Never Say Never

In today's story, Never Say Never, a couple tries to write their wedding vows

Today's prompt was inspired by a book on my shelf called Never, Never Quit by Karen Hallion (great book!). This story has nothing to do with that book, but the title made me think of the expression 'never say never' and I ran with it. 

As always, this story was written from the prompt, with no planning and very little editing. If you enjoy today's story, please share it with your friends and leave a review for Freely Written. Thank you!

More about Susan Quilty

Susan Quilty mainly writes novels, including two standalone novels and her current YA series: The Psychic Traveler Society.  Susan's short stories for Freely Written are created during quick writing breaks and shared as a way to practice her narration skills before she dives into recording audio versions of her novels.

Website:  SusanQuilty.com
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Transcript

Below is the transcript for Season 1, Episode 117 of Freely Written, a podcast by author Susan Quilty:

Welcome to Freely Written where a simple prompt leads to a little unplanned fiction. 

[Light piano music]

Hi, friends! I’m Susan Quilty and today’s prompt is Never Say Never.

Today’s prompt was inspired by a glance at my bookshelf where I saw an illustrated book by Karen Hallion called Never, Never Quit. It’s a beautiful, semi-autobiographical book about a young girl who loves to draw her favorite fictional characters and wants to create a fictional character of her own—which is harder than she expected.

While this book is about putting in the practice without giving up on a dream, it made me think of the phrase Never Say Never. I used to like that expression. As I get older, I’m not so sure about it. What’s wrong with saying never to some things?

Like, I can confidently say I will never want to eat dog poop. I don’t have to think about that or try tasting it just once. I already know that eating dog poop holds no appeal. Could someone force me to eat dog poop? Ew. I guess that could happen, but I’m very, very sure that it would not be my choice. 

Okay, that was a gross, unexpected thought. Which can happen when you let yourself write whatever comes to mind. Some great ideas come up, and others might gross you out. But that’s the fun of Freely Written!

If you’re a new listener, here’s how this podcast works: After choosing a word or phrase as a writing prompt, I sit down and write whatever comes to mind, with no planning and very little editing. Then, I record the story and share it with you. 

Sometimes the stories turn out really well. Sometimes they’re a little… weird, but hopefully not gross. If you want to read more meticulously planned and edited stories, check out my novels on my website, SusanQuilty.com or wherever you buy books. (Links are in the show notes.)

In the meantime, here is today’s story:

Never Say Never 

Jimmy and Dawn hadn’t spoken in fifteen minutes. They were stretched out on neighboring lounge chairs with a view of the beach not far from their hotel terrace. They each had tablets with attached keyboard cases opened on their laps, but neither was currently typing. 

Dawn scanned the shoreline, letting her eyes drift over the couples, families, and groups of friends splashing in the water or relaxing on the sand. One couple caught her eye. They were holding hands and strolling along the edge of the water as waves washed over their feet and ankles. They would frequently disappear behind a bright beach umbrella, then emerge on the other side, their arms swinging rhythmically between them. 

The sight of them made Dawn want to pack up her tablet and suggest a walk on the beach, but she couldn’t. She was the one who had said they needed to buckle down and write their vows before doing anything else. How hard could it be if they just made some time? 

Time was what this weekend trip was supposed to give them. Some quiet couple time before the wedding storm. A chance to trust that the cake and food and flowers and photographer and countless other decisions had already been made. A few days to unwind before their family descended on them from all sides. 

Dawn hadn’t been sure about the trip. What if something came up while they were gone? A last-minute cancellation from the band or the florist running out of zinnias? But her friends insisted, and Jimmy agreed, saying the time away would inspire them to finally write their wedding vows. 

Looking at her screen, Dawn frowned. She had written only four words: Jimmy, I promise to… That was it. Not even a full sentence. Glancing to check Jimmy’s progress, she saw him slumped in his chair with his eyes closed and his mouth half-open. 

“Jimmy!” 

He startled awake and blinked his eyes at her. 

“We’re supposed to be writing our vows.” 

Dawn crossed her arms and sighed. Jimmy stretched his arms and yawned.

“Yep, just taking a little break.”

Jimmy quickly turned his tablet as Dawn tried to see how much he’d written. 

“Hey, no peeking!” Jimmy looked for the waiter who was serving frozen cocktails to some guests at the far end of the terrace. He held up his hand, saying, “Maybe a drink will help.”

“Oh, yeah, that’ll help,” Dawn answered sarcastically before agreeing that a pina colada did sound good. 

Once the waiter had taken their order, Dawn looked back at her screen anxiously. 

“We’re never going to write these vows.”

“Never say never,” Jimmy quipped as he raised his arms for another stretch. “I never do.”

