear. She took out her sudoku puzzle book and a pencil and began filling in the numbers for five more minutes before getting up to check with the receptionist...her posture straightened up high and her feet had a mind of their own, leading her out of the bland waiting room and into the street. Then her feet began moving in an artistic way. Her hips swayed like the wind. She pushed her hat up and her glasses raised themselves into the air and exploded delicately, shattering sparkle dust down around her. People smiled at her. She was ready to face her critics and show them wrong.