Weekend Freewrite: Fighting For A Purpose

Hey all! I’m doing my very first #weekendfreewrite, and I am nervous about it (crazy, huh?).

(If you want to join the weekend freewrite, there are three parts...and this post will give you the instructions to follow.)


I haven’t done one of these weekend freewrites before. This was SO different for me, but I enjoyed myself. 

Hope you enjoy it as well!
 

From time out of mind, Marjorie had led the fight for an alcohol-free county. She hated how the young people in the quiet community she lived in for most of her life would make the weekends and summers absolutely unbearable. The constant parties in the street, the blatant disrespect of the other adults, and the litter she found around and in the lake made her so angry. She was a writer and needed to have silence - that is why she stayed here, near the gorgeous lake with the birds chirping in the daytime and the crickets at night. 

Her breaking point came five years ago, yesterday in fact, when Marjorie’s elderly parents were coming home from their doctor’s appointment. Out of nowhere, a car driven by a drunken teenager coming from the lake ran the red light and plowed into the passenger side of her parent’s truck. Her mom was killed instantly. Her dad was in the hospital for just 18 hours before he passed on. At their funeral, Marjorie made a promise to honor their memories by cleaning up the town, and if she could, the entire county. 

Over the years, she received threats and damage to her home and car, but it did not matter to her. She still organized events and was a consistent presence at every town hall and county commission meeting. She made a promise to her parents and was going to stick by it no matter what.

“Because what does that word mean then, fly?” Marjorie was sitting at home, contemplating the last sentence she just typed. Her book about her parents was just halfway done, and she was talking about her dad’s time in the Air Force. 

It was something Marjorie’s dad was very proud of, being a part of World War 2. He shared stories of war victories and harrowing escapes. He even had a display area set up in the dining room with photos and medals of honor. For him, flying was not just about the fun acrobatics of the Daredevil pilots. In her dad’s mind, to fly was a true passion, a way to go higher than you ever thought possible. He made sure his four kids flew high in life, and they did. 

His eldest son, Tim Jr., was a General in the Air Force. His second son, Joseph, became a state senator to help make changes that would help all of Rhode Island. Joseph twin sister, Josephina, moved to Italy after high school and became an accomplished fashion designer and educator. And Marjorie had 12 New York Times best-selling books under her belt.

The scream was loud, which jolted Marjorie out of her train of thought. She grabbed her keys and cell phone and ran out the door. “Where did it come from?” she wondered. Then she heard it again, from her neighbor’s house three doors down. She ran over and up the stairs of the porch. She rang the doorbell multiple times. A man answered, eyes red and staring into the distance. “They’re gone, Marge. Just gone,” he stammered as the tears began flowing down his face.  

“Who, Nate? Who’s gone?” Marjorie asked. 

“Viv’s parents. They were just killed by a drunk teen...the baby sister of the guy who killed your parents.” 

Time stopped. Marjorie felt her heart drop to her stomach. The same feelings that she felt five years ago came rushing to the surface. She began to cry and shake because she knew exactly how her friend was feeling. 

Marjorie slowly walked up the steps to the bedroom where Vivian was laying on the bed, screaming and crying in pain. She looked up and saw Marjorie, and she jumped off the bed to embrace her friend. They stood there hugging and crying for 10 minutes. In that moment, Marjorie knew...her fight to get the alcohol out of her county was necessary. 

How many more fatalities have to happen? 

How many more parents have to leave before their time? 

How many more teenagers have to go to jail for years because “they made a mistake”? 

How. Many. More??