[Write the Story] A Lifelong Bachelor Visiting Married Friends
Prompt: A Lifelong Bachelor Visiting Married Friends
Words:
Tick tock, factory, zoology, arrest, broadcast, comb, divorce, flap, harness, gaze
Story
Todd glanced at his watch. The mechanical tick tock of the second hand, usually soothing, seemed to broadcast his reluctance to leave his truck and go knock on the door. He delayed further by doing a quick comb of his hair, but then had to go. With a snap, he was free of the driving harness and heading to the porch.
He could hear the kids through the walls as he pushed the bell. He felt a little like he was about to walk into a zoology experiment as the door opened. He plastered on a smile and held the bottle of wind out like a shield.
“Hey! You’re here, come on in. Dinner’s about ready.†George wund the door wide.
“What’re we having? Smells great.â€
“Tamales! Got the kids going like a whole factory line. It was glorious.â€
Todd followed George into the kitchen, trying to ignore the chaos around him. Kids screamed and ran, a dog bolted through the door flap. Carmen, George’s wife, seemed on her last nerve.
“You’re here,†she said. “Already.â€
Todd was about to answer when she arrested him and George with her gaze. “Make any kind of comment and I will divorce and give you custody of the kids.â€
Glorious wasn’t Todd’s word for it. What had he gotten himself into?
Word Count: 218
Written: 2/12/2020
2 Comments
[…] Another prompt from Rhonda Eudaly’s website. […]
Heh. That’s the kind of situation I avoid when I can.
The whole prompt reminded me of a passage from John D. MacDonald’s Travis McGee books, about him wanting fine strong sons but what he wanted were adult sons, not the diapers and PTA and braces and such. I can sort of see Todd thinking the same thing in this bit. I could feel the chaos through the computer screen.