TUESDAY TALES - WORD PROMPT "WOOD" - "TWO OF HEARTS"

Good day! It's time for another another snipped from "Two of Hearts" today.  This is a woman's fiction story. There is bad language, so if that's a big turn-off, simply go on to the next author. Find more Tuesday Tales HERE. Thanks for stopping by. 

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Grinding his teeth, Terry directed Queenie down seventy-seventh street. An hour in nicely-wooded Central Park would do him good. At least that’s what he told himself. Clare had insisted that Queenie not be short-changed on her park exercise.

“Just because I’m not going to be here doesn’t mean she should miss out. Right?”

In theory, he’d agreed, but the reality of spending an hour at the crack of dawn trudging around the Great Lawn every God damn morning pissed him off. Bad enough he didn’t have his wife but picking up after the pooch and pretending to like it set his teeth on edge.

He and Queenie tromped toward the park, when a low rumble met his ears. Oh, shit. Rain. He raised the collar of his jacket and hunched up his shoulders. After a loud crack, the sky opened up. Queenie howled as the rain came down in sheets, drenching them. Terry ducked into an alcove, the front entrance of a townhouse. Queenie shook off on him.

“Shit! Fuck! Queenie!” He yelled, closing his eyes.

“Nice language,” muttered a woman, squeezing in next to him, her dog stepping on his foot.

He looked down. “Willie?”

 

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Jen pushed her wet hair off her face and pulled her soaked T-shirt away from her skin. She didn’t need to show strangers her boobs. Sure, April showers and all that crap, but this was ridiculous. Yesterday had been the first dry day in a week. Stan had always done the morning and late-night walks with Willie. She took him in the afternoon. The poor pug was soaked. He shook off and panted, his long tongue lolling.

“Come on, boy,” she said, pushing farther into the entryway of the townhouse. The man next to her took up most of the space. Screw him. She elbowed her way deeper under the narrow overhang, pulling Willie up close. Life was terrible. Everything was shit and she’d be damned if some greedy asshole was going to make her day worse.

“Willie?” The man asked, narrowing his eyes and staring first at her dog, then at her.

Instinctively she pushed at her hair, but it was too wet and matted to fix.

“Yeah. This is Willie. Who are you?”

“This is Queenie.”

Jen looked down. There stood an adorable pug, much smaller than hers. At the mention of her name, the wet dog ginned. Jen smiled back.

“Queenie?” She raised her eyebrows.

“Your father usually walks Willie, doesn’t he?”

She bristled, frowning. “You mean my husband? Stan usually takes the morning and late- night walks.”

The man blushed. “Oops. Sorry.”

“You should be.” She wasn’t putting up with annoying behavior from anyone today.

“We don’t usually talk. Just say ‘hello’ and let the dogs play. His name’s Stan?”

“That’s right.”

“Did he sleep in?”

“He’s in the hospital.”

That's it for today. Thanks for stopping by.