Friday Fictioneers – ‘Me’ Time

Every week, Rochelle Wisoff-Fields (thank you, Rochelle!) hosts a flash fiction challenge, to write a complete story, based on a photoprompt, with a beginning, middle and end, in 100 words or less. Post it on your blog, and include the Photoprompt and Inlinkz (the blue frog) on your page. Link your story URL. Then the fun starts as you read other peoples’ stories and comment on them!

 FF - 'Me' time - 170906

Photoprompt (c) Danny Bowman

Jane treasured this time away from her daily routine.

She climbed the path briskly, skidding on pebbles left by the rain running through the scrub. The wind, and the bleakness, and the loneliness, scoured away the mask she’d worn during the day. Her face relaxed into a half-smile. She thought with tenderness of her children, without the distraction of needing to deal immediately with their problems.

It was her ‘me’ time. She could be herself.

She reached the craggy summit, glanced at her watch and sighed. It was time to go home.

Time to go back to being ‘George’ and ‘Daddy’.

65 thoughts on “Friday Fictioneers – ‘Me’ Time”

    • Dear Moon
      Jane is a transgender woman. That is to say, she was born with male anatomy, but felt at her core that she was female. In Jane’s case, she hasn’t (yet) taken action to have her gender reassigned – so she’s still George to her wife, and Daddy to their children. She can only experience her true self in her imagination, and that works best in quiet solitude.
      I’m really glad that you related to her story!
      All the best
      Penny

      Liked by 4 people

      • Oh, okay .That’s so sensitively written, Penny . Sorry, I so completely misunderstood it. Thanks so much for taking the time to explain it. 🙂 Really appreciate it.
        Love and best wishes,
        Moon

        Like

  2. Dear Moon
    Thank you for commenting on “‘Me’ Time”
    I hope you’ll forgive me if I don’t elaborate here on the story. I’m very interested to see what others make of it. I’ll let you know when I’ve seen some more comments!
    With best wishes
    Penny

    Liked by 1 person

    • Thank you for commenting, Bjorn. Yes, our social gender affects everything we do, and, as you rightly say, the people around a transgender person, especially children, can make it very difficult to step out from the mask.

      Liked by 1 person

  7. a very emotional story. Jane feels so comfortable and it hurts in heart to see, that she can only live these feelings on her own. If she has the need and it is important for her, she should open and live it. I think the family and children are the lesser problem. Because if the love is great then they will like the person to be well and definitely stand behind her. I think the wider environment, work, colleagues, neighbors, etc. are more difficult, albeit insignificant.
    So go Jane if you feel like this, go for it!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Thank you so much for your comment, Sascha. Yes, people escape in so many ways, don’t they? The man who needs a shed for tinkering. The woman who has her nails professionally done once a week. Or anybody whoever went angling!

      Liked by 2 people

      • Dear marvel,
        Thank you for commenting. I agree that respecting her “me” time is important. However, what do you think would be the outcome if she told her wife? Or her children? What questions about their own identity would that raise, I wonder?
        All the best
        Penny

        Liked by 1 person

      • This is a difficult question. Basically, I think it does not matter which subject it concerns. If you make your thoughts, have problems, but also feel joy, you should be able to share everything with your partner. Actually it should even be a basic need, because that makes a good partnership. If love is great and precious, it may be a shock, but you will change your view and that is good. It will soon be no longer “unpleasant” to look at, but to be proud, because one recognizes that with one’s own standpoint one helps others and makes courage. This will not work for all people. Depending on how the relationship is, what the woman has for attitudes and what it means for changes for the couple. And I believe that children can do even better with such things. Certainly, they will scrutinize their own identity. But that is also good, because after all, it is not a disease.

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      • Indeed you nailed the conflict in your story.
        But just because we think it would be a bigger conflict. In principle, there is no difference between the housewife and the transgender woman. Both break out of their role.