“You never do what?” Dawn asked, having only half heard him while silently running through rhymes for love. 

“I never say never,” Jimmy told her, finally getting her full attention. 

“Never?” she asked skeptically. “You never say never?”

“Never,” Jimmy agreed. “I never say never because you never know what might happen.”

“You just said never, like, four times,” Dawn laughed as the waiter approached and handed them their drinks. 

“You know what I mean,” Jimmy laughed. “I say the word never, but I never say never to doing anything because you never know what can happen or what you could do if you had to.”

Dawn took a sip through her straw and the icy cold taste of pineapples and coconut washed over her tongue. She thought for a moment and asked, “Would you quit your job and move to the beach?”

“Maybe.” Jimmy bit into the pineapple wedge that garnished his glass. Dawn shook her head.

“You would not!” 

“Well, it’s unlikely,” Jimmy agreed. “But you never know.”

“Would you lick the bottom of my sandal?” Dawn tried again with a smirk.

“For the right price, I might.”

“You would not!” Dawn countered again, this time with a look of disgust. Jimmy shrugged and steadily met her gaze.

“Look, if some billionaire strolled up to us and offered me a million dollars to lick the bottom of your sandal, I’d say show me the money and we’ve got a deal.”

Dawn’s eyes swept back across the beach as she laughed lightly. They were at a small hotel on the Delaware shore where families came for quiet vacations. 

“I don’t think any billionaires are headed our way.”

“Not the point,” Jimmy answered matter-of-factly. “There’s a tiny chance it could happen, so I never say never. Huh, that should go in our vows!”

“What?” Dawn looked at him over the rim of her glass, going in for another sip.

“I promise to never say never,” Jimmy said proudly. “We should say it to each other.”

“Oh, I’m not promising that!” Dawn set her drink on a side table and shook her head. “You’ll hang that over me the rest of our lives!” 

“What? No. How would I even do that?” Jimmy seemed genuinely surprised by her reaction, so Dawn explained.

“You’ll say: hey, babe, want to go skydiving? And I’ll say: I’m never doing that! Then you’ll say I promised not to say never, so you’ll keep asking and asking until I finally say yes.”

Jimmy frowned and set down his glass. He turned to face her more fully, and Dawn saw concern in his eyes. 

“No,” he said carefully, “that’s not how that works. If I ask you to do something—anything at all—and you say no, I’ll say that’s okay. And maybe we can talk about it sometime again, to see if you’ve changed your mind, but you don’t have to say yes. It’s always your choice. You never have to say yes.”

Dawn’s throat went dry, and butterflies danced in her stomach.

“You just said never,” she pointed out. “You said I never have to say yes.”

Jimmy smiled, the mood lightening as he reached for her hand. “Okay, maybe that’s a never I will say. Because you never have to say yes if you don’t want to. Never say yes just to make me happy.”

Checking that the waiter was still far away, Dawn bit her lip, then said, “Sometimes I want to say yes to make you happy, even if it’s something I don’t exactly want to do, but I don’t mind doing either. Like, um…” She cast around for an idea, feeling her face flush.

“Shuffleboard?” Jimmy suggested, reminding her of the cruise they’d taken with his parents last year. She laughed and agreed. 

“Yeah, like shuffleboard. Something I don’t mind but maybe wouldn’t pick myself.”

Jimmy kissed the back of her hand, then reached for his tablet and keyboard. He began typing as he spoke. 

“Okay, I promise to never say never to discussing an idea, and always to be honest whether the answer is yes, no, or maybe.”

“I like that!” Dawn agreed, looking over his shoulder at the screen. “But whose vows are you writing?”

Jimmy thought for a moment, then typed on his keyboard and read the new version.

“We promise to never say never to discussing an idea, and always to be honest whether the answer is yes, no, or maybe.”

“We promise?” Dawn repeated. “Together?”

“Yeah,” Jimmy agreed. “What if we make a list together? Things we both agree to promise each other, and we take turns reading them out loud. Together.”

He raised an eyebrow her way and she smiled broadly in response. 

After pulling their chairs closer together, they spent the next two hours typing on one keyboard and talking through their future life together. When they were done, they went for a walk on the beach, hand-in-hand as the waves splashed their feet. 

The End

Thank you for joining me for today’s story break. If you enjoy these short stories, please share Freely Written with your friends. 

It would also mean a lot to me if you would check out my novels. I have books for both adult and young adult readers. Depending on the book, it may have a sci-fi, fantasy, or psychological twist. Links to my website—SusanQuilty.com—and my social media pages are in the show notes. 

Until next time, try a little free writing of your own. Let go of any planning and see where your imagination takes you. 

[Light piano music]