PHOTO PROMPT © Dale Rogerson
Merriam reluctantly allowed Bud, her less-than-ambitious boyfriend, to take her car during the day while she worked. In the afternoons she waited in the park across the street for him to pick her up at 3:05 p.m . A few minutes late wasn’t bad, but every day Bud was a little later. He always had a good excuse.
It was 4 p.m. today; Merriam’s fingers and toes were entering stage numb and no sign of Bud. His cell phone went directly to voicemail. Merriam called an Uber. Car loaning was over.
Officers knocked at 6 p.m.
“There’s been an accident…”
Songwriters: Keith Richards / Mick Jagger
Rochelle Wisoff-Fields is the educational host of Friday Fictioneers.
Tao Talk 
life altering words for the ending – so many images flash through my mind.
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Thank you, Gina.
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Poor Bud.
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Oh no, I thought there may have been a crash with the snow prompt, good stuff
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Thanks, Shrawl
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And then she felt guilty of course for her anger (which was totally justified)
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Exactly, Neil.
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oops. I guess this was the best excuse ever
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That would explain today! Great story Li
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:) Thank you.
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You’re welcome 😉
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Ice on the road? Or maybe he was at a bar?
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We’ll never know…
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Dear Lisa,
It’s amazing how life can turn on a dime, isn’t it? You never know when it’s going to be the last time…Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Rochelle, thank you, no we never know.
Shalom,
Lisa
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Ouch. I bet she regrets all the things she mentally called him while waiting in the cold. Nice one!
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Thanks, Ali!
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Opening the door to discover police officers standing before you must be chilling.
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Did he have a licence to drive?
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I believe he would have to have a license for her to let him drive her vehicle (insurance liability, etc.) What I want to know are the circumstances of his death…
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Dang she lost her car! I don’t have much sympathy for Bud
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Michigan has no-fault insurance (but the highest insurance rates in the USA!) so if she had the right coverage and a low deductible maybe not so bad. You (and she) will have even less sympathy for him when she finds out the circumstances of the accident…
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Ahhh… well I hope she gets an upgrade….in both areas.
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:) yeppers
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oh, it was the kind of knock that could keep one frozen and numb. hope he survived.
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You used misdirection well to make your twist more effective. Well done!
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Thank you, Penny, I wondered if anyone would catch that.
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Not so much Bud late, as the late Bud.
He probably deserved it.
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Great wordplay there. I should have titled it “Late Late Bud”
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It really was the last time he would use her car! Tragically so.
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There’s an element of crying wolf about Bud. If only he’d been regularly on time, she might have worried about him sooner, perhaps emergency services might have found him earlier. The moral is – be on time! Great story this week
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Thank you. Glad you enjoyed the story and agree with what you say about their situation.
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My pleasure
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The phone call no one wants to receive. This is so well-written! I felt as if I were in the scene.
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Thank you very much for reading and your comment.
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Poor guy, and girl as well. Life ending for one and life changing for the other.
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A not so happy ending. Love the twist in the end.
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Thank you, Susan.
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I was fearing there would be this situation…
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Oh, my, I thought this was a simple couple-fight story, and then you slipped me a twist. Good work.
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Thanks Eugi. Glad I “gotcha.”
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Powerful message, never judge until you have all the facts
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Thank you, Mike.
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Oh no. Powerful ending to this. Great build up.
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:) Thanks Laurie!
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