CBA Record January 2019

Flash Fiction Creative Writing Contest –Second Place – Frankie l By Thomas J. Sotos

 He looked different than she remembered. Gone was the beard she once adored, and slim- mer, average height stretched taut. His hair was the same, rusty blonde styled in a short, boyish fringe. And then, of course, that other change, beneath the surface. He was married eight years ago, he was twenty-five years old, her name is Elin, they grew up together in Gothenburg. It had been ten years, but still, an uneasiness roiled her insides at the sight of the wed- ding band on his left hand. Steeling herself, she walked over to where he sat and rested a trembling hand on his shoulder. He looked up from his newspaper. For the first time in a full decade, she heard him speak, “Kan jag hjälpa dig?” She giggled. Swedish, of course! Oh lord, stop laughing. Everyone’s looking at you. Ner- vously, she replied, “Probably should’ve touched up on my Swedish before I—well, sorry. Anyway, long time Isak. It’s good to see you again.” Isak, in hardly a whisper, responded, “Horunge. Marissa?” Marissa smiled. That was one of the few fragments of Swedish he’d bothered to teach her. “Hey I know that one! ‘Son of a bitch!’ Right?” You just swore loudly in a Swedish coffee shop. Please stop.

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