90. Bathroom Etiquette

When guests need the bathroom, I say it’s broken and I just called the plumber and he’s on the way.

It’s a lie.

The truth is, we haven’t cleaned the bathroom since 1997.


****
trifecta writing challenge

86. My Brother

 

“On the count of three…”

Mom said to me,
I was bursting with excitement—
My brother ran
False start again
Tripping me as he went. 

 

 

 

“Ha! You’re beat!”
said his look,
But he’s a cheat
in my book.  

 

 

 

 

 

MOV

*****

trifecta writing challenge:  the prompt is "On the count of three"  

85. I Am All Three

Mother, wife, writer.  Responsible for the playdates, the Target runs, the lunches packed in a hurry.  In charge of the marriage, the social life, the husband’s dirty socks.  And for me, I write. 

MOV
***********
trifecta writing challenge:  write about one thing that is three things (in 33 words)

84. Please Let's All Just Get Along

Every morning at the school bus-stop, neighbors battle over politics and money.  I'd rather avoid incendiary topics, especially around young children.  I tactfully change the subject to one everyone can agree on:  religion. 

 

MOV
******
trifecta writing challenge:  the rule of 3

83. Untitled

The last strains of sunlight
          lingered in the corners,
                grasping every available point
                      of refraction.

                                             She slid her fingertips
                                                   along the glass
                                                         wondering
                                                            if this was all there ever was.

                                                                               Or could be.



Paul approached her,
      began to caress her shoulders
               the way he did
                        before they married.

                                "Awfully quiet, Regina?"
                                         Question
                                               more than statement.

                                                       "I still miss him," wept Regina,

 

 

"Max was a good fish."

MOV
******
trifecta writing challenge:  finish the story

82. Running Late Again

The absence of time was not really an issue for Becky now.  The plane flew away without her on it.  She could go back to the newsstand and buy her magazine after all. 

MOV
*****
trifecta, the word is "absence" (33 words)

81. Three Little Words (Four)

Robert Frost once said, “In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.”

In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about driving:  staying awake helps. 

Art:  drawn by me

 

But:  wait!  There’s more!  (Not for the contest; they're just for fun.)

·         Proofreading:  not realy neccesary  

·         Dogs:  furry unconditional love  

·         Spontaneity:  better when planned 

·         Sports:  playing trumps watching

·         Fire:  don’t play with

·         Money:  fun to spend

·         Chocolate:  craved all day    

·         Wine:  helpful social lubricant   

·         Travel:  buy a map

·         Science:  all about catalysts

·         Children:  can teach adults

·         Computers:  back-up your files!

·         Parties:  be fashionably late

·         Virgos:  like things neat

·         Fashion:  short skirts rock

·         Exercise:  it takes effort

·         Diets:  they never work

·         School:  follow the rules

·         TV:  waste of time

·         Religion:  causes most wars

·         Investing:  pays you dividends

·         Weddings:  fun to crash 

·         Drugs:  can ruin lives

·         Cancer:  kills good people

·         Death:  sorrow never fades

·         Repetition:  sign of laziness

·         Hoarding:  buries emotional issues

·         Repetition:  sign of laziness

·         Hawaii:  tropical paradise found

·         Sleep:  kids steal it

·         Humor:  motivates my writing

MOV

***********

This was another Trifecta writing challenge.  I would love to know which one on my list YOU like best!    

80. Good-bye, My Love

She spidered her way
through the dark hall
past the sleeping baby.

She would leave now
Her husband’s heart would plummet
tomorrow.

She knew this
But she still had to. 

She is me. 

 

 

MOV

************

fiction, people!  no worries!  (plus my babies are 8 and 6 now)
trifecta writing challenge:  in 33 words, use an animal as a verb.  hopefully a spider can be considered an animal?

77. Lulu and Jack

Lulu walked down the street, looking back over her shoulder as if Jack might reappear at any moment.  “That’s silly,” she told herself, “it’s not like he’s a ghost!” 

She replayed their last conversation over in her head, like her brain was the TV screen and she merely had to flick the remote control:  rewind.  “Lulu, I want us to move in together.  You are all I think about every moment of the day, and I need to wake up next to you.” 

Every moment of the day?  Gah, I hope not, she thought.  He is a pilot, for goshsakes, he’s going to crash his plane and kill a bunch of people if he is that easily distracted. 

Lulu couldn’t tell the difference between an innocent compliment and full-blown obsession, she just knew she felt suffocated. 

Right after he said it, she broke it off.  “It’s best if we stop seeing each other for a while,” she uttered, or some such nonsense cliché.  “It’s me, not you.” 

