It’s time for Cyranny’s Word of the Day Challenge. Today, our prompt is “disposal.”
Forgetting what had happened last time, Dunya stuck her hand in the garbage disposal while it was running.
“Why, Dunya? Why do you do these things?
“I’m sorry, Mama. It won’t happen again.” Dunya vowed. “I promise.”
“You promised last time. Tell me, why should I believe you now?”
“Because Mama,” Dunya began, “I’ve run out of hands.”
She had never been close
to her father:
he’d wanted a boy, not her.
Years later and bemused,
he stood over his father’s
freshly-dug grave wondering:
Would dad have been pleased
now that Jill has become Jack?
It’s Fandango’s Flashback Friday. This piece was written a year ago for Fandango’s One Word Challenge for which the word prompt was Cynical.
Dinah liked to think of herself as a realist, immune to faerie tales, knights in shining armor, and dreams that can’t come true. That’s bullshit kid stuff, she told herself, and Dinah was no kid. She was tough, capable, independent, and yes, jaded.
Yet, deep down inside, there was a tiny part of her that wished her dreams really could come true, that there really was someone out there for her who would whisk her away to a life filled with magic and love.
Pffft! The chances of that happening were about the same as the tooth faerie getting stuck in my chimney.
Dinah had tried to find love numerous times; countless dates, fix-ups, hook-ups, even online dating. It had all been a waste of time. All she got out of it was a broken heart and enough humiliation to last a lifetime. It turned out that there was not someone for everybody, and Dinah was okay with that. She had her career and her four cats to keep her warm.
Then, her friend Julie called to tell her that she’d found the perfect guy, and Dinah just had to meet him.
“Again?” Dinah replied. “This is about the eighth perfect guy you’ve found for me.”
“I know, I know,” Julie said dismissively. “But this guy is special. He’s really different. You’ll see.”
“Oh?”
“Uh, well, yeah…” Julie stumbled over her words. “I sort of said you’d meet him at Sir Galahad’s tomorrow at 7:00 for drinks.”
Dinah felt her blood pressure rise. “You just assumed I had no plans? I have a life, Julie. A real life!”
“With your job and your cats? Yeah, I know.”
She might as well have stabbed Dinah in the heart with a butter knife. “You’re funny. Ever thought of doing stand-up?”
“So you’ll go then? Sir Galahad’s at 7:00.”
“I heard you the first time. Yes, I’ll be there.” Dinah lied, and hung up the phone.
The phone rang again, and Dinah picked up. “Now what, Julie?”
“His name is Ari.”
“Great,” Dinah said. “I’ll make a note of it.”
“Well, have fun tomorrow night and…you’ll let me know how it goes?” Julie said hopefully.
“Oh, I will.”
That next evening…
Dinah curled up her sofa up with a glass of red wine, a blanket, a book, and two of her cats. She turned her phone off, so no one would bother her.
A couple of times her date with Ari crossed her mind, but these thoughts were fleeting. She’d been through it enough to know how it would turn out. Dinah turned the page.
Meanwhile at Sir Galahad’s, Ari waited until 8:00 for Dinah to arrive. He wasn’t too surprised that she was a no-show. That’s the way his luck went, plus a “wonderful woman” like Dinah probably had a million more interesting things to do. He’d caught the eyes of several women but didn’t make a move in hopes that Dinah might still show up.
Finally, he paid his tab and left, driving away in a 1965 silver Mustang.
It’s First Line Friday again over at MindloveMisery’s Menagerie. This week our first line is, The cafe began to feel like her only real home.
The cafe began to feel like her only real home. At least there, she was treated with respect. Tonja was grateful she’d had the foresight to take this job, just for something to do during the summer break. Her husband Charles was an attorney and she, herself taught philosophy at the University. It’s not like they needed the extra money.
Things were fine until Charles’ teenaged children decided to move in. Since that day, her home life had become a living hell. The twins, Randy and Sandy, treated her more like a maid than their stepmother. Charles simply laughed it off—even when Randy had “jokingly” called her ‘Aunt Jemima’ when he asked for more pancakes.
It hurt, but that morning certainly put things in perspective for Tonja.
Her mother had been right: the term ‘white trash’ didn’t discriminate according to income.
It’s time once again for Fandango’s Flashback Friday! This piece was written just last year for First Line Friday over at the MindLoveMisery’s Menagerie blog. The prompt was Jaime spent the whole day browsing the antique store and left with just one thing.
Jaime spent the whole day browsing the antique store and left with just one thing.
And it was the perfect addition to Carmen’s collection: a Fenton Ambergina carnival glass swing vase. It had cost nearly half of her paycheck, but as far as Jaime was concerned, Carmen was worth every dime. Plus, she wanted their fifth anniversary to be extra special.
On her way home, Jaime stopped at the Periwinkle Pub for a quick beer. It had been her favorite hang-out for years and she had some time to kill before Carmen got home from work.
“Hey, Jaime!” the bartender, Billy, greeted her, inserting an accent on the second syllable of her name. “What’ll it be?”
Jame shrugged off her coat with a smile. “The usual, I guess. Blue Moon Belgian.”
KT Tunstall’s Black Horse and the Cherry Tree was playing on the jukebox. Jaime always liked the song but never could figure out what it was about.
Billy brought her beer and Jaime tried to give him her credit card.
“Nah, I got it,” Billy smiled, but wouldn’t meet her gaze.
“Really?” Jaime sipped her beer. “Thanks, Billy, but what’s the occasion?”
“You didn’t deserve what she done. Someone like you, that should never happen to.”
“She who? What are you talking about?” Jaime’s throat felt tight and dry.
“Carmen and that…” Billy’s voice trailed off and he turned pale.
“C’mon, Billy,” Jaime’s voice trembled. “Carmen and who? What’s going on?”
“Uh, I thought you knew, I mean, everybody ‘y’know, everyb—”
“Everybody what?“
Billy sighed. “I’m really sorry Jaime. From now on, I’m keepin’ my trap shut!”
“Open it one last time an’ tell me. Please!”
“Okay, okay,” Billy sighed. “Carmen and that Emily, or Emma, whatever her name is. They’re an item now.” Billy rolled his eyes. “In fact they just left here about a half hour ago.”
Jaime sank back in her seat. “What? How?” She mumbled as the flood of tears Billy look like he was under water.
“I’m sorry, Jaime. Really sorry…”
Jaime nodded.
“You want another one?” He motioned toward her empty glass.
Yeah, sure” Jaime sniffled and put her coat back on. “I gotta run out to my car for a minute. Be right back.”
A few minutes later Jaime returned with box containing the carnival glass vase.
“Here,” she gently placed the box on the bar and scooted it toward Billy. “Give this to your girlfriend, or mom, or someone. I was gonna smash it but she’s not worth it; she’s not even worth a dime.”
Ergo, the Ogre 