Donegal Woman’s Words: Author Sharon Thompson this week delivers a short story with a warning about social media chats.

The hugely successful Donegal Woman’s Words creative series returns with another tale from Moville writer Sharon Thompson.

Author Sharon Thompson

This series will showcase works of literature on Sundays for readers to enjoy.

All you have to do is make a cup of coffee, sit back and enjoy this relatable account of conversations between female friends:

Be careful of the bubbles

There’s a ping from my laptop. The speech bubble at the bottom of my screen sits there. It’s Tess. The self-appointed leader of our gang of forty-somethings.

‘Hi. I think we should all have a get together to discuss Cassie’s husband?’

I ignore it. But Tess can see I’m online. There’s that ping again.

A new line appears in the bubble, ‘Wha’ ya think?’

There’s no question Cassie’s husband is a pain, but – he’s Cassie’s.

‘Someone needs to tell her!’ I read as the ping goes again and my heart falls. ‘We could sit her down tomorrow nite?’

The bubble disappears as I click the small x in the corner. This is all because Tess saw Cassie’s husband in a bar with his arm around a young one.

But up it pops again. I read on, ‘it’s our duty as friends to tell her.’

There are no more bubbles or pings from the laptop and I still cannot settle myself. Possibly thirty seconds have past and I’m just a wreck. Tess always does this to me. It’s like the petitions for World Peace she bangs on about. She has an opinion on damn near everything when we all just want a quiet life and a few gins.

I open a message bubble and write. ‘It’s not up to us to tell Cassie anything about her husband Tess. Stop going on to all of us about his affair. You know Cassie, she’ll not thank any of us for killing her fantastic life (that we’ve to listen to constantly). Enough about it now.’

It’s like a cleansing of the soul. I lean back and breathe deeply. That’s her told.

The laptop pings and up pops a bubble. My heart stops, as I read.

‘Cassie here. That was obviously meant for Tess.’

Sharon is the co-founder of #WritersWise a trending, writers’ tweet-chat (www.writerswise1.wordpress.com).

Find Sharon @sharontwriter and www.sharontwriter.wordpress.com / sharontwriter@gmail.com

Read Sharon’s first story, A Wee Donegal Weddin’, here: 

Introducing: Woman’s Words – A Wee Donegal Weddin’

 

Check back next Sunday for another short story from Sharon. If you are a local writer of stories or poetry, email news@donegalwoman.ie to inquire about featuring.