Wednesday 30 April 2014

Dilimmas Part 2

Part 1 here

Wow
There's something special about middle of the day sex; enjoying the touch of a woman while the rest of the world goes about its daily business adds a touch of magic to proceedings. While phone calls are made and taken, meetings held, shopping done, I was carefully teasing and caressing 
tenderly nuzzling, and playfully kissing soft skin. We were meant to be making babies but it felt like we were making love. Over time I was becoming a master of her body, using hands, lips and tongue as tools of discovery. She’d laid with her head on my chest, letting her breathing settle but now my lover was quietly getting dressed while I lay contemplating life and listening to the world outside. 
I'd said no to Toni, it just felt wrong, too wrong for too many reasons, Marc was my mate and it wasn't like I was their last resort ...and how would I feel seeing their baby wondering if it was mine. But with Leah it was different. I didn't really know Rob from Adam, I never saw them socially so wouldn't even know the child, and Leah was desperate - I could help provide a solution to the trickiest of problems, I'd be doing a good turn. And I dunno, I suppose every man wants to sire a child, this way I'd have the boost to the ego without the responsibility. 
So I'd said yes. And I had no regrets. To be honest I thought it would be clinical, just a case of doing the business. But Leah had different ideas she wanted the baby to come from something special, not something perfunctorily. So she insisted that this would be fun, enjoyable, passionate. who was I to complain?
And that’s how, 6 years later than planned, I'd finally got Leah into bed. I'd got my chance to explore her body and it was every bit as good as I'd imagined. I heard her zip up her boots and opened my eyes, smiling. She smiled back, blew me a kiss and went back to her life, while I stayed in bed listening to the murmurs of the street and breathing in the smell of her perfume she'd left on my pillow. I was already looking forward to the next time, just as after the last time I had been looking forward to this one, but I dindt know then that there would be no next time.
A day before our next liaison I got a text saying she wanted to meet in a cafe rather than in my bed, I guessed it was her ‘time’ but was pleased she still wanted to see me, did she have the same feeling as me that this was becoming more than just a business transaction?
But as soon as I saw her I knew it wasn’t a period that was stopping her from sleeping with me, I could tell she'd achieved her aim.
‘I'm pregnant’ she said with a smile so wide it had its own postcode. ‘Thank you so much, you don't know how happy you've made me and Rob.’
I smiled, I was genuinely pleased for her.
‘We could go back to mine to celebrate,’ I said cheekily and I genuinely thought she would agree. But her face changed, the smile disappeared.
‘No Joseph there's no need, I'm pregnant.’ She repeated somehow sternly yet still beaming.
‘But... What about us?’ I heard me say the words, though I was embarrassed to be saying them.
‘Joseph there is no us, this was about me and Rob remember.’
‘But the sex, the kisses, the ...’
‘I'm sorry if you thought it was more. I told you what I wanted.’

I chided myself, and smiled. ‘Of course, Sorry Leah, Congratulations. I’m happy for you.
She stood up and left, not looking back, walking away happy as Larry but leaving me with a small fissure in my heart.

