I like to join writing contests; it's a great way to practice writing, to get constructive feedback, and to potentially win some extra cash. I wrote a short story called The Traveling Trio for The National Writing Day Writing Contest hosted by I Am Woman and I won the contest! Below, you will find the prompt provided to me, the summary of my short story, my notes, and the story itself. Enjoy!
Prompt: Tell a story about an adventure of a lifetime shared between friends
Summary: Gabby, the anal retentive and newly single runaway bride, Jo, the wildflower and adventure seeker, and Taylor, the soft-hearted tomboy pack their suitcases and catch their flight to leave all of their family drama behind. Living abroad together is their lifelong friendship pact, so what could go wrong? As soon as they land, the escapades begin. Will they fall in love with their new home? Or will they just fall in love?
Author Notes: Since the length of this story was restricted to 5 pages (2,500 words when single-spaced and 1,250 words when double-spaced), I had to keep it short. I decided to start the story sort of in the middle of the women's adventure. The story focuses on character development and Gabby is the character mostly developed in the writing. Her friends and their experiences are described through the narrator and through Gabby's point of view giving them a bit of mystery. The story was written to incite desire to learn more about the characters, especially Jo and Taylor and to spark the imagination.
The French words used are authentic and the restaurant and its menu items come from a real place called Le Petibonum on the island of Martinique. The description of the waterfall in the story comes from my memory of exploring one of Martinique's many hidden waterfalls perfectly nestled in the forest with a pool for wading and swimming. The alcoholic beverage, Ti' punch, is the national drink of Martinique.
The Traveling Trio
by Gabie the Author
"I can't believe I let you two talk me into this." said Gabby as she secured her boarding pass inside of her passport for the third time. Her tight mahogany curls normally framed her face, but anticipating a 4-hour flight, she had them pulled back in a silk scrunchy. Her suitcase, purse, and carry-on matched in a classic black leather with gold detail. Looking at them neatly piled, she realized that they held all that she owned, and she feared what she had gotten herself into. "I mean, what if we get there and we don't even like the weather?"
"It's an island, Gabby, the weather is the least of our worries. And you practically talked yourself into this move. What other choice do you have? Alex made it impossible for you, for us, to even stay here. Besides, I got to get out of this place! We've talked about this since we were in grad school, this is the perfect time, and you know it."
"Please don't even mention his name. My stomach turns every time I hear it." Gabby knew that Taylor was right. How could she stay knowing that everything would remind her of him and all that he put her through. As if learning of his bachelor night adventures wasn't enough, trying to kiss Joanna the night before the wedding was the straw that broke the camel's back. Gabby understood her allure, Joanna, who they all called Jo, was a vivacious and earthy redhead with freckles on a perfectly tan canvas. Everything she wore looked like it grew from sunshine in a garden and her aura was addictive. That's one of the things that attracted Gabby and especially Taylor, to her. In fact, Taylor was slightly disappointed that Jo was straight and besides the occasional drunken girl-on-girl make-out, she seemed to have very little interest in dating women. But never in a million years did Gabby think that her fiancé would try to make out with one of her best friends less than 24 hours before they said, 'I do'.
"Your stomach and mine. What a flaming piece of sh*t. I can still hardly believe it! I really thought he was the one for you. And Taylor is right, between her parents and their ridiculous divorce, your fiancé turned f*-boy, and my spiraling career and need for creative inspiration, this is the perfect time to do what we've always wanted to do. Nothing is stopping us, and nothing is keeping us here. So, don't worry, we'll be fine, like always." Jo smiled and stood to wrap her arms around Gabby who had tears welled up in her eyes. Taylor embraced both of them and did a little dance that caused her shoulder length brunette bob to bounce from side to side and her sneakers to squeak on the tiled floor of the airport. The sound and boxy movements of a young woman suited for sports and not salsa made the women squeal with laughter.
The boarding announcement interrupted their giggles, and they gathered their things and rolled their carry-ons towards the boarding line. One by one, they handed their boarding pass and their ID to the customer service agent and smiled as they were scanned and invited to enter the terminal. They scurried towards the plane feeling as though they were leaving behind nothing and heading towards an experience of a lifetime.
"One thing that I definitely won't miss is the suffocating humidity." Jo said as she packed her carry on into the overhead storage and took her seat closest to the window. "Or the God forsaken sinkholes", said Gabby. "You won't miss the gators?" laughed Taylor. The women settled into their seats and imagined what lay ahead.
