TUESDAY TALES - WORD PROMPT "FLY"

Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week the word prompt is "fly". We have another episode of "The Kiss." Scroll down to return to Tuesday Tales. Thank you for stopping by. 

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The boys chattered away about the monkeys. Robbie wanted to see the gorillas. He and Alex ran ahead. Don fell back, matching his leisurely pace with Allison’s. So, she finally got rid of that bum, Spencer. Is she dating anyone? Can I ask? Am I going to look stupid? Desperate? Am I desperate? Well, maybe a little. He sidled up to her. 

 “How long have you been divorced?” 

“Three years. You?” 

“Almost four.” 

Her eyebrows shot up. “Four? You split from Mary not long after we left?” 

Don looked at his hands and felt the heat rise in his chest. Was he ready for her to know the truth? It was the next day. Right after the kiss. He woke up and knew he didn’t love Mary anymore. Maybe never had loved her. He started proceedings within the month. Would he tell Allison? No way! He’d never had a kiss like it before, or since. Sure, he’d started dating, sort of. But no one could compare to Allison. So his dating had tapered off until he spent most of his time with Alex or on his own. He wouldn’t tell Allison that either. 

 “Why did you leave Spencer?” Best defense was a good offense. Get her story before he revealed his truth. He stopped to buy cold beverages from a stand. 

“You saw us together. You have to ask?” She swatted at a fly buzzing around her iced tea. 

He laughed. He still had no clue why she married the man. Controlling to the point of mean was putting it nicely. He couldn’t count the number of times he wanted to bash his smug face in. Of course, he didn’t do it. 

 “Good point. You guys weren’t exactly a match made in heaven.” 

 “As long as we’re being honest…” 

“Are we?” He stared at her. 

 She stopped and put her hands on her hips. “So, Don, tell me. Why did you leave Mary?”

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TUESDAY TALES

 

Welcome! Our word prompt this week is "multiply". We have another snippet from "The Kiss". Scroll down to return to Tuesday Tales. Thank you for coming. 

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As they wended their way through the enormous animal park, Allison and Don fell into their old ways. They talked about what it was like to have a middle schooler, swapping stories about their boys driving them crazy. Always ahead, the boys were in their own world.

“Robbie faces off with me at the slightest disagreement. He’s so sensitive. And controlling!”

“Alex and I wrestle to see who’s going to cook dinner. Half the time, I let him win.”

Laughter came as easy as it had five years earlier. Finally, Don grew serious.

“Mary and I divorced four years ago.”

Allison looked at her hands before facing him. “I know.”

“Alex?”

She nodded. “Seems he and Robbie have been in close communication.”

“Yeah. Should’ve figured.” They fell into an easy step as they strolled together to the next exhibit.

“Spencer and I split up, too.”

“Alex told me.” He steered them toward the elephants, where the boys were headed.

She laughed. “Boy, they should write a spy novel together. What a couple of plotters!”

“They wanted to get us together. Why do you think that is?” Don smiled.

“Oh, I can guess why Robbie did it.”  Allison fussed with the hem of her T-shirt.

“Can you?”

“Yes. But you’ll never pry it out of me.”

“I know why.” He took her hand, closing his fingers gently around hers.

“You do?” She raised her eyebrows. His statement multiplied her curiosity. 

 “Of course.”

“Well, aren’t you going to tell me?” She shot him a flirtatious glance.

“Should I? You wouldn’t tell me.”

“I’m guessing it’s the same reason.” She tightened her grip on his hand.

“Maybe it is.”

“Come on. The suspense is killing me.”  She stopped and faced him.

“Okay. Alex told me that I was happier when I was with you than I was with Mary. Happier meaning, nicer. Nicer to him. And he’s happier when I’m with you than with his mother.”

Allison took a deep breath.

“Is that what you were going to say?”

“In a nutshell. Sort of. Robbie didn’t fight us about the divorce. He seemed relieved. Later, much later, he told me the same thing. Asked me how come I was so different when I was with you than when I was with Spencer.”

“And what did you tell him?” Don stopped.

“I said I didn’t know and changed the subject.” She looked up at the sky.

He narrowed his eyes and dropped her hand. “That’s not true.”

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TUESDAY TALES - PICTURE PROMPT

 

Welcome! It's picture prompt week. That means I select a photo to write to and keep the snippet 300 words or less. So we have another installment of "The Kiss" this week. Scroll down to return to Tuesday Tales. Thanks for stopping by. 

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When Don took the boys for ice cream, Allison watched the elephants. One of the elephants sprayed his handler with water from a bucket. The man ripped off his shirt and went inside. The site of his naked back brought up a flashback. It was the day of the last street fair. Don had been in the dunking booth. A teenager had finally hit the mark and he was drenched. After climbing out of the water, he stripped of his shirt.

She remembered staring at his back, his perfect back. She’d never seen him shirtless before. Desire had raced through her, tingling every part of her body. He kept talking to her, then turned around. She thought she’d have an orgasm right on the spot.

The memory of his physical perfection lit old flames. It had come before the big event, but led up to it. Her sudden physical awareness of him way beyond simple friendship had embarrassed her so much, she’d made up an excuse and fled.

She stood at the railing, unseeing, old, dormant feelings coursing through her veins anew as if she was a horny teen. She sensed a flush creep up her chest to her face. Had she ever wanted Spencer the way she'd wanted Don on that hot, steamy afternoon in the schoolyard? Talk about inappropriate!

Don returned with the boys in tow. They said something she didn’t hear. He touched her shoulder.

“Hey, Allison? You all right?”

She nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

“You’re all red. Let’s find some shade.”

He led them to a bench under a tree. But shade wouldn’t fix what was wrong with her. She made an excuse and hurried to the ladies’ room. Maybe splashing cold water on her face would help. And maybe it wouldn’t.   

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TUESDAY TALES - WORD PROMPT "BROWN"

 

It's time for Tuesday Tales again. This week we have another episode of "The Kiss." And, yes, it's another cliffhanger, I'm afraid.  Don't forget to scroll down to get back to Tuesday Tales and the excellent stories there. Thanks for coming!

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Allison opened her mouth, but no words came out. It's like her brain had done a brown out. She’d dreaded running into Don again. It’s one reason she bought a small house in Pine Grove when she and Spencer split up. And what if, by some wild chance, she did run into him? She had a treasury of glib responses, like “it was time to move on.” Or “I needed a change” or even, “Spencer took a job in Cleveland.” By not returning to New York, she’d never have to confront him, or face the embarrassing truth. When Robbie had begged to come to the City for a weekend and go to the Zoo, she’d run out of reasons to put off the trip. Now she knew why he wanted to come.  

So here they were, and the moment she’d feared had arrived. Confronted by Don, in person, not in a dream, she simply could not speak. She pushed to her feet and wandered over to the water fountain. Before she could take a drink, Don grabbed her arm.

“I’m waiting. I think you owe me an explanation, don’t you?”

His angry expression had turned to pain. Tears stung at the backs of her eyes. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt Don any more than she already had. She raised her eyes to his.

“It was the…” he began.

She put her hand over his mouth, stopping his words. Blinking rapidly, she nodded. Once again, they’d communicated without words. Old pain returned, constricting her chest. She raised full eyes to his. She saw sympathy and something else. But there wasn’t time to figure it out. 

Robbie and Alex burst out of the reptile house, chattering away, laughing and joined them. Allison turned away, taking a deep, shuddering breath. No way could she break down in front of Robbie. He’d demand an explanation she’d refuse to give.

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