Tuesday 29 April 2014

2.37pm



2.37pm, Cariad lay staring at the ceiling wondering if to close the window; it was that age old dilemma, if she shut the window she would roast like a slow cooked joint basted in her own sweat. But, with the window open, the lightest breeze brought with it not only some blessed relief from the heat but also the noise of a town quite reasonably going about its business, unintentionally keeping her wide awake on this boiling, August afternoon. The heavy curtains she'd invested in could keep out the light but they couldn't drown out the noise. She wondered if that was a Dragon’s Den idea she could invent to make her fortune. Cariad closed her eyes trying to summon sleep again, but her minds eye played pictures to accompany the noises; the kids swarming like ants over the playground attractions while mothers kept half an eye on their loved ones and swapped recipes, remedies and rumour. A car engine chugged the driver waiting for a passenger, letting the engine tick over. Another car jumped to life with a brisk brmm. Dogs sniffing each other and exchanging barks while old ladies talked about last night's soaps, their words falling on deaf ears. 
Cariad sighed, her body wasn’t used to nights yet and so she felt like she had jet lag; wide-awake when she should have been fast asleep.  She knew in the kitchen there was the solution; strong sleeping pills that she knew from experience would knock her out in a second, she’d be dead to the world nothing would rouse her. But she also knew from experience that those pills made her dopey all night when she was meant to be awake. Another dilemma! But she had to sleep so she’d take the pills. She threw the duvet off her, wrapped a dressing gown around her naked body and headed into the kitchen.
A screech of brakes, a yelled warning, a scream of pain, a cry of despair, a sob of anguish, the gentle afternoon sounds had turned to terror. Cariad didn’t even look out of her window, she dropped the pill, put down the glass of water and bolted out of the door and in to the street. There was a child laying next to a car, a ball lay in the kerb, a driver stood aimlessly while a mother wailed. Cariad fell to the floor, ‘I’m a doctor’ she yelled before checking the child was alive and then looking around for help.
‘You’ she yelled at a startled onlooker. ‘Here! now!’
The woman did as she was told.
‘Lie there. Hold the head and neck. Keep her still. Try not to move a muscle, yours or hers.’
The onlooker obliged, laying on the tarmac and holding the girls head. ‘And talk to her, keep her conscious.’
The tarmac was warm on Cariad’s skin. She was naked beneath the gown and blushed slightly as she realised she might be revealing more than just her medical skills to the onlookers. No time for that. She worked on the child; gently but surely her expert hands making sure the child would survive until the paramedics arrived. To be honest she’d done all she could, stability was the most important thing, but Cariad knew that the mother would feel better if the doctor looked busy. She could hear the wailing of the mother and the wailing sirens. Help was at hand!

Cariad briefed the medics and then let them take over, she checked the driver was okay, and then slipped away, heading back inside, thanking a god she didn’t believe in that she hadn’t taken those pills. She flopped onto the bed and as  a reward for her work she fell into deeply delicious sleep.

Monday 28 April 2014

Gin no Tonic



Alex picked up the empty bottle of tonic and turned it upside down just to  check it really was empty. It was! He now had a choice, he could either drink his gin neat with just a slice of lime or he could go to the shop and get a new bottle of tonic. No one drinks gin neat do they? Gin has to be accompanied by tonic or it just isn’t worth it. A third option crossed his mind, he could not drink anything at all this evening but that was even more unpalatable than drinking undiluted gin.
So his mind was made up, the shop it was. He looked around for his old jeans, sniffed them to see if they were roadworthy, decided they’d do and pulled them on. He wearily tied his bootlaces and then headed out of the flat for the first time in 3 days. The early evening sun was still bright enough to have him blinking and warm enough to bring out small beads of perspiration on his brow as he trudged up the hill to the small corner shop.
The bells of the shop tinkled at Alex entered, and he held the door open for a young woman behind him. He headed left, directly towards the soft drinks, she went right. To Alex’s horror he saw there was only one bottle of tonic on the shelf. He quickened his pace and reached out for it but instead of feeling cold plastic he felt warm skin. As their hands touched a vaguely remembered shiver went up his spine and when she smiled at him the shiver made its way back down again. But shivers were meaningless, the woman had got there first and now she was in possession of the last bottle of tonic in the shop. 
‘Do you have any more tonic?’ He asked from the back of the shop, hearing the desperation in his voice.
‘No,’ said the shopkeeper. ‘for some reason they didn’t deliver any.’
Alex’s shoulders drooped, what was he going to do? He thrust his empty hands into his pockets and left the shop, leaving the woman to pay for the bottle of tonic that by rights should have been his.
Outside in the sunshine Alex looked around, wondering where the nearest shop was. He didn’t want to walk but he didn’t want to go home empty handed either. He took a step to the left, then a step to the right, trying to decide which way to go on his search for the holy grail. Then he heard a tinkle of bells and  a voice.
‘Want to share it?’
He looked around to see the owner of the tonic standing next to him smiling.
‘Want to share it?’ she repeated. ‘I live over there, have a full bottle of gin, a big bag of ice and three limes.’
Alex looked around for the hidden camera, there wasn’t one. He looked at the woman to see if she was kidding, she didn’t seem to be.
‘So?’ she asked, taking a step away towards her flat. Alex looked at her smile and remembered those shivers but more importantly he remembered his need for a gin and tonic.
‘Okay then.’ he said.

Come on then.’ she replied, taking his arm with a flash of that smile and leading him across the road.

Sunday 27 April 2014

Character Poll - The Results

So the results are in and have been collated and as Vinny and Steve are joint top here is a link to a very special archive story. 


