A neighbor, a hefty woman with floppy arms, lived alone and liked children. Whenever I stopped in for a visit, she’d have a treat to offer me. She handed me a large chocolate Easter bunny once and then asked what I wanted for breakfast.
“French toast!” I sang, bouncing up and down. The neighbor put on an apron and shooed me out of her kitchen with her jiggling arms.
In the dining room, I sat on a chair with my legs swinging. I got up to stretch. I walked around and traced my hand over a flower arrangement, almost knocking the vase over. My eye caught a candy dish that sat in the center . . .
“Don’t you touch anything,” the neighbor called from the kitchen.
“I’m not,” I replied and returned the purple jellybean that I had licked.
A black cat-shaped clock hung on the wall. I followed the big, moving eyes and long, swinging tail—back and forth, back and forth, tick-tock, tick-tock. I gazed across dusty photo frames that filled the shelves and windowsills, wondering if any of them were of her as a child. I wanted to thumb through her assortment of worn-out picture books and Life magazines stacked on bookshelves and the floor. But I didn’t dare.
The aroma coming from the kitchen made my stomach rumble. I heard her pounding footsteps and raced to sit back down. The neighbor put a plate in front of me, stacked with golden-brown French toast. She poured warm maple syrup over the fluffy slices of sweet bread. I knew I had never smelled or tasted anything so delicious. My one regret is eating too fast and becoming full too quickly. Then I watched, horrified, as she collected my plate and tossed the rest into the trash. I would have brought the rest home to share with Mama and eat later.
(An excerpt from Running in Heels – A Memoir of Grit and Grace)
© M.A. Perez 2014, All Rights Reserved
From Heart to Heritage
Reflections From the Heart 
“Don’t you touch anything,” the neighbor called from the kitchen.
“I’m not,” I replied and returned the purple jellybean that I had licked.
This tickled me silly 🙂 … so like a child.
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LOL She was none the wiser! This is our secret 😉
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Boy I can taste that French toast! Another great article. So glad you have someone looking at your manuscript. First step towards PRINTING and No. 1 best seller! I pray the good Lord will open her eyes and heart to the message in your writing and the feeling throughout the stories that touches each heart.
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Nice style.
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Hey, thanks for stopping by and for the comment.
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Ok – teaser much? I’m on the edge of my seat. When is the book out? Found you on bloppy bloggers, too.
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LOL I’m working on that, I really am. You all are great encouragers 🙂
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Keep up the writing!
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When is the book coming out, Mary? I want MORE!!! 🙂
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Awwww I so appreciate fans like you, Rebeca! Update: I now have an editor looking over everything! She will give her expertise on my manuscript, polish my synopsis and will even do a Book Proposal. Yay! Also the title “A Mary Heart” will go bye-bye (meaning it has not been a title set in stone). Still brain storming over that as well. So, Lord willing, the next thing will be to find the perfect fit – an agent who believes in my work. I covet everyone’s prayers, too 🙂
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What a great piece. I love your writing style!
Stopping by from Bloppy Bloggers, FB.
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Thank you for stopping by and commenting!!!
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