OLWG# 271- Dressing for the Ceremony

Written for OLWG# 271

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I was getting dressed in the back of the house. Me, Dave, and Russ were changing clothes and drinking beer when I heard a light knock on the door. I looked at Dave as if to ask, “who would that be, then?”

 

He shrugged, “Dunno.”

 

Russ was closest to the door, so he reached out, turned the knob and swung it open. It was Mom. She looked at Dave, she looked at Russ, and then she looked out the door. Russ got the hint right away; he grabbed his beer, “Don’t be too long. I still have to finish dressing,” he said as he walked out of the room carrying his beer. He had not yet put his shoes on, so I knew he wouldn’t go far.

 

Dave looked at me, then out the door. He shrugged again and grabbed the beer he’d been working on along with a fresh one. He followed Russ out into the passageway.

 

Mom went over to the door and pushed it shut. “Sun,” she began. Mom always called me Sun. She used to say that it was because I was so bright, but in all truth, she couldn’t spell, and once she made the initial mistake, there was no going back.

 

I smiled at her and thought Oh Shit, here we go.

 

“Sun,” she said again. “In about half an hour, you’ll be marrying Phoebe. I’ve made certain that nobody’s out there who will object when the preacher asks, so I think it’s pretty much a shoo-in that you’re getting hitched. I want you to know that this means I’m washing my hands of you. You’re her problem now for as long as she’ll have you. This is the same speech that my mother-in-law gave my first husband when we got married all those years ago.”

 

She paused, pursed her lips and rolled her eyes, “No,” she said, “not my first husband. It was my third husband, Coot, whose mama told me that she was done with him and that he was my problem from then on.” I did get the last laugh though. After the shine faded, which took maybe a week, ten days at the most, I sent him back to her. Coot was a real ass. His mama was probably the only woman who could ever love him.” She paused her speech, reached over and pushed up on my chin. How long had my mouth been hanging open? I had no idea.

 

“Now,” she kept on, “If you love Phoebe, I reckon you better straighten up and treat her special. I don’t think you’ll ever find another woman dumb enough to put up with you, and I’m not takin’ you back.”

 

Mom lit a cigarette and squinted against the smoke in her eyes.

 

“You understand, boy? You better treat that girl good.” Mom stood and smoothed down the front of her dress. She spun towards the door and started walking.

 

“Mom?” I implored.

 

She lifted her fist above her shoulder and slowly raised her middle finger as she walked out of the room. It was nice to know that we had her blessing.

 

Shortly after, Dave and Russ wandered back in to finish dressing.

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This week’s prompts were:

1. you’re her problem now
2. …but first, let’s look at the stars
3. no, not my first husband

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OLWG# 270- Gibson

Written for OLWG# 270

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Then Gwen lifted the coupe glass that held her cocktail and peered at me over the rim.

Her charcoal grey eyes smiled.

I could smell the gin as she stirred her drink with the onion skewer.

She sipped, her eyes closed, as she savoured the flavour.

Long thin fingers, tipped with long red nails, lifted and twirled the skewer. Liquid streamed at first, and then slowly dripped from the end.

Slowly, sensuously she teased the first of three pearl onions free, using her lips and teeth.

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This week’s prompts were:

1. a long ago Sunday
2. it don’t mean much
3. charcoal eyes

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OLWG# 269- Posse

Written for OLWG# 269

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They were a crew, had been since grade four
Independent thinkers
Unconventional, Nonconformists
Librarians, Artists and Bohemians
 

Suzy was a heretic
Billy was a Boy Scout
Rosy was a feminist; Janet, a boi
 

Danny was a sculptor and painter who dabbled in impasto
Thom wrote screenplays and short stories about shit that amused him
Linda – a photographer and philosopher
Oscar – street artist, tagger, & muralist, with an inherent love of spray paints
 

Janelle was a busker with an angelic voice
Jim was Janelle’s twin
He could play any instrument known to man
 

Audre had interests that tended to the dark
Witchcraft, Spells, Numerology, Astrology, Alchemy, Kabbalah, Tarot, Charms, & the like            
Renounced by her mother on account of what she thought.  Because of what she’d done
 

An unlikely group of confidants and chums
Best of friends, despite their differences, and
nothing’s ever going to change that
 

Just ask them

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This week’s prompts were:

1. heretics and Boy Scouts
2. nothing’s ever gonna change
3. what she’d done

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OLWG# 268- TNK

Written for OLWG# 268

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“You ever read anything written by TNK…?”

“I don’t … so. Why?”

“… hard. … his stories … voyeuristic vignettes … meaningless … cobbled together … form some kind of a fragmented narrative … no beginning – no end. Stuffed with bursts of…”

“What … ?”

“… and hard to follow… keyboard’s been drinking. Editing … gratuitous … ”

“At least … oblique, hard … babble, unfinished.”