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  12. Dear Dahlia
    That is such a kind comment. You have seen to the very heart of what I was trying to express – the normalcy of transgendered people. Thank goodness there is more understanding these days, and less hate.
    With very best wishes
    Penny

    Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Fluid Phrase
      Thank you so much for commenting. I’m delighted the last line surprised you! I tried to put the twist as close to the end as possible for maximum impact.
      The response of everybody to this post shows the power of writing – I don’t mean my specific writing, but any reasonably good writing. The reader has been told about the transgender woman, Jane. Immediately there is a connection to her, and sympathy for her, and lots of people have said that she should be herself.
      But what about the people around her? Her children? Her parents, if they’re still alive? And, above all, her wife? Merely because the reader has only heard one side of the story, they have forgotten the existence of these other people.
      Interesting, isn’t it?
      With best wishes
      Penny

      Liked by 2 people

      • Actually, we as readers, empathize with Jane because SHE is thinking of people around her and choosing a double life – as of now. That is so so sad for anyone to deal with.
        If on the other hand, she chose to reveal herself, then perhaps we would have also thought of everybody around. But even then perhaps, we would have rooted for Jane. It would be painful to others because of societal pressures, conditioning, shared relationships etc. We all get that. But for Jane, her identity, means every living minute, is a double game! Nobody deserves that.
        That’s my two cents worth of thoughts! 🙂

        Liked by 2 people

      • Your two cents worth of thoughts are very penetrating and insightful, Fluid Phrase! Thank you for sharing them. If ever you wanted to continue the discussion, I would be very happy to do so by email (FF comments section not being a terribly versatile space for debate!).
        With very best wishes
        Penny

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      • This is so true Penny, you think far and in all directions. Usually you always sympathizes or feels with the one, who is telling you his story and entrust you. Far more, than with the persons who are affected, but do not express themselves.

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      • Conclusion is my opinion no one deserves to have to hide. Jane should have all the possibilities open, to decide whether she wants to continue her “me” time or if she wants to change in Jane all day. The people who love her will stand behind her and will help her. The public probably not once, whereby also can be worked on it. Jane You’re wonderful!

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  17. A killer last line, and a heart breaking story, too. I hope she finds the love, support and strength to come out and be herself without having to deceive and hurt wife and children.

    Liked by 2 people

  19. Everyone needs their “Me Time,” regardless of their gender. It’s sounds like Jane’s true identify had not yet been revealed to George and the children. That will require a lot of charging up of the internal battery.

    Liked by 2 people

  21. Dear Lori
    Thank you for your comment. I’m delighted that you loved the story. I’m very glad to say that this happens much less nowadays. Gender issues are often recognised much earlier. Choices still have to be made, of course, and some of them can be heart-breaking – imagine having to choose between living in your true gender, and having kids, for example – but at least the decisions are made with knowledge and support.
    With very best wishes
    Penny

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  25. I wondered of Jane was a transvestite, but it makesmore sense for her to be transgender. So hard being someone you don’t feel you really are. You told this very well, Penny, with a lovely, if sad ending

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      • Because that’s the way it seems to work in real life, Anie. If you want a moving portrayal of how it plays out in life, I recommend the movie “The Danish Girl” starring Eddie Redmayne.
        Luckily, nowadays the condition is diagnosed earlier, and often the person can avoid living in the wrong gender role.

        Liked by 1 person

      • Well I didn´t have seen the film yet, but I was still thinking about this subject. And I think she should tell her wife. If she loves her, she should, because it is a distress not to be honest to the one you love. She should share her secret, and her wife will be o.k. if she loves her. So she can be herself just at home with her wife and is not totally alone with her real I.

        Liked by 1 person

      • Dear Anie
        It’s sweet of you to be giving this topic so much thought. Do remember, though, that this is just a story, and Jane is just a fictional character.
        If you have a personal interest in the topic, there are support groups for transgender people, and for their dependants. You’ll easily contact such a group by searching with Google. If you want to actively support trans people, then most LGBT organisations welcome people they refer to as ‘straight allies’.
        With very best wishes
        Penny

        Liked by 1 person

  31. It was just yesterday I was thinking about writing something on Me-time and here I am reading a beautifully penned down article by you.
    Loved it.
    Your writing style is so elaborate and selective, it takes the readers to a different world. Keep up the great work 😍

    Liked by 1 person

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