Chapter 6

This is Chapter Six of my never ending short story "Index Out Front." To read previous chapters follow the links to the right. I will continue to post additional chapters every couple of weeks.



.........She disappeared.
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She did not attend summer term and I threw myself into re-writing my entire novel. Actually I threw out the original and started over. Everything had changed and it was reflected in my writing. The main characters became greater and bolder – more like people I would like to meet – more like her. The “villains” became more contemptible. She had turned me into a romantic and I took on the new role as best as I could. No longer did I feel self-pity for my meager lot in life. I set out to write the best I could, about the best in us, and why the worst in us should not be celebrated. Though I was miserable, my writing took me to that place beside the stream with a picnic lunch. I lived there as much as possible. I too needed light, and through my writing there was a break in the clouds. I soaked up every ray.

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Second-year writing class starts with the Fall Term and I mused how a year changes people. The entry into the classroom was much more civilized, much less bumbling around. Then she came in. She hadn’t outwardly changed but her eyes tossed her baton, not so much like a dagger but as a friend would toss an insult knowing full well it won’t be taken seriously.

I looked at the planned writing assignment and then at her knowing full well I wouldn’t use it. I asked for suggestions of a topic and called on her. “Love is Like Salt” she responded. Of course I went with it.

My summer had taught me a lot. I had learned to get the boring, mundane tasks out of the way first and then move on to the pleasurable. So I read her paper last. Most of the would-be authors took the perspective that love is like salt in a wound. I knew she wouldn’t. I delayed as long as possible but with shaking hands I started. It wasn’t really prose; it was a letter to me:

One can’t reflect in a crowd; that is why people always leave a theater when the
movie is done. If there is reflecting to be done it has to wait for a quieter time. I needed a lot of quiet time this summer so I went camping for three months.

It took about a week to get away from all the people and find a place to build a shelter just big enough for me and my books. It didn’t take long to realize I hadn’t packed any salt. Rice, beans, oatmeal and homemade bread are mighty bland without salt! It is edible and it keeps you alive but there is something lacking.

Have you ever noticed that lots of things are sweet; lots are bitter and just as many are sour. There is only one thing which is salty – salt.

I started out thinking salt was a necessity but after a while I realized my faulty logic. Salt made it better by far (I craved it) however it was far from a staple food; it was a condiment. When I got back I savored my first taste of salt – it was fantastic. I hope I never forget how good it is. If my memory lapses I will go without until my memory improves!


Love is the condiment of life.

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