The odd uneven time
Matthew had been working in the estate’s garden for all his life. Enjoying time with his plants more than with his colleagues, he made diligent work of nurturing the greenhouse. He didn’t expect his routine to ever change.
That’s why he was caught off guard when John joined the team. A rough looking mountain of a man, he liked to keep his head down, his mouth shut and his work exemplary. He had no need of anyone, and he made sure to show it.
Matthew knew this very well, so he was very confused when John started passing by to spend time together over lunch…
The odd uneven time is the second story from author Emma Stanley and a perfect read for fans of Philippe Besson
Tags: literary fiction | LGBTQ | short reads
The odd uneven time is the second story from author Emma Stanley and a perfect read for fans of Philippe Besson
Last year, when Peter had first called all of them up to meet “the new guy,” Matthew had watched John survey the small crowd. With a razor-sharp focus, he let his eyes pass from one beige-dressed man to the next. He was bulkier than most of them and had looked almost feral then. Most gardeners lowered their gaze as soon as they met his. Matthew didn’t. With his perennially calm demeanor, he’d held John’s gaze until he saw something shift in the man. Since then, he had been the only one John would greet by name every time they’d seen each other.
About writing The odd uneven time
This story was very intrusive. It came to me while I was visiting a lovely castle garden in Luxembourg almost a year ago. As I was walking through it I could see John and Matthew picking apples right in front of me, already fully formed. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was witnessing their actions in the third chapter. They didn’t leave my head for the whole summer, showing up in the other story that I was writing and messing it up. I decided that the only way to get them to leave me alone was to give them their own pages to sit in.
I wrote the first draft in less than a week, and three months in I was already on a fourth draft. I’ve never had such a clear view of who the characters were, so it was quite overwhelming. That’s why I’m amazed that I’ve managed to go from thought to print in a year’s time. I’m happy that I found their story and have given them some peace.
Now hopefully they give me my peace and let me focus on my other story.
Emma Stanley
Future releases
Currently (slowly) working on a third book.
While I’m not going to go into plot details, I will say that it will be an exploration of people’s relationship with time, generational and national trauma. A gothic story set in Eastern Europe.
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