Dialogue-Driven Scene Writing Prompt

Prompt:

Create a dialogue-driven scene between two characters who have not seen each other in a while and have unexpectedly crossed paths in a crowded city.  Use dialogue to unfold the layers of their past and present, and the unspoken tension between them. 

You can explore memories, emotions, and surprises as they navigate through the unexpected reunion.  Let readers see the complexity of their relationship, showing how they greet each other, topics they avoid, and truths that surface as they talk.  Leave readers eager to know more about the shared history between the two characters.  .

“Margaret? Is that really you?”

Turning, she stopped and stared at the man approaching her. ”Owen?”

“Hey Maize. long time no see.”

Nodding, she forced a smile and shifted the weight of purse on her shoulder. ”Yeah, it’s been a while. What have you been up to?”

“Not much. You still working at the newspaper?”

Margaret shook her head. ”No, I left there a few years ago. I work for my daddy now, over at his mechanic shop.”

“Mechanic shop?” Owen raised his eyebrows and stared at her. He could barely hear her with the crowd that surrounded them. ”You at a mechanic shop?”

“Yeah. Daddy needed the help. He’s getting older and…” Another man walked past them, nearly knocking Maize off her feet.

“Hey, you want to go somewhere less crowded? Downtown Detroit doesn’t seem like the best place to talk, especially this time of year. Why don’t we go get a cup of coffee at that shop in the old bus station? What do you say?”

“All right.” They walked side by side until they found the bus station and the old coffee shop inside. It was still open and only had a few people waiting in line. They stood in silence for a few minutes until each had their turn to order. Owen offered to buy hers, but she quickly turned him down. Once their drinks were up, they found a table in the corner of the shop to continue their talk.

“You were saying your dad’s getting older?” He took a sip of his coffee, waiting for her response.

Margaret nodded. ”Yeah, he doesn’t get around as much anymore. Chris took over his shop but wasn’t happy so he picked up and moved to Gaylord to start up his own landscaping company. Daddy has some guy named Viper working for him, but he wanted family there still too. So I’ve been there ever since.”

“What about your husband? He couldn’t help?”

“I’m not married.” Biting her lower lip, she avoided eye contact with him. ”I”ve never married, Owen. It’s just been Dad and Mere and I at the shop since Chris left.”

“I take it Chris is out then?”

She nodded. ”He’s been out five years. He’s got a little girl with Evelyn, a son, and they’ve got another baby on the way too.”

They sat in awkward silence again for a few minutes before he finally spoke. ”You still think about that night?”

“How can I not? My brother and my fiancé betrayed me.”

“Maize, you know if I could take it all back, I would. I’d give anything to put things back the way they were.”

“I know.”

“Do you think we could ever have a chance? You and me?”

“After what happened?” Shaking her head, she took a small sip of her coffee, but it was still too hot to drink from. ”I doubt it Owen. I can’t trust you. I don’t trust Chris either.”

“Do you think you could try? I’d do anything to earn that trust back.”

“Owen, you held me hostage in a bank while my brother robbed it. I can’t trust you again, I just can’t.”

“I kept you there to keep you safe. I knew what they were doing, and I couldn’t stand the thought of anything happening to you.”

“You could have let me go, could have warned me.”

“There wasn’t time for that. They had weapons, Maize, what else was I supposed to do? They would have killed both of us if I hadn’t played along.”

“You didn’t have to help them. You chose to.”

“I chose to for us. We were in love once, Maize. Don’t you think we could fall in love again?”

“I don’t see how. I can’t trust you.”

Owen took another sip from his coffee and stared at her. ”What if I earned your trust back? What if I show you I’m not the same man I was back then? Can we have a future then?”

Maize shook her head again. ”I don’t know. It’s just too complicated, Owen, it really is. I don’t see how it could ever work out again.”

“Will you give me a chance, just once chance?”

She was quiet for a few moments before she finally spoke again. ”You haven’t told me what you’ve been up to. How do I know you’re not the same guy?”

Smiling, he reached out a finger to gently tap her nose. ”Still my Maize, just like always. I’m a youth pastor now. I work with teens, try to give them guidance. I know I’m not really the best person for the job, but then again, sometimes it seems like that’s the way God works. Look, I don’t except you to forgive me right away, or even trust me, but I’d like to give us a try again.”

“Even if I wanted to Owen, we’re too far apart. You’re down here, I’m hours away from here. It would never work.”

Shaking his head he quickly added “But I don’t live down here. I’m just here on a trip. I’m still up in Petoskey. We’re not all that far apart, really. Please, we can make this work, I know it. Can’t we just give it a try?”

Maize shook her head. ”I can’t trust you. I just can’t.”

“I’ll prove to you that you can. You just wait and see. I’ll prove it.”

Reaching her cup, she stood and muttered “I have to go,” before quickly walking away. 

She was almost out the door of the coffee shop before she heard him speak one last time. ”I’m sorry, Maize for everything, I really am. I love you, always and forever.” With that, she was gone.