But what might life have been like if she stayed with Jack?  Where would he have taken her (literally)?  He had good seniority with the airlines; he was always jetting off to Japan or Paris or someplace else she had only seen in movies.

She snapped back to the present moment when she tripped on an uneven spot in the sidewalk.  A woman with three dogs walked past her, mumbling something about red and blue dots and a man named Jim.  Lucky girl, she has a man that doesn’t make her feel like running away. 

Lulu glanced at her watch:  7:30 PM.  Good, no one will be here now, she thought.  She walked in the pristine lobby and approached the bank of elevators.  She pressed the button and waited.  She stepped in and rose to the 15^th floor.

The receptionist was still there.  “Lulu, welcome back.  You weren’t gone long this time.” 

Lulu grinned wide and finally exhaled.  Her office.  Her work.  Her salvation. 

Her home.       

***********
trifecta writing challenge:  the word is "home" and the story is 333 words exactly

76. The Brown Bunny

The brown bunny:

a soft pet for Josh,

a sweet companion for me when Josh died,

and dinner for Mike after another bitter fight.

(I would not have eaten it had I known.)    





*****************
trifecta writing challenge:  1 object, 3 ways, 33 words

75. The Dog Walker

I pick up the first dog, Sammy.  “With two ‘M’s,” the owner tells me.  I nod. 

Nobody is home at the next house, so I search through the keys until I find the right one.  Red key, blue key, green key.  Jim helped me put the colored dots on them.  I hear the dog barking inside.  I open the door and he lunges at me, leash already in his mouth.    

The third dog, small and fang-faced, I do not like.  He bit me once, and I worry that he’ll do it again.  I tell him he’s a good dog, but it’s a lie.    

I instinctively reach in my jacket pocket to make sure I remembered the plastic bags.  I checked before I left my apartment, but I can’t exactly remember if that was today or yesterday.  What if I forgot the bags?  That would be bad.   

I walk the dogs down the street, a tangle of wagging tails and furry legs.  They pull on their leashes, stop near some bushes, bark at a squirrel.    

We are on a shady path that winds through buildings and toward a park.  I smile at other people with dogs, and I wonder if they think all three dogs are mine.  Three dogs!  Who would own three!     

I like my job.  I like that I can think when I walk and no one will demand anything from me.  I look up at the sky and feel the fresh air on my skin.  It feels good to be outside.       

My mother told me this was the only job I was qualified for, I don’t know what she meant by that.  She said it right before she got on her flight back to Montreal.  Dana, you will always be a dog walker.  You are too stupid to do anything else. 

I think she must have meant it in a nice way.    

The second dog has to poop, so he stops at the edge of the sidewalk and squats.  I wait. 

****************

trifecta writing challenge:  the word is "flight", my word count is 333 words

73. The Flight Attendant Proposes

"Marry me, fly free," she said with a devilish grin; 

opened the door, pushed him out, 

waved to him in the wind.  

 

The parachute worked. 

 

(He was glad he'd remembered it this time.)  

*****

trifecta writing challenge:  33 words about a leap

72. The Guest

The moment he deplaned, he started pestering me about Disneyland. 

“How far?  We go now?”  The 12-hour flight hadn’t impaired his goal.      

“Marco, we’ll go tomorrow.  I thought you might want to settle in and rest.  Disneyland is a two-hour drive.  Like Firenze a Milano?” 

“That far?”  He gripped his passport tight, like it might float away.      

“How was your flight?” 

“Abbastanza bene.”  He shrugged.   

I initially interpreted the ensuing silence as jet-lag, but he was merely pouting.      

Thirty-five minutes later, we pulled into my mother’s driveway.  He clapped his hands together and inquired,

“Where are the movie stars?” 

I guffawed.  Movie stars!  Sure, Tom Cruise is my next-door neighbor.    

“Julia, are you friends with them?” His hopeful expression indicated he was serious.    

I stopped laughing abruptly.  I hadn’t meant to ridicule his childlike wonder at plastic sunshine and manufactured dreams.    

“Marco, I don’t know any movie stars,” I offered gently.  I considered adding But maybe we’ll see some tomorrow.  I suddenly wished I had a “Map to the Stars’ Homes” in my glove compartment to give to him.

“How do you know him again?” my mother had asked me after I had informed her of his trip dates.  “You never mentioned him before.”    

“Mom, I told you:  I met him in Napoli.  He’s a friend of Silvia’s.”

Europeans took things so literally:  Yes, come stay with us, any time!  An invitation like this in Italy was akin to an offer to move in with someone.  For Americans, it meant Nice to meet you, I am only being polite, please never call me.    