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This week’s prompts were:

1. oh, that’s old school
2. his writing is fragmented
3. knock me a kiss

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ZOZO- 11.Jul.22 The Young and the Useless

Written in 20 minutes, with the Carrizozo Writers- Raw, unedited, exactly as it flowed through my fingers to the keyboard

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Janet got up off the sofa, pointed the remote to mute the television and crossed the room to answer the door. She wasn’t expecting it to be Robert. She wasn’t sure who she was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t Robert.

“Rob?” she said when she realized who it was, “What are you doing here? I mean, I wasn’t expecting you. What’s up?”

“I’ve been trying to call you all morning, Janet, but for most of the morning, all I’m getting is a busy signal. I thought I should come over and see if something’s wrong. ‘You OK?”

Janet knew that he would be getting a busy signal, but she didn’t think he would come over to check on her. She’d seen him on the caller ID the first three times he’d called and taken the phone off the hook. She didn’t want to talk with Robert. She was over Robert. She was over his sense of entitlement. She was over his misogynistic attitude. She was over his ego, and now he was here.

“Yeah, I’m OK,” she answered and she glanced over to the phone hanging on the wall by the breakfast bar, “Oh, shit, would you look at that! The phone’s off the hook. How’d I do that? Come on in, Rob. Let me turn off the TV.”

Picking up the remote she pressed the power button and watched today’s episode of ‘The Young and the Useless’ go black on the screen. She had been just about to find out if Dr Young was the father of Carrie’s baby. Damn.

Robert was a real pain in the ass. She was probably going to have to move out of town to get rid of him.

“Come on in, Rob. Want a cup of coffee? I’ve got some donuts that I picked up from the Piggly Wiggly. Most of them are Maple glazed but I may have some sprinkles.”

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time’s up – step away

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The prompts

1. phone’s off the hook
2. gotta move out of town

 

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Playing For Keeps

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Melissa (Glen) worked her (his) way into his (her) life like a opossum works her (his) way into your attic. The opossum always finds a way in, allowing her (him) to come and go whenever she (he) deems fit, whenever she (he) pleases.

Melissa’s (Glen’s) way in? A physical attraction and a willingness to accommodate, but physical attraction is most critical at the beginning of a relationship. Intellectual attraction needs to follow. Without the intellectual draw, desire becomes one dimensional and when that happens…

The opossum dies in the attic
it begins to rot and stink
the smell permeates down, where it
fouls the air throughout the house

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ZOZO- 04.Jul.22 He Said, She Said

Written in 20 minutes, with the Carrizozo Writers- Raw, unedited, exactly as it flowed through my fingers to the keyboard

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“You’re just saying that because you’re high.” he said

“Not true, I really mean it, and besides I’m not high.” she said

“You gotta be,” he said, “Cause, I am, and you’ve been keeping pace all night long.”

“No. Now think about it. You come over to help whenever I need you. I never treat you like a guest. I take you for granted, serve you left overs, make you mow the lawn, fix my car, and paint the living room. You never complain, and you should. All I ever do is take advantage of you.” she rolled another, and reached for the matches. She held the flame to the tip of the blunt and lit it, inhaling deeply before she passed it over.

He drew deeply on the hand rolled cigarette and held the smoke in while he replied, “I don’t want you to think of me as a guest. I want you to think of me as a friend. The left overs at your house are better than the freshly baked goods at my house. I burn everything I try to cook.” He exhaled explosively, when he couldn’t hold the smoke in any longer.

“I just don’t want you to think I don’t appreciate everything you do for me.” she said and took the joint that he held out.

“I’ll let you know when to worry about that,” he said.

He leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes. He started humming an old Allman Brothers tune.

She set the smoke down in the ash tray and put her head in her hands. She fell asleep.

He dozed off and on for a while, but when he woke he pushed his chair back and made his way to the door.

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time’s up – step away

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The prompts:

1. 1. treat you like a guest
   2. left overs
   3. weed smoker’s regret

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OLWG# 267- Billy

Written for OLWG# 267

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Billy told you in Basic Training that he was the black sheep of his family
It would have been more accurate, had he said “rainbow” sheep, but
You wouldn’t have been able to understand

In Afghanistan you promised Billy that when you both got home you’d introduce him to your sister or your cousin
Billy didn’t want to meet your sister; he wanted to hook up with you
You still didn’t understand

You loved Billy like a brother – in your way;
He loved you too, but you broke his heart
I don’t think you will ever understand, but it’s OK

It’s OK

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This week’s prompts were:

1. free from your promises
2. black sheep
3. Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes

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OLWG# 266- Nighttime in the Prison Yard

Written for OLWG# 266

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Twilight in the desert can be disconcerting
the overhead blue deepens as the evening sky blackens
the crescent moon holds water on the horizon
or perhaps – it’s
a Cheshire cat’s smile

It was on such an evening that…

The scent of dissent hovered in the air and
exploded when Deuce, Snapper, and Viking
exchanged words in the yard
Viking got his nose broke
no big deal

No big deal, till Tony P is bumped and
Snapper, shanked
we lost Deuce when the choppers arrived
no one seemed to worry
no one seemed to care

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This week’s prompts were:

1. an old tin cup
2. three to get ready
3. a moon holding water

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