Character Study

Oct 29, 2011 | Blog

The bulk of my writing tends to be little snapshots of characters, situations and people I see. Here is a study on two friends:

Two women enter the leisure centre, both silvery capped with beautifully manicured yet papery hands. Under high-tech stretchy sportswear, the lines of their figures have softened, producing a generic rounding of limbs and a whisper of along-absent waist. Familiarity seeps from every gesture. One talks animatedly, gesturing and elaborating, white eyebrows punctuating every remark. Intermittently, a pause in this flow indicates a response is required. On cue, the second lady, resplendent in fuschia lycra, litters these pauses with nods, grunts of affirmation and exclamations of surprise. Many years of repeated exposure to each other lends a mechanical yet endearing quality to these exchanges. I wonder if they have any idea what the other is saying. After ten minutes, they swap roles.

#people #prose #writing

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *