My Writing Endeavours Part Five

Walking is high on my agenda © *image Gretchen Bernet-Ward*

U3A WRITERS COLLECTIVE HOMEWORK 2026
TOPIC: “Friends are the family you choose for yourself”
TITLE: Loyal to the End
REAL CHARACTERS: Kay, My family
FONT: Times New Roman 12pt
SPACING: 1.15
WORDCOUNT: 422
AI free zone

WordPress is overhauling my website and adjusted my settings but I hope it does not detract from my short story. The prompt for this particular week is a tricky one but I went for a blend of faction this time. It will be the last story in my Writers Collective homework series.

How did I meet my best buddy, my loyal, honest, faithful friend Kay who was always there no matter what the occasion, good times, bad times and inbetween? No, not a devoted dog or cute cat, not even a talking parrot. Certainly not my mobile phone. However, my Sunbeam sandwich press comes fairly close.

Well, I guess my all-time faithful friend found me. She was stoic, went along with some pretty hairy ideas and we treated her like part of the family which meant a bit of rough and tumble.

My kids loved her, she went with us everywhere, in all weathers, never showy, always patient and only once in all the years I knew her did she refuse a trip to go on a car ferry. I guessed she didn’t want to drive on a sandy beach. It was understandable given the heat, lack of water and possibility of bogging.
Naturally none of us wanted to start shovelling sand on our holidays.

Sadly, Kay became ill after a health scare. Well, we knew she was failing but a dangerous petrol leak necessitated the local fire brigade to come with sirens and flashing lights to pour the equivalent of ten bags of kitty litter into her engine.

Yes, dear Kay was a Suzuki Swift 4-door sedan, made in Japan, bright white duco, warm brown seats, cassette player, sturdy carpet and a generous boot. I could wax lyrical on her capabilities and where she travelled without complaint but needless to say things were breaking down and she had to be scraped.

It was a sad day, I washed her down, vacuumed the mats and cleared her out.
I left the spare tyre and tool kit in the boot and I hoped they were passed on.
I was given $100 cash by the scrap metal merchant and felt like Judas.

The merchant took the keys I had owned for many years and drove her towards the tow truck tray. He did not expect her to have such power, she was always good at taking off. I tried not to snivel but my heart was sad for several days.

In fact, I still miss her because so many wonderful family events involved Kay and her four wheels getting us there on time and in one piece. I don’t own a car now, not because I don’t want to drive, after Covid-19 the traffic went crazy, parking became a nightmare and the price of petrol skyrocketed.
I prefer to let bus drivers do all the work. 📚