Tue 8 Nov 40 PY
Dear Diary,
There are now seven stubs where I had written about Roger's final case as an MP. I cut the pages with a razor and straight edge. I wish to apologize. I have discovered the other side to writing, writer's block. Everything I wrote turned out trite and did not do justice to what had happened to Roger.
Some stories have their day; maybe that one will too. Perhaps it should stay with me.
I can see why Roger was not forthcoming about it. No one wants to dwell on failure.
R. Dorothy Wayneright.
Wed 9 Nov 40 PY
Dear Diary,
Norman usually cleans up Roger's room. Today, he was busy preparing an emergency plan in the case that Big O is severely damaged. The honor fell to me to make change his sheets, vacuum, and straighten up. It is amazing how much a lone man can tangle and wrinkle his sheets. I shudder think what he would do if he weren't alone. On second thought, I don't think that I want to think about that much at all. The condoms on the nightstand have expired, I think that I will tell Norman and let him deal with it.
In the study attached to his bedroom, I discovered portraits, mainly of women. One was of Rachel, the woman in the photo near the liquor cabinet. There is a charcoal study of of his father probably of his father. The drawing emphasizes his wrinkles and crowsfeet, the stoop to the man's shoulders. Perhaps he looked up one day and realized that his father looked old.
Dorothy 0 drew often. I tried to draw Pero from my memory. I do not forget things, but I was still unable to capture his gentleness and warmth.
R. Dorothy Wayneright
Addendum - Tonight, I asked Roger if I could pose for a portrait. He said yes.
Author's Note:
Sorry about making a mess of chapters 6 and 7. To be honest, the original intent of the story was Roger's last case an an MP. The diary was supposed to be a frame and nothing more, but the frame story grew stronger that I first imagined. I didn't keep in tempo and tried to push forward with Roger's last case. It became stranded. It was a random anecdote that I had a hard time relating to the present of Dorothy and the diary. Without any sense of immediacy or strong relation to what had passed, the action stagnated.
I figured it out when I looked back at the reviews and saw what they concentrated on.
Enough excuses. I wanted to thank the people who reviewed before and anyone patient enough to continue.
thubar2000