Welcome! This week our word prompt is "picky". Our story, "Too Late for Goodbye" continues. We look in on Marty, getting nervous. Scroll down to return to the great stories on Tuesday Tales. Thanks for stopping by!
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Pine Grove, New York
Unable to sleep, Marty arrived at his office
at eight. He downed two cups of coffee in an attempt to focus. But work didn’t
hold his attention. All he could think about was Jen Whitman and her adorable kids.
He pushed to his feet and paced in front of
the office windows. What did he know about kids? Raising them? Talking to them?
Outside of having been a kid once himself and refereeing for Little League, he
was totally ignorant. I bet they're picky eaters.
He’d nail the baseball thing –his strength.
But otherwise? Spending the week with them? Would he be expected to do that?
Could he take time off and take them for hikes and to playgrounds? Did Jen want
him around so much? His stomach tightened.
“Well, someone rolled out of bed early.” The
voice of his big brother, Flint broke into his thoughts.
Marty stopped abruptly. “What are you doing
here?”
“I work here. Remember? Boy,” Flint said
shaking his head. “You got it bad.”
“Oh. Right. Sorry.”
Flint grabbed his brother’s arm. “Hey,
buddy. Come on. What’s up?”
“Jen and her children are coming for a week.
We’re going to a Jaguars’ game. But I don’t know what else to do. To plan. Am I
supposed to be spending every minute with them? How do I deal with her kids?
I’m not cut out to be a father.”
“Are you kidding?” Flint rested his butt on
a corner of his desk. “You’ll make a great father. Hell, you’ve been telling me
what to do forever.”
Love the way he struggles wanting to get things right. The last line made me smile. Well done.
ReplyDeleteGreat snippet! That last line was perfect.
ReplyDeleteHis anxiety at doing things right for her and the kids is so endearing. The two brothers are a nice contrast. That's a killer of a last line!
ReplyDeleteGreat snippet! I loved the way you worked the word prompt into his anxieties about how to handle the time with the kids. Great job!
ReplyDeleteThe fact that he’s nervous makes me think that he’ll be an amazing dad. His banter with his brother is fantastic. Great job!
ReplyDeleteI had to smile as this reminded me of my two sons. The younger one pretty much the same thing to his brother since he's always acted like a second dad to the younger one- who hated it! LOL! Very realistic excerpt
ReplyDelete