Disneyland didn’t make Marco happy.  He was convinced the ticket girl overcharged him because he was a foreigner.  He accused people of cutting in front of him in line.  His anger came in unexpected pricks, like mosquito bites. 

As the sky turned inky and we walked to the parking lot, I fantasized about putting him back on a plane.  He surprised me: 

“And now you drive me to New York?”   

***********

trifecta writing challenge:  333 words about a house-guest

71. Prognosis

I spotted her lanky frame from the end of the sterile hall.  She gave a limp wave in my direction.       

“How is she?”

                  

“Well, she’s asleep.  She’s on a lot of painkillers.” 

“I got here as fast as I could,” I offered lamely.   

“I know you did.  I’m not blaming you.  Oh, there’s her doctor.  Dr. Jarvis?  Excuse me?  This is my sister, Emily.” 

“Nice to meet you.  Sorry it’s under these circumstances.  Why don’t we take a walk?” 

Lindsey picked her tote bag up off the floor.  I noticed it was full of baby toys. 

“Linds, where’s Tyler?  I forgot to ask!” 

“He’s with Steve.  I left him with my next-door neighbor until Steve could get home from work.  He just texted me that he picked him up.” 

“Oh, good.”  I suddenly felt like I was in the way:  interrupting everything and not helping. 

The doctor cleared his throat.  “So, Emma, here’s the thing with your mom—”

“Emily,” I corrected, trying to keep my voice light.   

“Yes, okay.  Emily.  The cancer has spread.  It’s much worse than six months ago, it’s in several locations in her lungs.  It’s making it so she can’t breathe.” 

I listened intently to his words, searching for the content, but my mind painted pictures of the locations—miniature beach villas dotting the horizon.  The cancer went inside the villas, turned on the TV, poured glasses of wine, and sat down on the alveoli.  They had no intention of leaving. 

I noticed Lindsey was crying.  She had cried on the phone.  Maybe having children does that to you—makes you more in touch with your emotions. 

“Your mother’s time is limited.  Let me be perfectly clear:  you should not leave the hospital.” 

Lindsey let out an eerie wail, then dropped her bag.  “How much time?  Tell me!”

“A day, two ... three at the very most.” 

“The world will end in three days.”  It was my mother who said these words, standing behind us, clutching at the wall. 

***************

trifecta writing challenge:  333 words, the prompt is "The world will end in three days."

70. anatomy of a crush

her touch felt new,
her words seemed true,

the intensity with which they loved
made him feel like he’d been drugged 

but in the end, he went berserk
their relationship:  just emotional fireworks  


********************
trifecta writing challenge:  33 words about fireworks

68. Blue

I come here when I’m depressed.  The clouds dip down, caressing the sea.  I linger, soothed by the architecture of God.  When I finally leave, I’m lighter—not rosy, but no longer blue. 

MOV

****
trifecta writing challenge:  the word is "blue," the story is 33 words. 

66. House Story

We have owned three houses. 

The first was the house of high expectations and a low budget.  The bathroom mocked us with its 1970’s tile and fixtures.  The front door was so close to the street that random strangers routinely knocked asking for directions to the halfway house.  Oh, did we not mention the house was a block away from the local drug rehab center? 

But the stove!  The stove sang to us, the stove made up ballads about mushroom stuffed chicken and baked brie and macadamia nut cookies.  The vintage O’Keefe & Merritt stove promised us we’d morph into Martha Stewart clones immediately if not sooner.    

photo by MOV

Then Tim accepted a cross-country job transfer. 

The second house was tall and imposing, like my father-in-law who now lived a mere 30 minutes away.  The house was a regal and stately brick Colonial that practically demanded we salute upon exiting the car. 

photo by MOV

The outdated kitchen laughed at our feeble attempts to replicate the culinary masterpieces of the previous house.  “Who are you kidding?” asked House.  “You have a baby now and another on the way.  Buy some more Cheerios and call it a day.” 

We moved to the last house when the boys neared elementary age.  We had heard of one particular school district with stellar reviews, and that is where we wanted our precious sons to go.  The new area of town required money, however, and lots of it. 

We moved into a tiny tear-down, a tear-down we could not afford to tear down.  The house hugged us and said, “Even though I have mold, bad plumbing, and no air conditioning, I know you will love me.”  Then this house raped our bank account. 

But this house gave us a yard, a yard with room for a garden, now overflowing with cucumbers, radishes, and watermelons.  Our sons run wild in the backyard, while we watch them from the window while washing dishes by hand.  We lack a dishwasher, but we have an extraordinary life. 

photo by MOV

MOV

**********

Another trifecta writing challenge:  My story of 3 in 333 words (and 3 pictures!)