Bessa Can’t Dance
This is part of a novel I am slowly working on that reflects the theme of ‘honey and vinegar’, and looks at the role of kindness from others in building a life.
Her parents had such a lust for life no one was around to pick her up from dance lessons or give her the money to go out but Bessa could still dance. Her parents thought she was hopeless but they hadn’t seen her on stage. She looked around, the street was in darkness as she left. She couldn’t come back to this ghosttown. Her home would not change but she hoped she would. She had to find a new story to call her life.
Bessa stripped down her bedroom of twenty years and found that everything that was there was childish. Everything had been given to her to keep her in her place. She had always been on the side of the people who lived in her community but now she wanted to support anyone who would stick by her so she could leave this place behind. She liked cartoons as a child and now no one would let out outgrow the childlike characters and her room had become a mausoleum to childhood. Her love for her family had kept her here but it had stopped serving her. No wonder she hadn’t had a boyfriend in a while. There was no space for anyone in her life with all these stuffed toys around her. Today something had shifted in Bessa that made it easy for her to stuff all of the smiling teddy bears in a big black bag and leave them outside the charity shop.
The door to the nearby theatre where she had to return her old dance costumes to had not been locked properly. The stage was empty and the auditorium looked tempting. She wandered inside. Bessa was alone or so she thought in this space. She stole onto the large empty stage. The floor had a plastic feel to it and magically it was easy for her to glide around. She felt supported and dancing was easy. She floated, at least that’s how it felt. Nothing dragged and her legs extended and her back stretched as she filled the whole space. She found the front of the stage and sang the opening number to a musical she hoped to perform in one day. To add weight to this goal she had an audience, in the shape of one warm kind appreciative observer.
Bessa lifted people’s horizons and made their hearts lighter and now she had proof. When the caretaker came to close the gates for the night he almost locked the door from the outside but he heard the joyous singing inside and so he stood in the shadows, and watched from the back. He gave Bessa his best applause. Whilst the world stood waiting for her outside these four walls, this was a solid base to move on from.
Find the full story in the finished novel here
Enjoy a selection of writers presenting the case for kindness here
Skegness & Beyond Honey or vinegar?
Under the Monkey Tree Unforgettable Christmas
The WordPress C(h)ronicle Honey versus Vinegar I’m a Writer, Yes I Am
Obsessive Compulsive Running……. The ups and downs of “running” a run
A Sober Head Full Of Confusion Honey vs. Vinegar
Bumblepuppies Kindness Insults My Intelligence
Avalon Reviews + Flash Words of Power – A Haiku
Mary J Melange Fountain of Gladness
davidfetzer6271951 Honey Versus Vinegar
Writer Wormie The kindness emanating from within
The Willow Tree’s River Day’s End
gabriellalove’s Blog Little Drops of Kindness.
Musings From My Id Honey versus Vinegar
Memoirs of a Mild Melodramatic The Greatest Kindness Ever Shown Memoirs of a Mild Melodramatic
FlippyZipFlop (DPC) Kill ‘em with Kindness
Close To Local Coming to a neighbourhood near you
A Girl In Solitude Sometimes You Can Catch More Flies With Honey – Daily Prompt
Monday’s Bloodstains From 120km/h to 0
SERENDIPITY THE COAT OFF HER BACK
Sweet Sister Musings I’m a “Sweet” Sister for a Reason
linda nguyen. Restoring Lost Faith
The Passion Dew Beauty and The Beast
Ripples of Truth A Stranger’s Kindness
Ethiopian Mama in Australia A Stranger’s Books
A Hedonistic Wander A Study in Pink
Meaningful Mommy A $50 unforgotten kindness chain reaction Faces of New Eden
Stuff my dog taught me The Kindness in Your Smile
humblegenealogy Honey or Vinegar – they both have their place in life
Phylor’s Blog DP Weekly Writing Challenge Kindness: Unexpected Kindness
Thoughts, Tips and Tales Nicest Things People Have Ever Done for Me
Off Your Mat The Writing Challenge Pose: Neighborly Regret
Becoming Beautiful how to saved a life!