"I can't wait to play volleyball on the beautiful beaches." Taylor said.
"I read that there's so many beautiful waterfalls to discover." dreamed Jo.
"As soon as we land, we need to find a resource for a French coach, a sales listing for vehicles, and do not forget..."
Taylor and Jo sighed loudly and laughed while forcing Gabby to put her calendar, planner, and notes back into her carry-on under the seat. The flight attendant began to instruct everyone on how to survive a plane crash. Would they live to carry out their childhood dreams of living abroad, learning a new language, and of creating a new life for themselves in a culture foreign to their own? Surely, fate would be on their side; they didn't come this far to not see their friendship pact come true.
The women awoke to the sound of the seatbelt bell and the pilot warning of a 2-minute landing. They all slept throughout the flight, only waking to let one pass to use the restroom or to adjust their neck cushion. They looked at each other with eyes wide and eyebrows raised.
"I guess we're home, ladies." Taylor said as she stood to grab her luggage from the overhead compartment. "I can't believe this is our new home" said Gabby as she tried peeking around Jo's head out of the window. "It's beautiful!" Jo said with dreams in her eyes.
"Ok, let's go. We need to find our luggage and then look for our travel guide, Léonard." Gabby said as she grabbed her carry on from under the seat and scurried towards the aisle.
"Gabby, did you really get us a travel guide? Do we even need a travel guide? It can't be that difficult to catch a cab and find our way around."
"Taylor, I got us a travel guide because we absolutely do need one. He speaks English and French, and he'll be able to show us around, tell us where we can purchase a vehicle, and take us to our apartment. Having a guide is an excellent idea and you'll thank me later, watch." Gabby said.
The women followed the signs to 'retrait des bagages' and were able to make out the baggage claim area by the little suitcase next to the French words. Once they retrieved their luggage, they searched for their travel guide. According to Gabby, he was supposed to be holding a sign with a name they would recognize.
"Is that him?" Jo said pointing to a man holding a large sign practically covering his entire upper body. Gabby squealed and ushered the women to grab their things and lead the way towards the man with the sign. The sign read, 'The Traveling Trio'. When Gabby approached, she tapped the sign as if knocking on his front door. The hidden stranger lowered the sign and Gabby caught her breath; too stunned to speak she began observing the man from follicle to foot.
Dirty blond with streaks of gold hair. Thick eyebrows, shapely and groomed. Chiseled cheekbones and chin looked like work from Michelangelo. Lips, pink and plump. Lean neck, muscular but thin frame, sun kissed skin, manicured nails on strong but gentle hands. He stood on both feet evenly with his legs slightly apart. His attire was festive like an islander but classic like a Frenchman. Gabby brought her eyes back up to meet his. Green and kind.
"It looks like you were right Gabby, having a guide is an excellent idea indeed." Jo said while reaching out to offer a handshake. "Hello, my name is Joanna, but you can call me Jo, this is my friend Gabby and my friend Taylor. I believe we are The Traveling Trio."
"Welcome ladies, my name is Léonard, but you can call me Léo, and I am happy to assist you in your stay here, in Martinique. Where are you coming from, Italy?"
Gabby could hardly break her trance but hearing Léo's question and knowing that they were just three American women moving abroad for the first time in their life jolted her. "Um, no, we're American. We came directly here from Florida. What made you think we were Italian?"
"Eh, the name, The Traveling Trio. Trio is Italian for the number three."
"Trio isn't French?" Gabby asked, looking up at Léo and becoming once again mesmerized while Jo and Taylor cut their eyes at each other with mischievous grins on their faces.
"Eh non, 'trois' is French for three. You are The Traveling Trois, then." Léo said with a grin on his face and still holding Gabby's gaze. "However, The Traveling Trois doesn't sound as cool as The Traveling Trio," he chuckled.
Léo and Gabby giggled and stared into each other's eyes as if to be conversing telepathically. Jo and Taylor embraced and celebrated the perfect presentation of love at first sight with a little dance.
"Well, ladies, I should get you on your way. We will load up your suitcases in the van and then I will take you to your residence. If it pleases you, I can take you to visit the island so that you can become familiar with Martinique. Welcome to the most beautiful island in the Caribbean!"
