An Escape From Reality
(The Kite Runner & The Bean Trees)
Taylor Greer observantly walked along a rocky sidewalk of Tuscan, Arizona. As the sun beat down on her, she thought about how late she was going to be to work at the coffee shop. Of course the one-day her car broke down the heat was more powerful that she had felt it ever was before. “Look at the bright side.” She muttered to herself. “At least it’s not raining. I’ve been through worse.” As she finished her sentence, she heard a car pull up behind her. A familiar looking Afghani man was inside, she remembered him from the coffee shop. He had been there the day before, but she had just then realized she never asked him for his name. Feeling rude, she immediately introduced herself.
“I’m Taylor Greer, I work at the coffee shop down the road, but you already know that. I’m so sorry I never caught your name...”
“You’re a busy girl, no hard feelings. I’m Amir, and I was actually on my way to the coffee shop now. Assuming your uniform, I’m guessing you’re headed there too. Would you like a ride?” Amir asked sincerely. Taylor hesitated, not knowing who this person really was, but she got in anyways.
“It sure is hot out there. Regardless, you didn’t have to bring me. I really appreciate it though…” Taylor paused as she looked around the car and saw a picture of a very young boy, and Amir. “Is that your son?” She continued, “He’s adorable.”
“Yes, my wife and I adopted him a little while back. He was actually my friend’s son. I wanted to give him a life he could look back on with joy. You see, he saw his mother and father die in Afghanistan. He was also abused, and never really spoke much.” Amir was waiting for Taylor to show all the compassion that everybody else had, nobody ever knew what to say when he finished his story.
“That’s really strange actually. I mean, not the story. You’re story is very inspiring, and it must have been such a difficult experience. I adopted a little girl, Turtle. She was abused as well, and didn’t talk much either.” Taylor told Amir.
“Wow, you’re so young. What would ever inspire you to adopt a little girl?” Amir asked.
“Well actually she was just kind of handed to me, and I felt obligated to give her a good life, just as you felt like you wanted to give your child a good life. I felt it was the right thing to do.”
“We have similar stories, but I wish I could have been more like you at a younger age. You see, I was it took me until my son to actually grow up. I used to act as if I was a child.” Amir shamefully explained.
“Well you grew up eventually, and that’s all that really matters. I grew up because I felt like I had to. It’s just the way I am. But that doesn’t mean everybody is that way. It’s amazing what you did though, like I said before, inspiring at the least.”
“Yes, this is very true. I wish you and Turtle well…looks like you’re back to reality.” Amir finished his thought as he pulled into the coffee shop parking lot.
“Thank you so much for the ride, and for talking to me. If you’d like to come in for a coffee, its on me.” Taylor said.
“I would love that, I could use a cup before the long drive back to my home in California. It sure is beautiful out here though.” Amir looked at Taylor as if to say thank you with his eyes, and they both made their way into the shop.
I. I thought this story was well written and you did a good job including both major characters together. I feel like their relationship was a little vague, but you can definitely tell they are close. The part I could picture the best was Taylor's reaction to Amir's story. This story just really makes me think about how similar two strangers can really be.
ReplyDeleteII. I thought the best description of setting was right in the beginning. " Taylor Greer observantly walked along a rocky sidewalk of Tuscan, Arizona. As the sun beat down on her, she thought about how late she was going to be to work at the coffee shop. Of course the one-day her car broke down the heat was more powerful that she had felt it ever was before." I thought this was well written because with your wording, I can picture how hot it was. I could also sense her frustration in the situation; blazing hot and late for work? I could imagine that would be awful!
III. I thought their conversation was semi-authentic. It didn't make me believe it fully, but it all had good structure. Like I said in the first response, their relationship is a little unclear to me and while reading the conversation seemed like it was a little forced. If there was a little more explanation about their backgrounds and maybe if the conversation started a different way, it would be perfect!
IV. As I'm sure you could tell, the big distraction to me is the lack of background information on Taylor and Amir's relationship. I thought this story was well written but maybe next time, just add a few extra sentences to make sure an important relationship like that is clear. Overall nice work!