“No, no, no” she cried in a spectacular display of temper “I shall not go and that’s an end to it.” Who would have thought that a kindly suggestion could cause such fireworks?
Elizabeth was getting older and although she wouldn’t admit it, she was finding it increasingly difficult to manage on her own. Her only daughter, being concerned for her mother’s well-being, had taken it upon herself to investigate some assisted living/retirement homes for her. And the suggestion that they go that afternoon and view one or two of these, was what caused this outburst.
“I am perfectly capable of looking after myself, thank you very much” said Elizabeth and “Your father and I bought the house when we were first married and that’s where you lived your life until you were married. How could you even suggest that I move out into a little, cramped apartment, surrounded by old people?”
The daughter was at a loss as to what to do next. But after making her mother a cup of tea and offering a slice of the cake she had made that morning, she decided to leave her mother in peace for the rest of the day. However, as she was leaving Elizabeth asked her daughter to leave the brochures behind and she would look through them when she had time.
Imagine the daughter’s surprise when the very next morning she had a call from an excited Elizabeth who was keen to look at a couple of places and could they go that afternoon. Of course, she would be delighted to take her mother and of course they could go that afternoon.
So the fireworks display had been necessary for Elizabeth to vent her distress but the distress it caused to the loving daughter was unnecessary. And at least the ice was broken and even if they didn’t find anything suitable that day, they could continue to search until they did.
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This is my entry in this week’s Trifecta Challenge. The challenge is to write a response using between 33 and 333 words (just scraped in at 324 words) using the word fireworks and the definition below :
Fireworks (Noun) –
a. display of temper or intense conflict – b. a spectacular display.
If you want to join in, click on the tricycle above and you will be taken to Trifecta’s blog that contains all the instructions. Do have a go. I promise you it is fun.
Related articles
- Common sense urged for fireworks (kshb.com)
- Fireworks, Drought and the 4th of July (betsywild.wordpress.com)
I choose how I will spend the rest of my life 