Myrna Shoa's stories for literacy and ESOL workshops |
PUBLISHED STORIES |
Orpheus and Eurydice. Myrna Shoa transposed the Eurydice story into a modern urban setting.
John and Rita
John stroked Rita’s hair. ‘You know I love you,’ he said.
‘Do you?’ she said.
‘You are never here on time.
When we have friends round for dinner
you turn up when they are leaving’.
‘I do love you, Rita, in my way,.’
‘I don’t call your way love John’.
“But, Rita, we’ve have been together for 3 years now,” he said
as he went out the door.
‘We’ll talk later. Bye.’
‘John, be here on time at 7pm for our anniversary dinner date.
Don’t be late.”
‘Yeah, yeah. See you later,’ he replied.
He turned up at 9pm.
‘Rita, Rita where are you?’ he called.
He checked all the rooms.
‘I’m here. Where are you?’
He phoned all her friends.
‘We’ve no idea where she is.’, they lied.’
‘It has been a week since I last saw my Rita.
My Rita has gone. ‘I just want her back.
I can’t eat or sleep,’ he said to his mates.
‘I will marry her, give her anything she wants,’ he cried. ‘If only I can find her.’
’Maybe she is dead?’ said Ben.
‘No’, John shouted. ‘She can’t be dead.’
‘Calm down man’ said Ben.
‘I can’t live without my Rita,’ John sobbed.
Two weeks later John got an email from an unknown person.
He nearly deleted it.
‘Rita is at...’
He replied. ‘Give me a number so that I can call her. Tell her I LOVE HER.’
A reply came back. ‘NO’.
John replied. ‘‘Tell her I want to marry her.’
A week later a reply came back.
‘Be at 15 Underhill Lane at 2pm tomorrow’.
He set off at 11am,
to give himself plenty of time.
“I’ll pop in to see my old friend Des,” he thought.
”He lives on my route.’
Meanwhile, Rita was waiting.
She was standing by the window peeping out,
so that she could see John before he saw her.
‘I’m not sure I want John back,’ she said.
‘If he makes an effort, MAYBE, just maybe.’
Des had friends around. John joined them for a smoke and a drink.
“Hey John. It’s almost 2pm,” Des said. ‘Weren’t you going somewhere?’
‘Oh Sugar! Rita!’ he said as he dashed out the door
John drove fast but there was a lot of traffic
and he got lost.
‘Rita, My Rita, wait for me. I’m coming.
It’s only 3.30pm,’ he said.
He found the street
found the house,
and rang the flat door bell.
‘RITA, RITA, MY LOVE.
I AM HERE FOR YOU,’ he shouted.
No one came to answer the bell.
He looked and saw that the curtains were closed.
There was no one there.
Rita had waited until 2.15 pm.
She took a taxi to the station.
They never met again.
John and Rita
John stroked Rita’s hair. ‘You know I love you,’ he said.
‘Do you?’ she said.
‘You are never here on time.
When we have friends round for dinner
you turn up when they are leaving’.
‘I do love you, Rita, in my way,.’
‘I don’t call your way love John’.
“But, Rita, we’ve have been together for 3 years now,” he said
as he went out the door.
‘We’ll talk later. Bye.’
‘John, be here on time at 7pm for our anniversary dinner date.
Don’t be late.”
‘Yeah, yeah. See you later,’ he replied.
He turned up at 9pm.
‘Rita, Rita where are you?’ he called.
He checked all the rooms.
‘I’m here. Where are you?’
He phoned all her friends.
‘We’ve no idea where she is.’, they lied.’
‘It has been a week since I last saw my Rita.
My Rita has gone. ‘I just want her back.
I can’t eat or sleep,’ he said to his mates.
‘I will marry her, give her anything she wants,’ he cried. ‘If only I can find her.’
’Maybe she is dead?’ said Ben.
‘No’, John shouted. ‘She can’t be dead.’
‘Calm down man’ said Ben.
‘I can’t live without my Rita,’ John sobbed.
Two weeks later John got an email from an unknown person.
He nearly deleted it.
‘Rita is at...’
He replied. ‘Give me a number so that I can call her. Tell her I LOVE HER.’
A reply came back. ‘NO’.
John replied. ‘‘Tell her I want to marry her.’
A week later a reply came back.
‘Be at 15 Underhill Lane at 2pm tomorrow’.
He set off at 11am,
to give himself plenty of time.
“I’ll pop in to see my old friend Des,” he thought.
”He lives on my route.’
Meanwhile, Rita was waiting.
She was standing by the window peeping out,
so that she could see John before he saw her.
‘I’m not sure I want John back,’ she said.
‘If he makes an effort, MAYBE, just maybe.’
Des had friends around. John joined them for a smoke and a drink.
“Hey John. It’s almost 2pm,” Des said. ‘Weren’t you going somewhere?’
‘Oh Sugar! Rita!’ he said as he dashed out the door
John drove fast but there was a lot of traffic
and he got lost.
‘Rita, My Rita, wait for me. I’m coming.
It’s only 3.30pm,’ he said.
He found the street
found the house,
and rang the flat door bell.
‘RITA, RITA, MY LOVE.
I AM HERE FOR YOU,’ he shouted.
No one came to answer the bell.
He looked and saw that the curtains were closed.
There was no one there.
Rita had waited until 2.15 pm.
She took a taxi to the station.
They never met again.
(C)