Congratulations to Cheryl A. Ossola!Her debut novel will be published by Regal House Publishing in 2019. Cheryl's story Lemon Suite is featured in the NEW Fourteen Hills 24.
Lemon Suite is a poignant short story. Miranda, a Julliard trained violinist, reflective in the midst of a personal crisis is our protagonist. She is swept away by several memories all centering around a charity lemonade stand at a fair in Marin County. “The truck—a giant lemon on wheels, pale yellow balloons bobbing from the trailer hitch—glowed in the fairground’s Swiss cheese illumination, the darkness pooled with light flung from scattered pools.” The narrative bobs up and down between the present and these flashbacks.
In the first flashback high school Miranda works “in The Lemon” with Tyler. Young, full-of-promise, she is preparing to audition for Julliard. In the second flashback, she is working with Jackson and off to Julliard in the fall. In the third flashback, she is unexpectantly “back in the Lemon” this time with Alex. “For her it had always been Alex,” but at the conclusion to this flashback, we find that Miranda has left Julliard after a sexual assault.
Finally, Miranda is left watching as “the balloons bumped one another like overtired children, exhausted from delight. Then, stirred by a light breeze, they rose, joyful, before giving in.” leaving the Lemon Suite a bittersweet tale about a woman reflecting on herself and her past.