Imaginary

Posted bywriterravenclawPosted inPoems and short stories, Weekly Word PromptsTags:, , , , ,

Written for https://lifeafter50forwomen.com/category/what-do-you-see/

It’s all in your head. That’s what my dad used to shout when I mentioned my imaginary friend.

‘Can you set an extra place?’ I asked.

‘About time we gave up that nonsense.’ Dad’s veins bulged red.

‘Let her be, love,’ she said.

I shared that look as Mum set a knife, fork, and spoon on the kitchen table. A pot of steaming stew sat in the middle. The newspaper hiding his face I could still hear him mumbling the same old thing, his fat fingers drumming.

Just a figment of my imagination. Whatever that implied. I got the point, though, when he refused to say sorry when he stole her food.

Putting his paper on the white cloth, he silently ate his lumps of beef. Chewing on every mouthful, his cutlery violent against the bowl. I learnt to keep quiet. I could blather my bestie when we were upstairs, and I was out of the way.

‘Daddy … I’ve finished. I have homework?’

I didn’t have any-it helped because the better I did at school, the more he smiled at me.

A quick nod and I quietly shuffled my chair out from the rim. I couldn’t risk pulling hers, but Charlotte slipped out of her seat to join me. We crept up the stairs, stifling our giggles. Her creak mirrored mine. As the door softly shut, I spread my pieces of paper on the bed.

‘This ends now! She is eight, not two. All this talk of imaginary friends, you’ll turn her mad!’

Another slammed drawer, another stifled scream.

They never argued in front of me; I heard them all the same.

Charlotte leant into my shoulders. ‘It’s going to be okay,’ she said.

Published by writerravenclaw

I am a fifty something mother of two grown up children, and one beautiful grandchild. I have been married for nearly thirty-four years. My first book was published ten years ago. I wrote my book Sticks and Stones because of my experience of being bullied at school.

26 thoughts on “Imaginary”

  2. Pingback: Reblog- A very insightful story from Diana in response to WDYS # 287- Imaginary – Keep it alive

  7. My first comment didn’t go through, so I’ll try again.

    I can relate to a broken father-daughter relationship. I tried not to hear the things he said.

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  8. I’m so happy you had a friend like her in your life… and look at that, she was so real after all. But some grownups will never understand. Perhaps your Pops never got The Velveteen Rabbit read to him as a child… Anyway, glad you had her during those years for support. Bless you. Love the story.

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  10. Pingback: WDYS # 287- A roundup post – Keep it alive

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