PERSPECTIVES Kindness in a World of Chaos
Nothing Figured Out Kinship With A Homeless Veteran
The Zombies Ate My Brains Kindness is as Kindness Does
Chronicles of an Anglo Swiss Weekly Writing Challenge: Honey versus Vineagar
The Reluctant Baptist Sweet Little Somethings
Pollyanna Press The Perfect Stranger
So the Story Goes Honey Vs. Vinegar Writing Challenge
Master of Something I’m Yet To Discover Kind Hearts Are The Gardens – A Journey Across The USA
The Lesser Canine This is kind-a…
DIRTY ARI ♥ Being Kind or Kinda-Being-a-Busybody?
asnappshot True acts of kindness
thelifeofjodipaden Paying it Forward
The world is round but the bed is a rectangle It’s always the children
Hope* the happy hugger The Chinese Man.
Random Musings Tales from the Crypt: No one believes me but I swear it’s true
medicinalmeadows Weekly Writing Challenge: Honey versus Vinegar
The Writing Hut The old lady and me
helen meikle’s scribblefest Weekly challenge: Kindness we sometimes forget To Breathe is to Write WRITING CHALLENGE Honey versus Vinegar
Blooms and Bubbles Cool Mom La Femme La Phoenix The beauty of blogging y against your lips, mine
Go ask Alisa World needs more good deeds. Get up and make a difference!
verbalising A Cup of Tea, an Act of kindness And so I write
And so I write Random Acts of Kindness
Samoan Sword Honey and Vinegar. Take A Second.
OSuzyQuilts, Free-motion Quilting and Meanderings Just friggin pay it forward already, okay?
Sue’s Trifles What is kindness? dreamsbrightascitylights Defying Difficulties to Help Others
shape shifting DP weekly writing challenge “Honey versus Vinegar” kindness: kindness of strangers
Melanie Ryding – Ryding2Health BLOG Moments of kindness: lending more than a hand
Amble On Tours A Little Kindness Goes a Long Way
Swaarasa Kindness never dies ~ UBC 18
Emily Anton 10 things I LOVE about living in NYC
lita doolan productions 
Well done Lita. I signed up for the updates.
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Thank you from my heart for this support, it motivates me so much! Your photographs are such a source of inspiration to me. Wishing you a great weekend.
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Lita,
Wonderful post. I hope you will post more portions of your novel, I would love to see what happens to Beesa as she starts to discover who she really is. Thank you.
Have a lovely weekend,
Pepper
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Pepper
This comment has moved me, I am thrilled you spotted I am trying to write about someone who is finding out who they are. That means so much to me that you see it.
Your poetry continues to inspire me and stays with me long after I have read it. I adore ‘Path’.
Here’s to a beautiful weekend
Lita
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I truly hope that we do get to read more about Bessa, and see how things develop for her.
Lita, you have a beautiful weekend as well.
Pepper
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Nicely done Lita.:) I think it’s going to be a great novel as this looks promising. I really enjoyed the story.
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Thank you for these encouraging words Norma. I’m going to give it my best shot. Plus I love a challenge 😀
I enjoyed the vibrant images in your zigzag feature. You have such a great eye for adding photographs that make the posts shine.
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Thanks Lita.:) I’m just trying out photography and now you have boosted my confidence.;)
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You are ahead of me with photography by a mile! I am in the starting blocks with but I enjoy a challenge!
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I’m happy to know that you enjoy, after all that is what matters. 😉
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Good call! 😉
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Yes, very evocative. I’m always intrigued by the long list of other posts on your blog! Are they ping backs? Where do you find the time? Look forward to exploring this topic from this list since kindness is one of my special words. Keep on inspiring us! :):)
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Thanks Sandra!
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That was a really lovely read, Lita. I was transported – and you can’t ask for much more than that. Keep going! x
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Thank you Laura for this super encouragement! Your words mean a lot. Here’s to happiness! (your blog posts rock!) x
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Can’t wait to keep reading, Lita! I’d love it to be already a novel so I could decide when to stop!
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So kind of you to say this! I am polishing the end result so watch this space!
Your blog is exquisite. The post of google maps is spectacular, nice to know there are some great finds to help us enjoy the beauty close by.
Can’t wait to pop back and read more.
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