False Alarm

A funny thing happened on the way to my house.
Another balmy spring evening whiled away in the park,
Swinging through examination blues and unrequited crushes.
Those rocky teenage years!

Homeward-bound, my best friend and I,
Via avenues bowered by cherry blossom in the prime of life.
Tranquil thoughts and cheerful chatter.
Dusk was falling.

Suddenly conversation was curtailed.
A twinge of anxiety.  

Panic over, the crawling car advanced up the road.
And stopped! Window down this time!
It waited for us to pass then resumed its creeping tempo.
The tension rose. We picked up pace.

There it was again, the menacing vehicle,
awaiting our approach.
No words exchanged but a fleeting glance
triggered the alarm;
A grotesque appearance repelled the eye.
Decision made. At the nearest house we rang the bell
And explained our anxiety.

Our liberator ushered us into the lounge,
Where a sea of eccentricity greeted us.
The doorbell rang. It was him!
Behind us the latch clicked firmly closed.
We stood face to face with our ‘pursuer’.

And then the penny dropped.
He had been checking the house numbers
Simply wanting to locate the address
Of the fancy dress party.

Our ‘good Samaritan offered us a drink.
We  sheepishly declined,
eyes lowered, faces reddened. 
We made our excuses
And laughed all the way home!
Copyright © | Year Posted 2018

Poem

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Alex Avatar
March 27, 2022 at 5:18 AM
Interesting, indeed! Congratulations!
Gentry Avatar
July 25, 2018 at 5:08 PM
Congratulations on your win. Suspenseful and cute. Enjoyed!
Watson Avatar
May 16, 2020 at 5:29 PM
Thank you Susan. It actually happened to a friend and me in our youth!
Cunningham Avatar
July 23, 2018 at 6:38 PM
Back with congratulations Wendy. Tom
Watson Avatar
May 16, 2020 at 5:28 PM
Thank you,Tom.
Cunningham Avatar
July 17, 2018 at 12:32 PM
Wow, I had images of Jason reading this, glad it had a happy ending. Good luck. Tom
Watson Avatar
May 16, 2020 at 5:28 PM
Thanks for reading and commenting, Tom but who is Jason?!
Man Avatar
July 17, 2018 at 4:33 AM
Wendy, I loved your descriptive fun write!!
Watson Avatar
July 17, 2018 at 4:56 AM
Not my forte - writing without rhyme and rhythm but as it happened in real life, writing the account brought a smile even all these years later. Thank you for your continued encouragement, Lyric man.
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