The Circle Palms: Alternative Ending for Story Without An End
This hub is in response to the challenge to provide an ending for Story without an End by Jodah.
“The Ice Cream Man is here!” Courtney screamed with excitement as the sound of the ice cream truck pulled over slowly by the house. “Mommy can I please go get some ice cream?”
“Of course you can,” Susan replied, as she cleared out the dishes from the table to put them in the kitchen. Courtney then grabbed hold of Rick’s hand, pulling him to go with her to the ice cream truck.
“No, you little pest I don’t want to!” Rick retaliated in anger. “Just go and don’t bother me.” Courtney welled up in tears and ran to the kitchen to her mommy and just sobbed in her arms. Susan wondered what triggered her little girl to bowl in tears but Courtney just continued crying. Rick went out to the Ice cream truck and bought an Ice Popsicle and brought it to Courtney who was still crying. She refused to accept the Popsicle and refused the generous offer of Rick to carry her.
As the two were trying to comfort Courtney, Phillip pulled up outside the house. He entered the front door with his usual cheer of “hello my beauties!” Courtney then jumped out of Susan’s hands and ran towards the door and threw herself to the ever cheerful Phillip, who embraced her with such love and tenderness. Phillip soon noticed the tears in Courtney’s eyes and asked what happened.
“That man was mean to me and didn’t want to go get ice cream with me,” she answered with her sad puppy face.
“What man?” bewildered Phillip asked.
Just then, Rick and Susan came out of the kitchen. Susan greeted Phillip and introduced Rick to Phillip. Rick was visibly annoyed at the sight of Phillip and didn’t even offer a handshake. Rick tried to get Courtney off Phillip’s hand but Courtney screamed in contempt and refused Rick to even touch her.
“Please Daddy Phillip, can we go and get some ice cream?”
“We sure can!” Phillip replied while clutching her and giving her cute cheek a kiss. Phillip then took Courtney out, leaving Susan to face the irrational angry Rick.
“Daddy Phillip? Did you actually tell our daughter to call some guy daddy?”
“Oh so now she is your daughter?” replied hysterical Susan. “You wouldn’t even let her touch you and you make her cry and never bothered to ask about her before with your encyclopaedia speech of how you’ve changed and now all of a sudden you’re concerned because a more stable man that loves her has got your attention?”
With that, they began to exchange words whilst raising their voices at each other, just as they did before she left him. After an hour of squabbling, Rick stormed out the door and left Susan flooding in tears.
Meanwhile at the Ice cream parlour, Courtney finally got her wish for an ice cream. Phillip got her some marsh mellows and a teddy bear with some balloons. Whilst they sat down and enjoyed each other’s company, Linda turns up with a couple of shopping bags. She screeches with excitement upon seeing Phillip and rushes over to sit by him. Phillip introduces her to Courtney, who was more concerned with finishing her ice cream.
“I waited for your call,” Linda said in a provocative but sultry voice. “Can we have dinner sometime?”
Phillip became a little uncomfortable, so he turned towards Courtney and ushered her to go play on the nearby bouncy castle. Courtney rushed off in excitement clutching her newly teddy bear she named fluffles.
“I don’t think so,” Phillip responded. “Linda, I have been doing a lot of thinking and though I appreciate and care for you, I do not wish to continue our relationship,” he said with a sad tone to his voice. “I intend to marry Susan and be a father to Courtney. I’m sorry.” Linda smiled, though she was deeply hurt. She hoped they would pick up from where they left off.
What are your thoughts on this particular ending?
The phone rang and Susan answered it with an after sobbing voice. It was Phillip, inquiring whether Rick had left. Upon hearing her ailing voice, Phillip rushed over to the house with Courtney. He comforted Susan and made dinner for all three of them. After a while, Susan calmed down and they enjoyed a family evening. When Susan was putting Courtney to bed, she noticed a lace on her neck that had the letter C on it. “The nice lady with daddy Phillip gave it to me,” Courtney said with a big smile.
After putting Courtney to bed, Susan asked Phillip who the nice lady was and Phillip elaborated to her the conversation he had with Linda. Likewise, Susan too explained her conversation with Rick to him. They talked for a long while into the middle of night and Susan realized that Phillip was indeed the night in shining armor. She made up her mind the next morning as she prepared Courtney for day care that she would not accept Rick back into her life and that she would file for full custody of Courtney and elect Phillip as her father. Rick did everything he could to get Susan and Courtney back, but evidently he lost them again and accepted that part of his life was completely over.
Two years later, in a beautiful beach ceremony, Phillip and Susan tied the not, with Courtney as their flower girl. They moved into a bigger home in the urban suburbs and soon added twin boys named Jasper and Japheth into their family. Susan still occasionally glimpses back to the thought of Rick suddenly appearing in her life and going through this cycle again. At least now she knows whatever happens, she has Phillip to lean on and nothing will ever make her want to go back to Rick again.
