Monday, July 14, 2008

Entry #37

The Name of Hope
by Nothingman


The rushing wind in my face harshly wiped away the tears from my eyes. I moved into the next gear and turned the throttle. The faster I drove the less the betrayals hurt.

My wife was having an affair with my boss.

My boss had fired me after I gave 10 years of my life to the company.

My dog refused to recognize me anymore.

The dog was actually the stick that broke the proverbial camel’s back. So, I sold the house, bought the Harley, put the rest of the money in a bank account and left the town I had lived in since the day that I was born.

The next seven months were spent on the road, and the road had not been kind to me. My back hurt from long hours of driving, my face looked old and weather beaten in the rear-view mirror, and my hair was graying.

I was on the road again tonight, my 30th birthday.

Then, I saw the girl standing on the side of the road. A small dog sat by her side.

I stopped the bike.

“I’m going to the next town.” She said.

“Hop on then.”

She sat sideways on the bike and the dog expertly jumped in her lap. She put a hand on my shoulder to balance herself.

I told her my name and asked hers as I started the bike, through the noise of the engine she whispered in my ear, “I am Hope.”


[Nothingman writes at A Story A Day and Poetry.]

26 comments:

Sheri Perl-Oshins said...

I like the last line a lot and was surprised a dog could ride a motorcycle. I never saw that before. And that your MC looked so old at such a young age. I guess age is irrelevant... 30's young to me!

SzélsőFa said...

I was surprised, too, by the very young age of this man.
I liked the wording of the ending, and the last line was just awesome and clever.

Lena said...

i loved the last line a lot. Feels good to know there is hope for everyone of us even when life hits hard

My crazy life said...

Love the ending. -Rita

BernardL said...

Well written parable.

Anonymous said...

I love when "hope" shows up. Good story.

Sarah Hina said...

Oh, that last line was just wonderful! It really made me smile.

We all need Hope to tap us on the shoulder during our darkest hour. So glad this character's future looks brighter, with the girl and dog by his side.

Beautiful story, Nothingman! Really enjoyed it.

Beth said...

This one was particularly great in every way, but that last line clinched the deal. Very well done!

And once again, thank you for making the vote harder and also for not being pompous and writing "grey" instead of "gray." =)

Sameera Ansari said...

Beautiful ending,good narration!

JaneyV said...

This was just lovely. I was reminded of that bit in Forest Gump when he ran and ran until all the frustration left him and then he just went home. The road offers no answers but Hope is always around the corner.

The ending was perfect. (Nice touch having Hope show up with a dog - really sweet!)

Esther Avila said...

I loved this story. Meaningless life, or so he thouht, and suddenly, renewed hope. I also love the scene you painted by adding a dog....and the way the girl sat on the cycle. Hope. I like that alot.

Scott said...

Just when Hope was lost. Ok, that was bad. I love it that the rest of the world had left him behind and that he found someone with a common interest and gave him something more to live for. Well done.

Zedekiah said...

you drove with hope on your back....N, you have rekindled the fire....LUV IT

Bernita said...

Thank you - especially - for the dog.
Well done!

Aj Mercy said...

really sweet bro. i wish they put stories like these in our litrature book

Gone said...

Yes I thought the last line was good too. Nice take on the picture.

Anonymous said...

Clever last line.

24crayons said...

OOOh I liked that! What a great ending.

Sukanya said...

very nicely written.. awesome ending!!!

Anonymous said...

your story never fails to interest me, N! this one is excellent!

D said...

Hope has a way of finding us, right N?
it was perfect...

Anonymous said...

Poignant and unique line about his dog refusing to recognize him anymore. And a lovely ending and sentiment.

Missy said...

Yeah, the dog part was sad. But he found a new one! Great ending, too!

laughingwolf said...

hope springs eternal, with dog in lap :)

Pallav said...

Thanks All, dogs can indeed write bikes, hair can go white before 30 and some girls are Hope, in more ways they know :)

Had a fun time reading all the entries and thanks all for the comments :)

Cheers!

N

Anonymous said...

Kind of like a vision quest. Putting yourself through extremes to finally be touched by a vision. Good pacing and entertainment.