Jo and Taylor nudged Gabby making her giggle with shyness and all three women bounced behind Leo and his assistants as they carried their luggage to the van. They couldn't believe that this was the beginning of their new life. Taylor felt heavy in her heart thinking of all the discord that her parent's divorce had caused. But she was secure here with her friends knowing she was loved deeply by them, and that they'd do anything for her. Jo believed that the revival of her creative energy had begun when she stepped off of the plane. She felt like a new woman, and she couldn't wait to share with Gabby and Taylor the work Martinique would inspire in her. And Gabby, well, her friends were right, she was feeling butterflies.
"Thanks for helping us get settled into our apartment. I didn't realize that it would be so close to the beach, practically walking distance!" Gabby said while trying to fix her eyes on Léo's and not his forceps. During dinner, Jo and Taylor had sensed that Gabby and Léo might want to talk about something else besides divorce and dead-end jobs, so they left the two at the table and walked alongside the beach, letting the waves wash their feet as they strolled hand in hand.
"And thanks for taking us to this place, it's really delicious. What is it called again?" Gabby asked as she looked down at her scraped plate that once steamed with carré d'agneau, lentils, and pomme de terre et fromage. She could not say what she ate if her life depended on it.
"Ah, ouai, the beach is close to everyone on the island. From any point on the island, there is a beach at least 8 kilometers away. And this place, its name is Le Petibonum."
Gabby tried desperately to pronounce the word, but her tongue only became more twisted. They laughed and she said, "I need to find a French language coach if I am going to survive on the island. Jo and Gabby seem to be completely unbothered by not knowing any French. I wish I was as free spirited as they are."
"You will learn French, just give it some time. And your friends, they seem to have a lot of heavy thoughts. Is that why you three came to live here in Martinique?"
"Well, yes, and no. We all have been friends since college, and we've always had a dream of moving abroad together and creating a new and exciting life. Time got the best of us, though, and before you know it, we were spending more time booking therapy sessions instead of flights. Taylor's parents are going through a nasty divorce and it's really affecting her emotionally. I can barely speak on it because it reminds me too much of my own failed relationship. I'm happy we have Jo because she's so tender and kind, she always has the right words to comfort Taylor."
"And who has the right words to comfort you?" Leo looked up from his glass and into Gabby's eyes. They stayed locked and reading each other's thoughts until Gabby could take no more and broke her gaze. "I want to show you something."
Léo grabbed Gabby's hand and lifted her off the bench. They searched for Jo and Taylor to find them cuddled on the beach and in deep laughter.
"Come on ladies! The day is still young, and Léo wants to show us something!" Jo and Taylor hopped up and lingered behind Gabby and Leo as they shared their likes, their dislikes, their troubles and their woes, their dreams and their fears.
The van winded around the mountain top with ease even though there were no barriers or retainers that would prevent its fall. The sun was midday and it cast a soft and golden light on the trees and bush below their ascent. Sprinkled amongst the branches were modest homes and mansions; proof that people could make this extraordinary island their permanent home giving the women hope that they could confidently do so too.
Reaching the top, Léo parked the van in a small parking lot paved with dirt and outlined with rocks. "Let's go or we'll miss it before it gets dark!" he said with a smile.
The ladies skipped towards what seemed to be a dense forest until they came closer and saw a winding downward trail. Carefully but steadily, they bounced down the stairs made from natural rock and earth. They could smell greenery, florals, tree filtered sunshine, and fresh water in the air.
When they finally reached the bottom, they looked up to see Leo standing in front of a majestic but peaceful waterfall nestled in rock and trees dropping down into a pool perfect for wading. He took off his shirt revealing the very reason why Gabby could not keep her eyes on his face and said, "Let's take a swim!"
Gabby looked back at Jo and Taylor, and they squealed with excitement. They couldn't believe this was their new life. Not even a full 24 hours on the island and they already felt like they were home. Nothing felt new even though everything was very different from what they were used to. They splashed each other in the pool under the waterfall and filled the thick bush with laughter until the sun barely pierced through the treetops and then Léo drove them back to their apartment.
The women sat on their porch and sipped Ti' punch, a classic Martinique cocktail Léo had taught them how to make. Outlooking the beach, they could hear the gentle waves making contact with shore. In less than 24 hours, they had learned the French word for three, eaten local cuisine that they couldn't pronounce, discovered a hidden gem in the forest, and in their friendship and discovery, the trio had fallen in love.
Which character did you want to know more about?
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