I, The Goose

Here I sit, surrounded by my closest friends, such a beautiful day, this first day of spring. We spend every Sunday afternoon together, just as we have since college, and today shall be no different.

As I gaze around me, around this circle we have formed, I can’t help but smile as to know I have a group of lifelong friends, women who will share in my every joyous moment, and lend their shoulders when I need a cry. Women with whom I can let lose and be myself.

Suze is seated at my immediate right, her long brown hair swaying softly in the wind, and her rosy cheeks making her look as innocent as a young girl. She looks so comfortable sitting in the grass, so beautiful. You almost don’t notice her round belly, but you can’t miss the unmistakable glow of a pregnant woman. Due next month, how she can still run around in circles is beyond me.

Directly across from me is Mary, always the adventurous one of our group. These Sundays in the park were her idea in the beginning, a way to soften the blow of leaving our bubble upon graduation. A way to keep close our circle of friends. A successful business woman, Mary worked the 9-5 at a bank where she’d worked as a teller in college, working her way up to the top. She was determined to win at the game of life.

To my left is Honnor, she wore thick rimmed glasses, despite her 20/20 vision. Felt they helped her to fit the role of scientist. Honnor was the child of a Methodist Minister and a Free Spirited Author, her hippie mother won out in the naming contest. A love of Physics had pulled on her sleeve sometime in high school, and led her to become head of the research department at a local FDA testing facility. These circles to her held deeper meaning, a lack of angles, a cohesive bond.

Ashley and Ambry, filled in the holes in our circle. Identical twins who finished each others sentences, they’d married early, still in college. Ashley was a homemaker, who also took care of Ambry’s children during the work days, while Ambry worked as a Music teacher at the local elementary school. They added a perfect balance to our circle.

And of course, never forgetting to think outside the box, Andra stood just outside of our little circle, the owner of a local flower shop she loved to express her artistic side. She truly had been the glue holding this circle of friends together throughout the years. A year ahead of the rest of us in College, she’d introduced us all and for that we are eternally grateful.

As Andra walked around the circle, quietly speaking, we all watched in anticipation. She touched each of us briefly, some on the shoulder, Ashley jokingly on the top of the head. Tension was building, which one of us would be next to leave our cozy circle.

The laughter that filled this space was enough to put us all back on cloud nine, if even for only a moment. After our afternoon of excitement, we’d walk to the coffee shop down the road and then go our separate ways for the week to come. But I knew no matter what happened; I always had our Sunday afternoons in the park.

I think Mary’s plan was to keep us all young for as long as she could. But no matter what her motive, we all had our reasoning for coming back every Sunday. Suze needed someone to keep her sane, especially now since her Mother In Law had moved in to “Help out” with the end of her pregnancy, and had no intention of leaving until she was sure Suze could care for this baby. Honnor needed time to escape the hectic world of science and connect with her inner child. Ashley needed an refuge from children, a time to connect with adults. And Ambry needed the social interaction from outside her family. I, just needed a good laugh now and again.


As Andra came closer to me, I felt the excitement of a child. I smiled coyly and avoided eye contact with her. My sneak tactic to not being the chosen one. She patted my back and moved on to Suze. I was safe this time around. But would I be the next? Andra was always one for suspense, so she made her way around the circle one more time, before pausing briefly, she tapped Honnor on the head and yelled “Goose” and the chase was on.

PROMPT:: Select a common child’s game, such as hide and seek. Write a passage that describes people participating in the game, but don’t actually name the game until the end of the exercise.