There are plenty of short stories out there but few grasp what the purpose behind the short length really means. A short story should be founded upon the idea that a deep meaning can be portrayed in a few pages. A story that can get to that meaning, and leave readers pondering, even after just three pages, is worth the minimal time investment.
One such story is “Following the Notes,” by Pia. Z. Ehrhardt. It’s about a teenage girl, Liddie, working as a hostess at a seafood restaurant in a mall. Her car dies in the parking lot after the backseat was left partially open by accident. The girl had had sex in the backseat with her boyfriend before her shift. She calls upon her father to help her jumpstart the car. When they get home, she calls her boyfriend only to hear another girl laugh in the background.
Despite this, Liddie focuses on her father, whose clearly having marital problems. His wife was hungover the night before, and this night, when he picked Liddie up, she excused herself to go watch TV alone upstairs. Like father, like daughter, they both find themselves only able to rely on one another.
Let’s consider the symbolism found in these short pages:
It’s Father’s Day when this all occurs, so it’s already making Liddie’s father the main focus.
Rather than call Sherman, her boyfriend, she calls her dad. Clearly, he wanted to be left alone, since he requested a silent house and lemon pie for Father’s Day. However, Liddie reached out to him, rather than Sherman, despite it interrupting her father’s music writing time, all because she values him more than she does Sherman. Clearly, only one of them is reliable.
She never once tells her dad about Sherman, indicating he’s not good boyfriend material. This is later solidified when she realizes Sherman is cheating on her.
Liddie makes a mention that her mother was hungover the night before because her glass smelled like scotch when she washed it that morning before going to work. Every time she brings up mom, her dad gets sad. He also gets sad when his wife goes upstairs to watch TV instead of spending time with him. Clearly, they have marital problems.
Both Liddie and her father have relationship troubles at the same time. Rather than try to solve what they both know they can’t, the focus on each other. While her dad helps her with the car, Liddie gives him the rest of her lemon pie and asks him to play what he wrote that day. It shows appreciation for what he does and enjoys, on a day when they both need to feel better.
Truly, “Following the Notes,” is a deeper story than it lets on at first. In a matter of three pages, the deep meaning resonates: sometimes life isn’t easy, but there’s always going to be someone out there that has your back, even if they also need you to be there for them at the same time. Two broken people can make each other feel better. And sometimes, all you need is an extra slice of pie and some good music.
