August drabbles - 28
New (2)
New... Yes. The coat was new.
“You’ll wear your new suit won’t you Tom?”
“No. I’m saving it.”
“For what?”
“Alice’s wedding.”
“But she’s only thirteen!”
At sixteen, Tom’s god-daughter was beautiful. At nineteen she was sick. At twenty-one she was dead and Tom wore the suit to her funeral.
Alice’s father gave Tom a parcel tied with ribbon afterwards; all the letters he’d written to his god-daughter through the years: “She’d want you to have them.” But Tom couldn’t look. He clutched them tight in fists and stuffed his hands into his pockets.
Then he threw the suit away.
New... Yes. The coat was new.
“You’ll wear your new suit won’t you Tom?”
“No. I’m saving it.”
“For what?”
“Alice’s wedding.”
“But she’s only thirteen!”
At sixteen, Tom’s god-daughter was beautiful. At nineteen she was sick. At twenty-one she was dead and Tom wore the suit to her funeral.
Alice’s father gave Tom a parcel tied with ribbon afterwards; all the letters he’d written to his god-daughter through the years: “She’d want you to have them.” But Tom couldn’t look. He clutched them tight in fists and stuffed his hands into his pockets.
Then he threw the suit away.
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