Freewrite – A Special Occasion - Original Photography

He was not the kind of guy who bought flowers. Not usually. Only for special occasions. It had been thirty years. Thirty long years since he had left the Scottish glen for the anonymous cosmopolitan soup of London. Thirty years since he had turned his back on his glen, his home, his family, and all that he had once held dear. Thirty years of shame clung around his neck like the albatross in the Rime Of The Ancient Mariner.

She loved poinsettias. She loved Christmas. Poinsettias are not technically flowers, but guys don't know these things. It was Christmas Eve, so poinsettias then! It was settled!

As he trudged through the soft snow, he could almost feel the albatross of the last thirty years releasing from his neck. The world had changed, but his Highland glen that he once called home remained the same. Nothing had changed. What a fool he had been to walk away!

What would she say after all these years? What was there to say?

Nervously he tapped on the door.

“Dad!”
“Maureen”
“You are too late. We buried Mum last week.”

Image © Diane Macdonald. All Rights Reserved.

Thanks to @mariannewest for creating the #freewrite challenge. You can read about today's challenge here

Thanks for taking the time to read this! I appreciate it.

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