Conveniently Inspired

Chapter Five

 The rules were straightforward. The short story needed:

Creativity

Eccentric characters that 'lifted off the page'

Well writing conventions: spelling, grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, etc.

It seemed easy enough. After all, English was Skylar's best subject. If she could write six page essays on topics that didn't interest her, then why couldn't she write a 5,000 word short story on something she could create from the heart?

Skylar worked at the cash register counter, and whenever a customer came along, she'd swipe her notebook off. Maybe it was because of the frequent interruptions, the sounds of customer's arguing, the door bell chiming as it closed and shut, or possibly her mother's loud, aggressive Cantonese as she informed her relatives over the phone of her recent pregnancy discovery. But she just couldn't focus. She blamed it on writer's block. Her notebook was empty. Completely blank. The pen in her hands furiously clicked on and off. Something was holding her back, which didn't even make sense because she was full of ideas at school. But that's just it- they were only ideas. All of them were seeds, and none of them sparked enough inspiration to spurt into a wide flower. Skylar lacked the brain power to come up with enough details to conjure up a well detailed plot. At this rate, it'd be a miracle if she could make it to 1,000 words, let alone reach the 5,000 word limit.

Skylar sighed. Po-po, who was perched on one of the mini stools, eating her bowl of ramen, gazed up at her. "What's wrong?"

Skylar sighed again. "I have to write something and I have no ideas."

Po-po's fake eyebrows drew upwards. "Is this for school?"

She hesitated. "Yes." It wasn't technically schoolwork, but it was an investment for school. She just didn't want anybody in her family knowing about this. Money was tight and it was a taboo subject, so if her mother or grandma discovered that she was entering a contest where money was the prize, they'd surely have a fit. Skylar didn't want to make them feel any more bad than they already did. They knew that Skylar had limited options, which is why they never pressured her to become a doctor or a lawyer, like the typical Asian relative did. They just wanted Skylar to be driven when it came to school work, and then they'd figure out the rest after graduation.

Po-po nodded, made a faint mmm sound as she blew on her noodles, the chopsticks hovering by her lips. In the background, Ms. Lin laughed, a little too hard it seemed, before ending up in a coughing fit. The sound triggered Skylar.

Just then, two people entered the store. Skylar felt her spine straighten. A couple. Interesting... she held up a magazine, flipping it as nonchalant as she could while spying on the pair. They seemed to be in their mid-20's. The guy held the door open for the girl, and then they rejoined to clasp hands. He said something to make her laugh, and she leaned in closer until her head leaned against his arm. Perfect, Skylar thought. Books were amazing, and movies were swoonful, but it was different actually seeing the romance occur in real life. This was exactly what she needed. Maybe after watching them she could finally get some words down on paper.

"Ay, niu, why are you watching them like that?" her po-po tsked. Skylar ignored her, continuing to thumb through the illustrated sports magazine. The guy grabbed two bags of chips up, wavering the two of them in each hand until his girlfriend pointed to the one on the right. And then the girl was texting. And then the guy went to go use the bathroom... and then-

Skylar's frustration (and boredom) was building by the minute. Alright. Clearly relationships in the real world were nothing compared to the movies or books. Where is it that people usually go to do something romantic? A fancy dinner, perhaps. Or a nice hotel. Neither of which were in Skylar's budget. Oh! The park! Couples went on walks in the park, didn't they?