The Pastor

The pastor had it all, his own church, a mansion on the lake, a private jet, a beautiful wife, a fleet of cars, so the fall from grace was that much the harder. 

I wrote this for the Week 26 Trifextra Writing Challenge, where we are to write a 33 word opening line (incipit) to a book.

 

 

A Big Step

Two marriages over

Kids
Absent fathers
Work
Money
No time for love
He's here out of nowhere
Rough spots abound
Still...he's in love
Is this real?
Sould I believe?
A big step

I am writing this for this week's Trifextra Writing Challenge, week 25.  We are supposed to write about someone who took a giant leap in exactly 33 words.

Your comments are appreciated.

The Movie

The Movie

Michele turned on the TV when he went to the bathroom.

When Mike came back into the living room, he thought: "Is this why we came back to my condo...to watch a movie on TV? He realized this was an odd thought for him; he was always polite, to a fault.

But he was pretty sure Michele wanted him to make a move, even though this was only their second date. She'd told him some cool secrets on their way to dinner, earlier that night. He had other clues.  They had really hit it off on their first date. They talked non-stop for hours and laughed a lot, and he enjoyed every minute. He was pretty sure Michele did too. And they talked a lot on the phone during the week between their dates. 

"Yea, its ok", Mike thought, “She's just killing time and she doesn’t want to be the one to make the first move.”

So there he was, a middle-aged guy, divorced after 30 years of marriage. He had hardly dated before he got married and had been faithful to his wife. His lack of experience was debilitating.  Mike thought, "What do I do now?"

Mike sat next to her in the couch and said: "Yea, I saw this movie", hoping Michele would turn it off, but she said, "I’ve seen it too, a bunch of times, it’s really funny."   Now, he was really discouraged, and he thought, "Shit, maybe I've totally mis-read the situation." They continued to watch the movie, commenting on the funny scenes.  Finally, it ended. “Ok”, he thinks, "Now’s the time."

He touched her hair. "Your hair is beautiful, it's red, right? He wasn't really sure because her hair sometimes looked more blonde than red. “Thanks, yea, I guess it’s ambiguously red." Michele said coyly.

Mike’s mind began to drift.  Michele’s hair was not really like his ex-wife's hair, which was also red, but which veered toward the copper end of the color spectrum. But now he was thinking, "God, even though her hair is a different shade of red, everybody will think I'm trying to replace my ex-wife!"

Remembering to keep the conversation going, Mike nervously said, “I like your freckles too!” Michele laughed and said, “I didn’t think they were that noticeable.”

By the time she responded, another movie started. "Noooo", he thought, "I can't let this happen."

As Michele continued to watch the screen, Mike put his arm around her, having to awkwardly squeeze between her head and the back of the couch. She turned her head toward him.  He leaned toward her and they kissed for a long time...there was no hesitation. The movie was forgotten.

I wrote this post for the current Trifecta Writing Challenge.

Comments are welcome. 

I am writing this post for this week's Trifecta Writing Challenge which requires a 33 to 333 word composition which must include the word "fireworks", using the definition:  display of temper or intense conflict; a spectacular display. Coincidentally, sort of, my composition is exactly 333 words. 

My Life in Flames

I was in the second grade and was playing with my friend Larry after school. I was usually on my own in the afternoon as both my parents worked. Larry’s divorced mother hung around the house all the time watching the soaps, however, it was known that Larry had no supervision and that he was a troublemaker. 

That afternoon, Larry and I decided to play with matches and found an overgrown empty lot in our subdivision. It was perfect for staying undercover. As you might expect, things went out of control rapidly. A lit match hit some dry leaves and whoosh, the ground was in flames. We tried to stamp it out but the fire spread quickly. So we did what all mature second graders would do-we ran!

I ran straight home and pretended that nothing happened. By the time my parents got home, I could hear the sirens. Still, I said nothing. About an hour later, a fireman (firefighter wasn't yet a word) was at the door. He spoke to my parents for a while and then sat me down for a talk, which I knew signaled the end of my life. But the fireman was calm and explained how dangerous a fire in the neighborhood could be. Even as a second grader I knew this, but I listened respectfully, acting like this was new information.  Of course, I now cringe that I didn't tell anyone about the fire, but then, I was just trying to save myself.

After the fireman left, I expected the worst. I thought my Dad might yell: "You're not our son anymore." But he just said, "This is too serious for punishment, I hope you learned your lesson." and my Mom jumped in "...and you can't play with Larry anymore." Wow...no fireworks! I assumed that, with Larry's reputation, my parents thought he was the instigator and they went easy on me. To this day, I can't recall whose idea it was, but it could have been mine.