Smorgasbord Short Stories Rewind – What’s in a Name? – Owen – Face to Face by Sally Cronin

There are names that have been passed down through thousands of years which have powerful and deep-rooted meaning to their bearers. Other names have been adopted from other languages, cultures and from the big screen. They all have one thing in common. They are with us from birth until the grave and they are how we are known to everyone that we meet.

I hope that those of you who read the stories before will not mind the rewind

Owen – Face to Face

The old woman sat in the armchair in the dark. There was no need for light as she was blind. The disease had slowly eroded her vision, and then on a day when sun streamed through the open curtains; she lost sight of all that she loved.

She could hear her daughter Mary; clattering around in the kitchen preparing the tea tray with the best cups and a fresh baked chocolate sponge. The day had finally arrived when she would meet her great-grandson Owen. Her oldest daughter had gone to Australia forty years ago and she and her family lived in Sydney. Jennifer had returned a number of times to the UK, and on the last visit five years ago, she had brought a photograph of the youngest member of the family, four year old Owen, which was put in a silver frame on the mantelpiece.

Her eyesight was deteriorating at that time but she had managed to trace the lines of his dear little face with her fingers and smiled at the resemblance to her late husband Cliff. That same quirky grin and sparkling blue eyes that brought back such bittersweet memories.

Even though she could no longer see the photograph, the image remained in her mind and on winter days when the wind howled about the house, she imagined him on the beach near his home building sand castles.

The doorbell chimed and she listened as her daughter raced to the front door. There was laughter and exclamations of welcome and she imagined the crowded hall filled with her family. She tensed in the chair and held her breath as the door to the sitting room was flung open and she heard the click of the light switch.

‘Mum, they’re here,’ Mary announced excitedly.

She felt movement close to her and a faint smell of chocolate as a small warm hand clasped her own. She breathed out and smiled as she turned in towards the warmth of the cheek against her skin.

‘Hello Granny, I’m Owen,’ the strong young voice declared.

‘How do you do Owen,’ tears bathed her sightless eyes. ‘I have waited so long to meet you in person.’

Gently Owen took her hands, placing them side by side on his forehead. As she felt the springy curls under her fingers; small hands guided her palms down and across her great-grandson’s face.

She laughed as she touched the widely spaced eye-brows, the gentle swell of eyelids with the fluttering of their lashes. Beneath her fingers she traced the contours of the boy’s nose and recognised the shape as one belonging to Cliff. She continued down over the full lips and cupped the slightly squared chin in her left hand whilst placing her right over his beating heart.

The boy laughed delightedly and she smiled at the sound.

‘Now you have seen me in 3D Granny… do you recognise me?’

©Sally Cronin 2017

One of the reviews for the collection

May 23, 2020 Pete Springer rated it five stars it was amazing

In this second collection of sixteen short stories, Sally Cronin creates a host of interesting characters. Each story centers around one central character. She begins with Kenneth for K, and each succeeding tale involves someone with the next letter of the alphabet, wrapping up with Zoe for Z.

There are villains, scoundrels, heroes, victims, and more. One of the most challenging situations happens when Vanessa makes the difficult decision to turn in her son, Jack, after he murders a fifteen-year-old girl named Tracy. He doesn’t confess the crime to his mother, but she recognizes him through the grainy video on television because he walks with a distinctive limp. It is choice of morality over family.

Another one of my favorites involved a French playboy named Yves, who was preying upon rich, older ladies. He would wine and dine them to gain their trust before swindling them out of a large chunk of money. He is just about set for life when he tries to pull the same trick one more time on the beautiful Christina. Yves gets more than he bargained for when he falls in love with the older woman. Shortly after becoming hitched, the newlyweds decided to update their wills and leave each other their vast fortunes. The only problem for Yves is this time he is on the receiving end of the trickery. Christina is no longer a woman of great wealth, and when Yves unexpectedly drowns, she comes out smelling like a rose.

There are many other delightful tales, but you will want to enjoy those for yourself. Anyone who enjoys a series of fun, quick reads is sure to enjoy this collection.

You can find out about my other books and their most recent reviews: :Sally’s books and reviews

I hope you will join me next week for the next story in the collection… thanks Sally.