photo © Marie Gail Stratford
“I’m going to climb the North Face of the Eiger.”
“Don’t be stupid. You’re not that good a climber.”
“Give me some moral support. I’m not asking you to climb it with me.”
“It’s just that so many people have died trying. The 1936 expedition five died, and there’s been more than sixty since. Please don’t do it. I’m pregnant and I want the baby to know his Dad.”
“You’re what?”
“Pregnant.” Vanessa smiled .
Glen embraced her. “No I won’t go darling. Not now we’re going to be a family.”
Vanessa kissed him to arousal. She hoped she could conceive quickly.
Thank you for hosting Friday Fictioneers Rochelle and thank you to Marie Gail Stratford for the photo prompt.
About Irene Waters 19 Writer Memoirist
I began my working career as a reluctant potato peeler whilst waiting to commence my training as a student nurse. On completion I worked mainly in intensive care/coronary care; finishing my hospital career as clinical nurse educator in intensive care. A life changing period as a resort owner/manager on the island of Tanna in Vanuatu was followed by recovery time as a farmer at Bucca Wauka. Having discovered I was no farmer and vowing never again to own an animal bigger than myself I took on the Barrington General Store. Here we also ran a five star restaurant. Working the shop of a day 7am - 6pm followed by the restaurant until late was surprisingly more stressful than Tanna. On the sale we decided to retire and renovate our house with the help of a builder friend. Now believing we knew everything about building we set to constructing our own house. Just finished a coal mine decided to set up in our backyard. Definitely time to retire we moved to Queensland. I had been writing a manuscript for some time. In the desire to complete this I enrolled in a post grad certificate in creative Industries which I completed 2013. I followed this by doing a Master of Arts by research graduating in 2017. Now I live to write and write to live.
Reflections and Nightmares- Irene A Waters (writer and memoirist) 
This made me laugh out loud. Very good.
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Thank you. I love laughter and hoped to at least get a smile so I’m happy.
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Naughty Vanessa
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She’s taking a big risk. Guess she was desperate.
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Oh goodness am i glad I popped into reader or I may have missed this little sparkler. Smashing fun.
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Thanks Ellen. So glad you enjoyed it.
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I did.😇
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She’s a woman with a plan. Nice catch on the North Face store sign in the pic.
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Thanks Varad. I immediately saw that sign and couldn’t go past it.
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Thanks for the smiles, Irene
A great read.
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Glad it made you smile. Your comment made me smile.
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Dear Irene
Vanessa’s fast at thinking on her feet…now if she can be as quick off of them. 😉 I laughed out loud. Good one. Very good.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Glad to make you laugh Rochelle.
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Vanessa, how naughty! I don’t know how she kept a Straight Face!
Click to read my FriFic!
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She was desperate and I don’t doubt now a little worried about if her relationship would survive this. She’d swapped one north face for another.
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Great twist at the end, that Vanessa is in for a lot of trouble if things don’t go to plan 🙂
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She sure is. She has swapped one North Face for another if it doesn’t work out.
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Desperate times call for desperate measures! Well done!
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Thank you Miles. I think she felt desperate.
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Clever girl. I’m still smiling.
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Thanks. You’ve made me smile too.
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Hi Irene,
Have you been watching “Sisters” on Channel 10? She might have to head off to Julius for a helping hand if things don’t go according to plan. I would imagine their relationship could break up if her lie comes out. That’s very manipulative.
My husband has ridden a motorbike since I entered the picture but I didn’t need to lie. He just went with it.
Hope you’ve been going well.
Best wishes,
Rowena
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Hi Rowena, No I haven’t seen Sisters – is it good? It is dreadfully manipulative and if it doesn’t happen quickly I’d say the relationship will be under a lot of pressure.
I would never stop anyone doing what they want to do but it wouldn’t stop me from worrying myself sick. My brother mountain climbs and I prefer not to know until I see the pictures of him on top of Mont Blanc and the like. Then I know he is home safe.
