“But you’ve the whole house to write in,” Rex said, loading a tray with wine and olives. “Better than a shed at the end of the garden.” His hand was already on the back door, pushing it open.
“A shed with a view of the sea and a bed,” Ingrid said, but he was already gone.
She heard a wail start across the hall. “Mum, Flora pinched me!” A door slammed. “Mum. Tell her.” The children’s argument spilled into the kitchen where Ingrid stood at the window watching Rex’s retreating back.
“A quiet shed,” she whispered, and turned to her girls.
***
For those who don’t know how Friday Fictioneers works, this picture (this time supplied by Björn Rudberg) is our inspiration for our weekly online writing group hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. Click here to read other people’s amazing stories or to join in. And please comment below with any suggestions for improvement on mine.
Claire Fuller 
Ah, I know that conversation well… Nice response to the prompt!
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This Rex seems a terrible husband and an even worse father.
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A good one. Way, way back, I ran a seminar in an art school on women in art. The first thing I did was give the small number of students in the group a copy of Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own.
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I see a divorce coming up, or timesharing at the shed
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He’s taking wine and olives into his man cave??? He needs taking in hand; send the kids in after him. Nice story Claire.
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Ah,poor woman but am sure she can soon show him who is the boss by penning an award winning novel amid all that noise and daily grind of being a wife and mom-women can multi-task effortlessly while he only recieves rejection slips :-)Or maybe she can poison his wine or trash that shed? 😛
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I agree with Sandra send the kids in after him. Good story.
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I say it is time for a revolt. Take over the shed or create a time share.Either way something has to give or hubby may find himself rolling downhill. This made me yearn for a quiet place of my own to write.
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Beautifully done – the disconnect is vibrantly clear, and as Bjorn indicated, the end is imminently near.
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I hope she ends up doing what she wants anyway!
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Rex is so mean! Ingrid deserves her peace. Maybe she should kick him out of the shed and take control of it herself 😀
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I prefer to have some sound in the background when I write, but not constant mayhem… A great summary of the trials and tribs of being a writer 🙂
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This is a tale of a selfish man and a resentful wife. Most likely the children will be the ones who suffer from this pair of unhappy people.
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I think they need to do some actual communication if they’re going to survive in any positive way. The story could be flipped around to have the man in a similar situation, especially if his wife worked outside the home to support him. I enjoy the way you deal with your story casually while hitting home truths.
janet
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I could feel the frustration when reading this. Well done
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Dear Claire,
I loved the way the children’s argument spilled into the kitchen. It brought back some memories for me…not necessarily pleasant ones. 😉 I agree with DCT. Time for a revolt or at least an invasion of his quiet little shed. Nicely written.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I would also want a shed. I bet he won’t share his. Well made point.
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I like that. My refuge from the wife and kids is a shed in the garden too so this strikes home with me. There’s no way I could work in the house with all the distractions.
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She needs to get up earlier and take herself to the shed, leaving him to care for the rambunctious offspring 😉
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Recipe for disaster. Well penned!
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Love it! I think you should get your shed.
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Oh I really love this one Claire. It’s so relatable, as a writer and a mother… a woman. You have captured a scene so eloquently.
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Perfect writer’s story. When you’re a mom or dad, it’s ALWAYS something.
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Shared access to a ‘man-cave’? Sounds like a revolution coming up 🙂
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