Precarious

A single Mother, standing on a driftwood log in heels, on the beach.

Precarious in black and white.

Perhaps wearing a dark suit made her feel more sophisticated and accomplished than she felt inside.

In color, a portrait of light brown hair and big blue eyes. She looked just like my Great Aunt and my Mother.

I have just two photographs and a ring. No one ever talked about her.

She had a child out of wedlock, married three times, then committed suicide in her early 40’s.

I never met my Grandmother and I have so many questions.

I have spent the past several months taking writing workshops, mainly about memoir. I even started a separate WP page to archive more serious writing, then deleted it. I don’t know what I’m doing, but wanted to share the results of one of the writing prompts from a class with Meg Wolitzer. This is it.