Hope all is well with you. It is with me. Cheers Irene
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I’ve been enjoying Sisters and find the different personalities interesting. Have thought the character of the Dr and father of all the siblings rather odd and lacking credibility. We are enjoying “The Good Doctor” with the Asberger’s surgeon. Have you seen that? It’s apparently been done by the same lot that did House, which we loved.
Your brother’s mountain climbing efforts are very impressive. Made of strong stuff!
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I’m afraid I am television program poor having seen none of those. I have seen Doc Martin who I would describe as a “good doctor” sitting somewhere on the autism spectrum.
Yes my brother is awesome. He is older than me but does all these extreme things (and has since he left home). I think he got all the strong stuff….
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I don’t watch a lot of TV usually but I do like the Good Doctor as I’m intrigued by the autism spectrum, particularly asberger’s. If you want a good laugh that’s not very politically correct, I watch Paul Hogan’s Greatest Hits 1997 downloading it from utube. I almost split a gut laughing, but there was quite a lot of sexist material and it was good to see we’ve moved forward e.g. the nudy posters. Anyway, I’m back on taxi duty. xx Rowena
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I’ll look out for both of them.
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Vanessa is a fast thinker. Let’s hope everything else is fast as well. Great short story, Irene.
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Thanks Sharon. I don’t know that it is the best way to deal with it but like you said she had to think fast and hopefully it will happen for her.
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A long time ago, I heard a stand up comic explain why women were called women. He said it stands for “whoa-man,” a woman’s traditional reaction when a man proposes to do something amazingly stupid and dangerous.
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Love that joke. It seems to fit around here.
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I think it fits pretty universally, Mike.
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Haha. Love it and perhaps its true. We have to save man from his own stupidity.
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He needs to move on quickly, a true relationship should be a supportive relationship
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LOL I tend to agree with you it is not a good basis on which to maintain a relationship. I think she has created her own North Face of the Eiger.
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Oh gosh, I literally laughed out loud for that story. Beautifully done, Irene!
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Thank you Penny. Happy to hear you laughed.
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Ha.. what a wonderful twist… hope it will work.
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I think she’ll have her own North Face to climb if it doesn’t.
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A tricky lady, Irene.
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I’m afraid she is Robbie.
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Ha! Cheeky Vanessa. She better hope they don’t have any fertility trouble up ahead. Nicely done and loved that twist
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Glad you enjoyed it Lynn. Yes I think she will be a bit worried if it doesn’t happen quickly.
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I guess it depends how gullible the other half is . Some men are pretty naive on the female reproduction system!
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Haha…. or do they choose to be.
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Haha! 🙂
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What a wonderfully twisted tale. Nice take on the prompt.
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Thank you. Glad you enjoyed it.
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TRAPPED !! . . . I just hear the old wedding bell trap.
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We women are masters of the art (not saying I condone her actions – it would be too stressful for me and too underhand.)
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Ahh. . . . The old “Got a Bun in the Oven” scam. Well, it’s worked many times – Cute story and enjoyable!
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Thanks Nan.
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A resourceful lady, who’s now got her work cut out for her. I can’t help but smile, reading this. the ways of women… 🙂
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Thanks Sandra appreciate the smile.
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Huge risk… I supposed if things don’t show properly, she could “lose” it in a miscarriage…
The web of lies we must sometimes weave to keep our loved ones safe.
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Yes once you tell one falsehood others often have to follow and then you hope you have a good memory.
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Wasn’t expecting that! Naughty Vanessa.
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
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I think she may regret her quick thinking.
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Haha! Loved this Irene 😀
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Glad you did Dahlia. 😀
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Dangerous game but for a good reason.
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Yes she didn’t want him to go. Hope it doesn’t backfire on her – he could go for good if she doesn’t conceive.
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LOL…tricky girl!
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She may have to use some other tricks to get out of this one.
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