Below is a piece inspired by the prompt at Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers. The key elements were the photo below and a word range of 100-15o (+-25).
This week’s photo prompt is provided by S. Writings. Thank you S. Writings!
Making a Scene – 169 words
Lila watched the familiar blue car pull into the parking lot. She mimicked Mama’s sigh from the front seat.
“Get your backpack on, Lila. I need to talk to your dad for a sec.”
Lila knew what that meant. She’d overheard Mama telling Aunt Suzy “that son of a bitch didn’t send his support check again this month.” Mama only called one person a son of a bitch.
She pulled the collar of her fleece up around her ears to try to keep out the sound of the adults arguing. It didn’t work.
She stared at a pair of painted cows in a display across the street, hoping if she didn’t look at her parents, they’d stop yelling. They didn’t.
When Mama opened the car door, Lila wasn’t sure she should get out. It was Daddy’s weekend, but Mama’s face was blotchier than the painted cows’. Lila clung to the door. “I don’t wanna go.”
Mama pushed her toward where Daddy waited. “Get movin’, Lila. Don’t make a scene.”
Amy Morris-Jones 
It’s so sad how children are in the middle of two divorced parents. You got that across very well in this piece! Excellent story!
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Thank you! As we drove home Sunday evening, I saw several “hand-offs,” where parents were shuffling kids from one vehicle to another. Got stuck in my head!
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Yes, I can imagine that something like that would!
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Oh. You creatively showed the struggle and pain a kid with a divorced parent, in a not friendly state, is going true. You show and not tell, Amy. And that is great! 🙂
@rosemawrites from
A Reading Writer
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I’m not sure how I got to this scenario from the painted cows this week! I guess they just reminded me as a nice distraction from the ugliness of real life. We need those distractions sometimes. Thanks for your kind words!
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Wow. Gripping and tragic story. Too often we treat children as if they don’t understand and they can’t see. Very well written.
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Thanks for the visit! That was my thought, too–that kids are far more aware than we give them credit for. Often the children are more mature than the adults in those situations sadly!
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Sigh, I wish children could be kept away from the arguments of their parents! Very well written!
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I appreciate your kind words! I’ve watched so many kids get stuck between parents. I know it’s tough for parents to navigate divorce amicably, but it’s heartbreaking when the children are pulled back and forth.
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It is sad when the conflict of adults interferes with their ability to be parents.
@Samantha/samratkel from
Shadow Realities
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I’ve watched even very good parents behave badly in front of their kids (myself included). It’s devastating to realize how much kids internalize those things. Thanks for your thoughts!
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I wonder if in those moments, if we pushed pause and could replay how we were reacting if that might help. I think it is human nature to hit breaking point and blow up, not thinking about the potential consequences in the fury of the moment..
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