Written for OLWG# 232
Debbie come from Clayton, a small town outside Natchez. I come from Council Flats Iowa, the “Gateway to Nebraska.” We’d been married for ‘bout three year and was livin’ in Nashville. One weekend we was sittin’ out under the big tree in the backyard, playin’ pinch and giggle games, drinkin’ whiskey and generally havin’ a good time. All of a sudden Debbie went still and got a faraway look in her eyes.
“Carson,” she says, “Carson, do you love me?”
“Course I do, Baby. What kinda question is that?”
“No, I mean it.” she says, “Do you love me a lot?”
“You’re scarin’ me, Deb. What are you talking about?”
“Shit,” she starts, “a couple a weeks ago, while you was at work…me and Rita went down to Music City Casino. We was just gonna fool around a little bit, ya know. We were just going to play some slots, maybe a little blackjack, but I screwed up, honey. I screwed up, big time.” She stopped talkin’ and looked at me. We stared into one another’s eyes for a long time. Finally, I prodded her to go on, “What’d you do?”
“I, uh, I lost twenty-five thousand dollars.”
I sat up and pushed her off of my lap.
“How’d you do that?”
“Gamblin’ – the details don’t matter,” she bit on her lower lip. Her eyes were pleading, I know how to fix it, Carson, but I need your help.”
“Let’s go inside,” I stood up and offered my hand. When we were both standing, I sorta pulled her to the back door. She cowered at the kitchen table and I poured myself a tall drink. I took a long pull and sat across from her, “How do you think you can fix this Deb?”
She lit a Salem and helped herself to a slug offa my drink.
“On Abbot Martin Road, in Green Hills, there’s this bank I been watchin’. It’s the Fifth Third Bank and I know if we can hit it on a Tuesday afternoon before four o’clock that I can pay back the Casino the next day.”
“How do you know this Deb?”
“You don’t wanna know that, Carson. I just know, OK.”
“You know- that’s a Federal Offense, don’t you?”
She nodded her head.
This week’s prompts were:
- no tears, no more
- it might kill you
- outside of Natchez
tnkerr-Writing Prompts and Practice 