The Results 
Vinny  4
Rosa  1
Belina 1
Archer 2
Steve 4
TWWTF  2
Johnny 1
Mal 1
Bryn 1

Friday 25 April 2014

Roman Nose*


Damn the archive story went to the top again. 
Bloody annoying this but nothing I can do. Todays story is here SFAIC
Star denotes out of place archive story. 

‘I was only joking’ I implored her, ‘honestly.’
The look on her face suggested that she wanted to smash every tooth in my head; she was not a happy bunny and I was in the doghouse.
My crime was my sense of humour and my deadpan delivery. She'd asked me for one adjective to describe her nose, surreal I know but still that was the way her brain worked and that was why I loved her. I could have chosen pretty, I could have chosen cute but no, I chose Roman, a Roman nose.
As soon as I said it, I realised I was in trouble, I watched as the flames rose inside her. I thought the joke was so obvious she would laugh, her nose was the least Roman I'd ever seen. But I was learning quickly you didn't joke about these things. 
The best of OMD was playing on the stereo and as Andy McClusky started singing about Joan of Arc I thought that I might know how she felt.
‘Sweetness,’ I pleaded ‘sweetness, it was a joke, your nose is the cutest, prettiest, loveliest nose I’ve ever seen.’
I stroked her nose with the back of my curled index finger, she recoiled, pushing my hand away and looking at me like I had no right to take my place in the human race. But I persisted, I wasn’t gonna let my bigmouth strike again and ruin what had been a lovely evening. I smiled my cheekiest smile and kissed her nose. She pulled away again but this time not so quickly and not so violently. I tried again, another kiss on that ‘roman’ nose.  Was that just the smallest hint of a smile, had she started to melt? Was tenderness replacing the steeliness in her eyes? Yes I believe it was.

So to round off the me and my big mouth week, this story was one of my song stories. Where I intertwine lyrics of a song into the story being told. And no doubt you've guessed the song. 



It’s all lies - A Steve Rant



‘You know what’ said Steve in a tone that made Johnny wince. He didn’t know what but he had the feeling he was gonna find out.  Johnny had just come back from the toilet and Steve had just been to the bar so there was no escape route.
‘What?’ said Johnny resigned to his fate.
‘I don’t believe anything any more.’
‘So what’s new? You’ve never exactly been the most religious of people have you?’ Johnny countered.
‘Not believe in, just believe.  I don’t believe anything. I think everything is fake, I don’t take anything at face value.’
‘What are you on about?’ Johnny said, bemused.
‘Well, do you remember that meme a week or so ago, about the two old women on a plane for the first time?’ Johnny nodded, he’d watched it half-heartedly on his lunch break. It was quite good but it hadn’t been as brilliant as most people were saying.
‘Did you believe it?’ Steve asked.
‘I didn’t really think about it.’ Johnny replied.
‘See, my first thought is that’s not real, that’s made up. That’s clever, but it’s just actors.’
‘But why would someone make something like that up?’
‘I don’t know but equally why would you film two old ladies on a plane? It’s not the first thing you think of is it?’ Johnny had to admit that Steve had a point.
‘And there there was that bank robber one, did you see it.’ Again Johnny nodded realising he really should get out more.
‘That was funny.’ Johnny said.
‘It was,’ agreed Steve ‘it made me CA but I didn’t believe it. Just because something is funny doesn’t mean it is true.’
‘CA?’
‘Chuckle audibly.’ Steve said making Johnny CA in the process. ‘So basically whether it is a dog riding on an elephant’s back, a kid playing in a puddle with a dog or Charlie biting my bloody finger I just think they are all photoshopped, set up or played by actors. A bit like those awful ‘you’ve been framed’ mishap videos that were all the rage a few years ago.’ Steve took a swig of beer.
‘But does it matter? It’s just fun, it doesn’t matter if you believe it.’
‘I’m not so sure,’ Steve said. ‘I think there is something sinister at work here.’
‘Like what?’ Johnny wasn’t having any of it.
‘I don’t know but all these things are presented as real, and people believe they’re real but they’re not.  I think it shows how perceptible we can be.’
‘Um I think you mean susceptible.’ Johnny corrected his friend, CAing as he did so.
‘Whatever I mean, it shows we should ask more questions... be be less accepting.’ Steve looked a little embarrassed at having used the wrong word
‘Or just relax and enjoy life,’ Johnny said smiling, ‘I don’t see they’re doing any harm.’

Steve nodded, Johnny had a point maybe he was getting hot under the collar about something he didn’t need to worry about. He took a swig of beer and decided he needed the loo.