Page 25 - FICTION
P. 25
FICTION
I was in a daze– stunned into silence. Being For the rest of the trip, the unexpected question
married was for keeps, forever. I didn’t want to was in my head, flling my quiet moments, giving
say yes and fnd it was the wrong decision. me visions and thoughts of a partner, a friend, a
lover, and always having him there, with me.
‘Well, at least it wasn’t a no,’ Walter said, and it
might as well have been to himself. ‘Drop a brick Acceptance settled over me, I knew what I wanted
or something when you have made up your mind, to do… I was sure…
okay? If you want me to ask you again, that is.’
I just had to let Walter know it. He had been
‘I’ll do that,’ I agreed. really patient.
I should have been over the moon, or fying out Back at home, the next time that we went out,
over the snow felds in their summer guise, not but before we parted for the night I whispered,
shocked into silence. After all, wasn’t it every girl’s ‘Watch out for the elephant. The answer is yes!’
dream to get married to Mr Wonderful? Right?
I decided, a week later, that if I had found the
I really didn’t know why I couldn’t answer right proposal unexpected, I wasn’t alone.
away– maybe I’d just never thought about
marrying yet. Or perhaps it was the three years Having arranged an evening out at a restaurant,
of unsubtle comments from my Macedonian with family and close friends present– for an
neighbour. In her view I, as the youngest sister, innocuous celebration of my recent graduation as
shouldn’t marry until my other elder sister was a Master of Science– our announcement had jaws
paired off. dropping all around the table.
My mind rebelled at that idea, as I vaguely Perhaps, you really do have to watch the quiet ones.
pictured my Mr Wonderful being made to marry
my sister. What did my marrying frst matter? This After more than thirty years, I have never
was Australia, and the 1970’s… regretted waiting to be sure.
Margaret Gregory
MARGARET GREGORY began writing at high school, and wrote on and off while
working to attain a Master of Science degree. After working as an analytical
chemist for ten years, participating in activities with the Australian Volunteer
Coast Guard and raising a family, she moved on to study writing and editing,
and achieve a Diploma in Library and Information services.
She entered her frst novel “The Wild One” in the Fellowship of Australian
Writer’s Jim Hamilton Award (2011) and received a highly commended, this
award being for an unpublished novel of sustained quality. Her latest novel is
titled “Power Rising“.
Now with her boys grown up, she has begun to rewrite her early novels and is
now also Editor in Chief and Science Editor for The Australia Times. She lives with her
three men in Melbourne, Australia, in a house with a metal roof that is used as a runway by possums.
Independent Media Inspiring Minds 25
I was in a daze– stunned into silence. Being For the rest of the trip, the unexpected question
married was for keeps, forever. I didn’t want to was in my head, flling my quiet moments, giving
say yes and fnd it was the wrong decision. me visions and thoughts of a partner, a friend, a
lover, and always having him there, with me.
‘Well, at least it wasn’t a no,’ Walter said, and it
might as well have been to himself. ‘Drop a brick Acceptance settled over me, I knew what I wanted
or something when you have made up your mind, to do… I was sure…
okay? If you want me to ask you again, that is.’
I just had to let Walter know it. He had been
‘I’ll do that,’ I agreed. really patient.
I should have been over the moon, or fying out Back at home, the next time that we went out,
over the snow felds in their summer guise, not but before we parted for the night I whispered,
shocked into silence. After all, wasn’t it every girl’s ‘Watch out for the elephant. The answer is yes!’
dream to get married to Mr Wonderful? Right?
I decided, a week later, that if I had found the
I really didn’t know why I couldn’t answer right proposal unexpected, I wasn’t alone.
away– maybe I’d just never thought about
marrying yet. Or perhaps it was the three years Having arranged an evening out at a restaurant,
of unsubtle comments from my Macedonian with family and close friends present– for an
neighbour. In her view I, as the youngest sister, innocuous celebration of my recent graduation as
shouldn’t marry until my other elder sister was a Master of Science– our announcement had jaws
paired off. dropping all around the table.
My mind rebelled at that idea, as I vaguely Perhaps, you really do have to watch the quiet ones.
pictured my Mr Wonderful being made to marry
my sister. What did my marrying frst matter? This After more than thirty years, I have never
was Australia, and the 1970’s… regretted waiting to be sure.
Margaret Gregory
MARGARET GREGORY began writing at high school, and wrote on and off while
working to attain a Master of Science degree. After working as an analytical
chemist for ten years, participating in activities with the Australian Volunteer
Coast Guard and raising a family, she moved on to study writing and editing,
and achieve a Diploma in Library and Information services.
She entered her frst novel “The Wild One” in the Fellowship of Australian
Writer’s Jim Hamilton Award (2011) and received a highly commended, this
award being for an unpublished novel of sustained quality. Her latest novel is
titled “Power Rising“.
Now with her boys grown up, she has begun to rewrite her early novels and is
now also Editor in Chief and Science Editor for The Australia Times. She lives with her
three men in Melbourne, Australia, in a house with a metal roof that is used as a runway by possums.
Independent Media Inspiring Minds 25
