Story Time

Note: I gave myself two choices for this particular installment:

1) Write a really snarky piece poking fun at stupid things that defy Common Sense.

Or

2) Tell a story.

Without further ado, let’s have a story that’s completely free written with no planning or commercial interruptions…

He stood by the railing, the dark red glow of his cigarette pointing toward the ocean waves moving below. Sally loved taking cruises and he tolerated them so long as there was an adequate supply of Dramamine available. He shook his head as he smoked quietly, one hand holding the polished wood for security as his stomach fought to contain the overpriced buffet that threatened to make a break for it. Communing with the evening dark seemed to be his only solace on this particular trip.

I should have said no, he sighed, tossing the cigarette butt overboard. Sally was always the more adventurous one, pulling him along for one adventure after another. He’d dodged bulls in Barcelona, watched whales in Dutch Harbor, and logged more hours on ships than his entire time in the Navy. Retiring from The Service was supposed to be restful, but as he approached 40, he felt that circumstances were conspiring to steal away the time he had earned. He had no real complaints regarding his wife. She was as sweet and loving as the first day they had met. She was also a powerhouse personality that unless he checked her frequently, would run over him like a bulldozer. But I didn’t and that’s where I am now.

He considered lighting up another smoke, but an insistent beep from his suit jacket dissuaded him. Sally was texting him, asking when he was coming in for the night. He answered the text with ‘soon’ and slipped the phone back into hiding.

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