THE WRITER Chapter 5 The Epilogue

My Story shall appear on Page ONE
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As the writer prepared to write his column for the paper as he felt sure he had a blockbuster story.

His mind flashed back to the moment when the nurse gave the baby to the mother and she said; hello Willie.  

They had already chosen the name William Holden,  after the movie actor, the last name omitted for the sake of privacy. So little Willie and arrived and was in good hands.

The writer opened his note book to refresh his memory, and began to write or rather type on his old Royal typewriter. He had just cleaned the key letters and installed a new ribbon so it was ready to go.  

It was almost morning when he finished.  Now his eyes were closing and he laid his head on the table and went to sleep.

Later he awoke with a start and jumped up as he remembered he promised to do a birth announcement for the parents.  

 

He recalled that they had been waiting for a child, nine years due to health, military and financial reasons but finally everything was in place and Willie had arrived.  

So he wrote it up and included the picture he snapped of Willie and his mother.

Proud isn't the word he felt as he walked into the editor’s office for he was ecstatic.

He put his masterpiece on the desk before the editor and waited.

The editor sat there shuffling papers as if he was looking for something and finally acknowledged the writers presence. What's this he said? He then proceeded to glance over the many pages the writer had written.

The writer's heart leaped when the editor said; give it to rewrite and we'll see if it’s worth a column.  

He quickly took his report to one of the rewriters and then went back to his duties as a copy boy.

Each day he scanned the paper for his article and finally on Sunday it was published.

 

His many pages had been reduced to a column and a half and when he asked the rewriter why? The answer came; all the particulars are in there.

The rewriter told him people don't want to read a book they just want the meat of the story in a newspaper that they can read quickly.

As he left the rewriter he felt like a flat tire that was totally deflated.

His dream was smashed. It was over for it had been printed with the byline, staff.

 

They had omitted his name and only wrote "staff" !

His desire to be a writer didn't seem important anymore for his emotions had risen to the heights and then came tumbling down.

He thought about his experience in the hospital and realized that was where the realty of life was played out, and the best that writing could ever do was to talk about it.

As he thought about that he realized; I am only nineteen years old and my grades are good enough to get into med school.

That is where I need to be.  I shall become a Doctor!

And I will Persevere, Pray and be Persistent in my pursuit of a meaningful life.     

The End