Laney leans against the railing of the balcony. She sighs and pictures herself playing tennis.
Her father was a well-known tennis champ when he went to college. He even went on a couple of tours but with Laney born, he had to support his family with reliable work. Nowadays, he hardly played.
When Laney told her father she wanted to learn tennis some three months ago, he was thrilled and had promised to teach her. She waited day after day, almost sprinting home from school, hoping to find her father smiling at her from the tennis court but instead, she’d always find him on the couch, asleep. So she gave up.
“Hey, what cha doing, kiddo?” She turns around, her father stands behind her.
She shakes herself out of daydream. “Nothing.” She puts on smile. “How’s your day?”
“It was excellent.” He bends down to the same level as her eyes. “Listen, I was thinking about your request, about tennis.” His eyes sparkle.
She raises her eyebrow. “Really?”
He nods. “Yep, let’s go.”
(~173 Words)
I am participating in Priceless Joy’s brand-new flash fiction challenge, Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writer, where we write a piece between 100 and 150 words (more or less 25 words) in length inspired by the photo prompt above.
Loved it! Her father finally came through for her. What a sweet touching ending. 🙂 Thank you for participating and I really hope you will continue. 🙂
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Thanks! It was a pleasure participating and I will definitely continue. 🙂
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Good, I am very happy to hear that. 😀
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Great take on the prompt
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Thank you.
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Good old Dad. He hadn’t forgotten his promise after all. Nice little story, Yinglan. 🙂
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Thank you.
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Aw what a sweet story. I liked the end, I’m glad he followed through.
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Thanks, I’m glad you like it.
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Great story with a happy ending. Enjoyed this very much Yinglan.
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Thank you, I’m glad you like it.
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She seemingly wanted to connect with her dad and refuel that passion he once had in tennis. The prospect of not only playing again, but teaching his daughter, was probably strange and thrilling for him. She didn’t pester him throughout those three months held in abeyance, and he came through for her (and himself) in the end. Realistic and touching. Great job!
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Thank you. It’s actually based on something similar I went through.
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How did your situation turn out (if that’s not too personal)?
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It turned out surprisingly fine. I got behind the wheel at 15 and drove for the first time. It was fun until I hit the wall which it’s not so fun.
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Oh my! You’re making me more and more curious
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😀
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Don’t leave me hanging. What happened next??
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Well, hitting the wall dented and scratched my step-dad’s car and I was so scared. I almost never drove again and when I finally did, I was so nervous that I hit a metal pipe in the parking lot and dented the front bumper of my old car. I’ve learned my lesson though and now, I better than my mom (at least in my opinion).
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If that’s not a great example of self-fulfilling prophecy, I don’t know what is. But despite your nerves, you got back behind the wheel TWICE! That’s awesome. Lol, that last part about you and your mom is funny. When I first started driving, I almost drove the car into a ditch. (o.O) And I have a friend who accidentally drove right into her garage (like a clip from a movie). Had to replace the garage door. I’m not joking. Crazy times for all of us, but look at us now!
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That makes me feel better. I’ve been driving for 8 years and haven’t damaged anything yet other than the bumper of the car.
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