My talented friend tballardbrown is working on her creative writing by using writing prompts. Today’s word is oak, so she decided to use it in the context of wine. Since she’s well aware of my wine obsession she asked me to give her a wine description that included oak. I’m honored to say she incorporated my two sentences (written, not really knowing what the story would be about) in her story below. While the scene she wrote works on its own, read the entire story she’s building here.
I got a chance to meet and fellowship with some black women writers recently and that has lit a fire under me to start writing more, not just for work, but for myself as I used to do in the not-so-distant past. To keep me accountable, I’m posting some of it here. Be gentle. I’m using writing/blog prompts from Jade Walker (@jadewalker) and oneword.com.
COPYRIGHT © 2014 Tanya Ballard Brown. All Rights Reserved.
Today’s Prompt: Oak via oneword.com
She wasn’t ready to end the Gchat conversation, but had to walk away for another damn meeting. She doesn’t hate her job, but the work isn’t as exciting as it used to be. She had abandoned her creative outlets — painting, writing, acting — but needed to get back to doing at least one of them. Soon.
Her boss drones on about something and she checks her watch. She’s supposed to meet Sidney at noon. The meeting wraps up quickly for a change, so she grabs her bag and takes a cab to Penn Quarter.
Rasika is busy but not crowded when she walks in. The hostess greets her and once they figure out Sidney isn’t there yet, she sits on the banquette in the bar area and orders a glass of California Chardonnay. Surprisingly, it isn’t overly oaked, but hints of vanilla and baking spices emanate from the glass. On taste, it provides a smokey, buttery smoothness, helping to relax her.
Her mind drifts back to the aborted Gchat conversation. She smiles a little thinking about how they used to have naughty Gchat conversations all day and then come home and spend all night doing the stuff they had messaged about.
“Hey girl! Sorry I’m late,” says Sidney, who is never on time ever for anything ever never. As usual she’s stylin’ and profilin’ in red and black Prada Crisscross Molded Wedge sandals, perfectly tailored black slacks and a red houndstooth pussybow blouse, every hair in place in her topknot, small ruby studs in her ears. Sidney tosses her hot cherry-colored Alix bag on the table, settles in and orders a glass of Cava.
“So, how you are you doing sweetie, catch me up,” Sidney asks.
“Girl, nothing has changed. Nothing,” she says. “No backward movement, no forward movement. In a holding pattern right now, I guess.”
“I thought you guys had agreed it was time to see somebody, what happened with that?” Sidney asks before taking a sip of her wine.
“He says he needs to think about it some more,” she says, while signaling to the waiter that she needed another glass of the Chardonnay. “I can’t make him go. I’m feeling drunk already, though, so let’s order.”
(Ed note: My good friend over at It’s Wine By Me helped me get the wine stuff right today since I don’t sip the grape much beyond Prosecco or Cava)
Photo: Rasika by methTICALman
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