Saturday, October 16, 2010

289. Rapprochement


Whistling down the laneway, the wind encouraged Amelie to hug her jacket to her – as much a psychological reaction as it was physical. She felt in need of battening down the hatches, of indulging in self-preservation. It had been a difficult period of time, and it showed. The gulf between them was still apparent, but at least they were side-by-side, and heading in the same direction.

The cobblestones beneath her feet brought the immediacy of touch, an intense feeling of discord that she willed to continue. As they walked, in an uncomfortable silence, through the archway, Amelie was assaulted by intense aromas from the myriad of small kitchens attached to the outdoor markets. She took a deep breath, a precursor to a comment, but immediately thought better of it.

She glanced sideways, to catch Milly glancing sideways. Amelie could not contain a hesitant pucker at the edge of her mouth.

6 comments:

Maha said...

I loved the way you described the weirdness of those moments.

Brian Miller said...
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Brian Miller said...

smiles. i can feel the uncomfortable tension. i'd probably drop the double use of sideways in that one sentence...

Julie said...

Thanks, Brian. I have received a couple of comments about repetition this week. I shall keep it to the fore of my head.

Joan Elizabeth said...

This story is finely observed and beautifully written. The only word that jumped out at me as wrong was the aromas assulting. There is so much tension gong on that it seemed wrong that the smell of food would be a source of tension.

Julie said...

Overkill and a distraction ... yes, I can understand that.