Writing Prompts

The Squirrel

Prompt: You see an old man at the same time, on the same bench every day. Why is he there?

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Mr. Alfred Gibbons has always been a man of his word. If you were so lucky to have lived between First and Fifth off Main in the Clements Community, 8 year old Alfred Gibbons delivered your newspaper promptly between 5 and 6 a.m. every Thursday, not a minute later. When he promised young Melody Wright that he would walk her to school every morning, he rang her doorbell no later than 7:15, always with her favorite snack, Nutty Bars, in hand. And when he promised her that they would wed under the same canopy as her parents, they did so 10 years later.

To Alfred, paradise was a lovely brick colonial with red shutters and perfectly manicured shrubs. It was a dream he envisioned at 8 years old as he delivered newspapers, and luckily his wife shared the same dream. It took 10 years of living in apartments and pinching their pennies, but they realized their dream nonetheless.

After their 2 children were born, Alfred was certain that his timely disposition would be forced to change, given the spontaneous and demanding schedule that comes with having children. His children quickly taught him the vaule of patience, who in turn, learned the value of being timely and reliable. By the time his eldest was 8 years old, she was delivering newspapers on the very route her father had, every Thursday between 5 and 6 a.m., not a minute later.

For 47 years Alfred devoted his professional life to Timber Paper Company, missing not a single day's work. As you might assume, he was always on time, and stayed late when asked. At the time of his retirement, their children were grown with children of their own. He and his wife visited their grandchildren every Wednesday at 4 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. This was well planned, of course, as not to interrupt Melody's hair appointments on Monday, Alfred's Bridge playing on Tuesday, grocery shopping on Thursday, visits to the Art Museum and the Garden on Friday, and cleaning house on Saturday.

Alfred loved his grandchildren, but his favorite day of the week was Friday. He valued the beauty in the Art Museum and the Garden, but he valued Melody's love for them even more. It was as if she was looking at the art and the nature with new eyes each week. They walked the Art Museum and sat at the bench in the garden next to the lillies, where their bums hit the seat not a second past 3 o'clock. At this time it was not unusual for Melody to unwrap a Nutty Bar, her favorite snack, and enjoy it while she and Alfred watched young couples enjoying the blooms of the garden, reminding them of themselves. Completely unaware, Alfred and Melody were being watched as well.

No later than 3:05 every Friday, a plump red squirrel decended from his home in the tree and enjoyed the crumbs of the Nutty Bar that Melody had dropped. Calling the garden home for all of his short squirrel life, he found no human formidable. He picked up the crumb with his tiny hands and ate quickly, staring at Melody while waiting for the next crumb to fall. Melody took a liking to this furry rodent, though it was not unlike the one who teased their dog in the backyard for many years. 

When Melody fell ill during her 90th year of life, she had one request for Alfred to fulfill after she was gone.

"Do what makes you happiest, and do it everyday," she said.

Mr. Alfred Gibbons has always been a man of his word. No matter the day of week, you can find him at the garden bench next to the lillies, eating a Nutty Bar at 3 o'clock. The squirrel will be waiting.