FICTION ||Lergon Parris: The Plot
Penned in Rage Journal, Amplifying Marginalized Voices
The uncut grass of her yard was a stage, and the two butterflies danced among the blades, a minuscule courtship in the vast urban jungle. Rhianna, on her way to work, would normally ignore the dance of the butterflies, but that morning, it spoke to her. She found herself with an induced longing – a need for a personal story.
It was not just the butterflies and their mating dance. As she walked towards her bus, the day seemed attuned to her mindset. A blaring love song from a passing taxi was a covert nod of understanding, with words making more sense than they ever did. Rhianna, who rarely sang, found herself humming and smiling as she climbed onto the waiting bus and found an empty seat. Several bus stops later, amid the packed ‘sardines’ and the jarring turns from the driver’s erratic traffic and pothole dodges, she saw him.
Standing at the front of the bus and rocking to the whims of the erratic turns was a handsome, professionally attired man, the epitome of her elaborately cultivated fantasy. The moment her gaze became fixed upon him, her eyes refused to dart away. It was only when her brain jolted her with the notion that her awe-fueled stare was too obvious and could become fuel for the ridicule and mockery of judgmental extroverts, did she manage to avert her eyes. Still, she stole glances, filling her mind with images of him like a smartphone’s memory.
Suddenly, there was no bus, no other passengers, and no abrasive dancehall music. It all melted away leaving Rhianna and this man. There was silence and bliss. If only he would meet her gaze, see her beauty, and look beyond her perceived flaws.
Was my blouse wrinkled? Did I overdo my makeup? What about my hair?
She stayed in the fantasy despite the protesting thoughts rendering her heartbeat an unhinged sprint, and her breathing a labored effort.
Then his gaze finally met hers! This was it! This was the beginning of her own movie’s plot!
He looked away after an exaggerated eternity, but the stare from those eyes…those intense eyes. It spoke desire without the need for mortal words, and she shuddered so violently that the person in the seat beside her seemed affected by the vibration.
There was something there…a connection. There had to be! The movies did not lie.
He was doing…something. Her prince fidgeted against the restrictions resulting from the tightly packed bus. Was he…? He was fishing out his phone from his pocket.
This is it! This is the part where he cleverly asks for my num...
“Yes, baby?” he started speaking as the phone graced his perfect ear. “No, soon reach work. I’m in a bus heading to Half-Way-Tree. Yeah…yeah… Okay, love you too.”
Her heart sank at the reality of the brief phone call. This was not the plot of her movie. This was a one-sided pain. As it festered, it became a one-sided anger. Throughout the day at work, Rhianna fought a one-sided war.
About Writer
Lergon Parris is a national award-winning creative writer and author. His short story won a Short Story competition run by Ella’s Writing School in 2023. As a Jamaican native, he often pulls inspiration for his pieces from the culture, crafting unique stories for all ages. He tends to utilize anthropomorphism in his more popular works, telling stories from the perspective of animals. These narratives are often used as metaphors for human conflicts.
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