Can you talk to us about the origins of this story? What led you to it?

 

‘The stop’ is a fictionalization of a family story about my great-grandmother. She was an incredible, strong-willed woman, who was ahead of her times in many ways. The stories about her are equally incredible and very entertaining. This is the second story I’ve published about her, the second of possibly many more I will write. 

 

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There is a gentleness and tenderness to the relationships you write about, can you say more about them?

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Because this piece is based on a family story, there’s a deeper understanding of the real people who inspired the characters and their relationship to one another. My great-grandfather loved my great-grandmother; she loved him. They both loved their grandson; he loved them. Writing their real affection into their fictional counterparts was crucial for the success of the story. 

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A small act like keeping a secret is an understated form of love and care. What do you think about these less-talked-about but foundational ways of loving, caring and being with each other?

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Sharing a secret is an act of vulnerability – when you share something private with someone else, you are opening yourself up to possible judgement as well as the risk that the secret will get revealed. Benjamin Franklin said ‘Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead’ for a reason. This makes sharing secrets also an active confirmation of shared trust – you wouldn’t tell someone a secret unless you trusted that person to keep it from whoever should not know. 
 
Apart from the humour of this story, I was drawn to write this family tale because it does exemplify the love shared amongst these three people in the more mundane moments of life, like keeping each other’s confidences. I think fiction is a great place to explore the quiet ways people love. 

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What kind of an Otherwise is your story alluding to?

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This story relays an otherwise normal day in the household of this elderly couple. The walk to the market, the lunch upon returning home. Even with their grandson visiting, there is routine. It is only because of the grandmother’s small act of defiant independence that this day is not like every other day before and every other day after it in this household.