Runaway

About the Book

Much to Tom’s surprise, it was Gail who started a conversation he had been rehearsing all day. Tom never expected this conversation so soon. He figured maybe when they were back at home for a few days, so he was taken aback and unready for such serious talk. But Gail brought it up. “Tom, I need to tell you how sorry I am for the way I acted the past few days. I didn’t know what hit me, but I had a lot of time to think about it and realize I’m jealous. Remember how during the summer my dad and mother always took a week off on their boat by themselves? Mom always said it was a great time for them. It was as though they had run away. That’s the way I’ve been feeling, that we should run away once in a while” “We don’t have a real life of our own anymore. Remember when we used to go down to Second Beach in Newport, spend the days on the rocks, and run through the surf. We sure didn’t have a care in the world. How did we get bogged down with all this responsibility?” “Good question,” answered Gail, “We were teenagers and now we’re grown-ups. We got married, we both worked hard, bought our house, had kids, bought cars, made the house bigger, the kids got sick from time to time, I had an operation, and we had to take care of all those animals. And our circle of friends kept getting larger. “Yes. It’s just you and me I’m thinking of, and I know we have to make plans now, not just about how we will spend next summer but the rest of our lives as well.” “Tom, what are you saying? It sounds like you want to get away from it all.” He took her face in his hands, kissed her, and said, “Ah, ha,” as he nibbled her ear, “what a thought!” “Listen here, Tom; I love my life even though you think I work too hard. I’m not the type to be idle and vegetate, I love having the kids and our friends around and doing all these things you think is just too busy. You’re a fantastic help to me, not many women are as lucky as I am. You like to cook, so lots of time you make dinner and everything is ready when I come home. If I have to go on a business trip, I know you’re at home taking care of the children, the house, and even the laundry. You like to iron while I don’t. We are a team, don’t you know that?” She was talking, but his private thoughts would not go away, just kept coming up in his mind much like one would nibble on a hangnail. No matter how often he thought about it, it still seems impossible, but I have to find a way of making it happen. Gail just kept on, “I know you would like to go back to when we were younger, but that’s impossible. I’m really perfectly happy with my life.” Her private thoughts were different too, I’ve the greatest husband, and we love each other so much. We have wonderful children, not perfect to be sure, but they are very loving and give me so much joy. After two boys, I finally gave birth to a girl even though there were difficult parts of my pregnancy. If I had listened to the doctors, I would have lost the baby. The girl I always wanted was worth the risk. “Honey,” she said, “I know what you want, and I’ll go along with your idea of a solo vacation for just the two of us next year, but with one caveat. You make all the plans and surprise me. I’m so tired of planning, speaking at board meetings and seminars. I wish you would take this whole idea of yours and plan the kind of vacation you want for next summer.” “It’s a deal!” Tom was amazed and delighted. “From now on you can forget about it, Gail, and I’ll handle it all” Gail closed her eyes and inwardly laughed at the idea of Tom ever doing this on his own. By next week, he will have completely forgotten about it, she thought. “You’re right. I am going to take over all the plans for next summer’s vacation: reservations, hotel, travel, money, and surprise you completely,” he said, continuing his inner train of thought out aloud. “Now that would be a great change, and a wonderful one at that.” She held out her hands to him. “Now it’s time to take care of what you left me ou

About the Author

Rose Epstein has been writing stories since she was fourteen. While studying journalism she interned at the Brooklyn Eagle in NY, writing many stories, essays, and commentaries which appeared in newspapers and magazines around the country. After moving to Rhode Island, she wrote several articles for MAX magazine, and created a weekly column in the Narragansett Times called Rose’s Rants and Raves running for several years. At the same time she edited This Week in South County, designed a completely new format, and wrote small seasonal articles. She also writes for national nonprofit agencies. Runaway is her first published novel.