Howdy! Welcome. The word prompt today is "greasy." I am continuing with "Two of Hearts." Scroll down to return to Tuesday Tales and read the rest of the stories. Thank you for stopping by.
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The buzzer sounded. It
was the man from the service with the wheel chair. She let him in. He introduced
himself as Pedro and shook hands with Jen and Stan. He got Stan into the chair.
While the men fooled around, adjusting the device, Jen prepared a platter of
corned beef sandwiches and potato salad.
She set the table and the three of them sat down
to eat.
“Pedro, I’ll show you where the guest room is. It
has its own bathroom.
“Thank you,
Missus.”
“Please call me ‘Jen’.”
He nodded.
Jen produced a pitcher of iced tea and glasses.
The three ate in silence. Tension tightened her stomach, leaving her room for only
half a sandwich. The food didn’t rest easy.
“Dessert?” Stan asked.
“Brownies.”
“Made ‘em yesterday?”
She nodded. He smiled for the first time. She
exhaled. Maybe she could reach him through food.
“I can’t be eating like this all the time. Didn’t
you hear the doctor? Low cholesterol, low salt diet. Are you trying to kill
me?” His voice rose as he spoke.
Jen’s control broke. She pushed away from the
table and disappeared in the study. Sinking down on the loveseat, she woke up
Willie, who liked to snooze in the sunlight. She blinked back tears and petted
the pup. When she’d regained her composure, she brought the dog out, harnessed
him and, with a curt farewell, took him out for a walk.
She headed to Central Park. Willie trotted along,
happy to have an extra walk. She plopped down on a bench. Her stomach churned. Maybe the corned beef had been too greasy? Nausea washed over her. She ran behind a bush and vomited. Willie stood at the
edge of the lawn, barking.
Jen headed for the restroom, where she washed out
her mouth. Resting her forehead on the cool porcelain of the sink, she took
deep, even breaths. Willie panted in the background. A feminine voice broke the
silence.
“Are you all right, Miss?”
“Yeah,” Jen breathed.
“You sure?”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
Willie barked once. Jen pushed to standing.
She bent over and splashed more water on her face. There were no paper towels.
The stranger offered her a tissue.
“Thank you,” Jen said, taking it.
She guided Willie to a bench and collapsed onto
it.
A text came. She shut her eyes and prayed that it wasn’t Stan, asking her
where she was. Daring to open one eye, she plucked her phone from her pocket
and glanced at the screen. It was Terry.
Did you write today?
She burst out laughing. She texted back.
No. I survived today.
Terry texted back.
Lol.
The day’s not over. Go. Write.
She smiled. Returning to
the house, Jen grabbed a Coke from the fridge, and greeted Pedro. Stan was taking
a nap. Jen headed for the study, turned on her laptop, opened the can, and
closed the door. Digging through a file, she pulled out a paper-clipped
document. After consulting her outline, she opened a new Word document, and typed across
the top.
Tickets to Oblivion
Jen hit her classical playlist on her phone and
let the words flow.
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This is beautiful. It lets me see into the depth of her misery and then a slender ray of the sun peeking through the clouds in the form of moral support.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful snippet!
ReplyDeleteMy heart is so breaking for Jen. But I love Terry's support and how is encouragement sent her off to write
ReplyDeleteman, I am wanting to go snatch a knot in that dude's tail. Grrrr. I feel so bad for her and I hope she can stand to stay with his sorry butt. He needs a chill pill. Yeah, his life is changed but dang, he's out of control..... and apparently, so am I- LOL
ReplyDeleteGreat snippet! Draws me right in. I loved how you incorporate the pug and writing too!
ReplyDeletePowerful scene. It shows how people really react in stressful circumstances. Stan's being an ass and she's in pain. He's going to push her away. Great job.
ReplyDelete