Free Write

It was Christmas Eve. Fog stuck to the tarmac at Lindbergh field. The wind was blowing vigorously through her auburn hair that twisted in loose curls and fell on her back. Her hat sat on her head and kept her from the cold along with her blue pea-coat that reached her mid thighs. Her scarf wrapped around her face tightly to keep her skin from the brisk winter air. As she awaits for the plane to land any minute now her mind goes crazy. It seemed as if she was waiting for days in this airport when it had only been two hours. She couldn't stand the wait any longer, her nerves were building every second. Her mind only focused on him. Her black heels click back and forth as she paces around the airport getting increasingly anxious thinking of what is to come. Thinking back on the past months, she can't believe he left for war so long ago and now the moment has finally come for him to come home. She peers around to acknowledge the fact that she’s all alone. Everyone else has left the airport or ran inside to get away from the cold. It’s dusk and she looks up to the sky. Blinking rapidly when snowflakes start to fall freely throughout the air and land on her long black eyelashes. She always loved Christmas time, she always thought of it as a time for family and friends. Looking down on her left hand, her engagement ring sparkles. She squints to see a plane come soaring in from the distance. Her heart starts to quicken as the plane lands. The door of the plane opens and she lets out a gasp.

The author of the article "The Plot Sickens" is bewildered about how her students writing mostly all have a negative outlook. She blames the economy for the way her students writing has changed. Most stories written from them are about tragedy, death or negative aspects in life. When young adults see what is happening around the world, it can affect their writing. The economy has changed the students without them even knowing it. I wasn't sure where to go when I first started my free write. But Christmas time always makes me think of love. Some even say it's the happiest time of the year. I wanted my story to be open ended, let the reader make their own ending. If the woman's fiance was the one stepping off of the plane that's coming home from war? Is he injured? Does he even look the same? Leaving an ending with no answer is a way to let the reader want more. Even though most writing seemed to be negative I wanted a positive outlook on the situation. One never knows what can happen on Christmas Eve, whether positive or negative.

Clumsy. Graceless. Ungainly. Uncoordinated.

Clusmy? .... Clumsy was kind of an understatement when it came to dealing with me. 

The day started out like any other. I woke up, went to school then went to work a six hour shift at Dunkin Donuts. My uniform always reeks of coffee, flavor shots and donuts even when I wash it three times in a row. The smell never seems to go away or even get off my skin after I work a shift. Whenever I come home I seem to have to scrub my body just for the scent to fade...it's disgusting really. But anyway, I won't continue to ramble on about the smell even though I guarantee most of you can smell the coffee in the air and think of beautiful you believe it is. 

When I walked into work all my co-workers screamed my name (it's what we always do to make people feel at home) and they continued to say hi. I walked out back and threw up my hair with my visor and went out front. The shifts changed and I was with my favorite people to work with. We always get busy  throughout the day and this was one of the busiest times we've had in a while. Since it was close to Christmas, everyone decided to buy their gift cards on the very last day and made sure to get their hot chocolates before venturing off into the snowy cold air.

It turned into five pm and I was soon going to be relieved to go on my break. When another rush came along, the line for the drive-thru was at the street and the line for the front counter was out the door. A man got six coffees and a bucket full of food. I decided I would bring him his tray of coffees... which I now regret doing. I walked out from behind the counter and see his standing by the sandwich station. When I am about to hand him over his tray of coffees I suddenly slip and fall to the ground. I watch as the coffees fly up into the air and onto his nice suit. I look up to see the main drenched in iced coffee. I stand up apologizing over and over again while he just stares at me. Other customers look around to see what all the noise was about. Suddenly all eyes were on me and I didn't know what to do. 

After I remade all the coffees the man told me why he was wearing what he was and what the real tragedy was about the incident. The fact that his suit was worth $300 and apparently  it was for a wedding that he needed to attend in less than twenty minutes. I will never forget that day and I always get reminded when I now get called cluts instead of Jill whenever I go to work a shift.