Carrot Ranch Flash Fiction Challenge – She Fought So Hard
I’ve been meaning to join in the Carrot Ranch challenge for some time but it’s been so busy here chez Marje that I’ve not managed to. So without further ado I’m having a go. She Fought So Hard For a wee woman, you certainly pull in the big boys,’ joked keen fisherman Robin. Melinda smiled; it had been a memorable day, she’d caught the biggest fish going. For a moment she’d forgotten her punishing chemotherapy struggle. She never complained even when her hair fell out and grew back curly. Instead, she laughed; but it sounded hollow. I doubt she recognised herself. Soft-hearted Melinda died within days of her fiftieth birthday. At the funeral I picked up her old school photo; I wept, I never knew she’d been a gymnast. Cancer the guilt bringer, I should have known. The above piece of flash is dedicated to a work colleague and dear friend of my husband’s who died of ovarian cancer this year. It is partially based on a true story. She really did reel in a big catch and showed her partner up! She had such a competitive spirit and loved to play tennis in the Californian sun. I didn’t know she’d been a gymnast. During her illness we became friends. I regret that I didn’t have more time to get to know her better but cancer stole away that possibility too. She fought hard, loved life and it’s hard to believe she’s gone. Sometimes it […]
