Brian is sitting at the keyboard staring at the screen. He can hear the ticking of the clock. He can hear the dehumidifier turning on downstairs. He can hear the chickadees out on the birdfeeder. Each sound is a blessed distraction from his complete and utter writer's block and the constant curse of the computer screen which after a while goes blank. He hits the spacebar to make the screen come back alive, He has hit the spacebar 5 or 6 times in the last hour. And as of yet, he has not written a word. What made him think he could do this? He is supposed to be writing something every day. The screen goes blank again as he hears Karen’s car pull into the drive. Thank God she’s home!
Karen walks in with a smile. Brian runs up and throws his arms around her and kisses her deeply and begins running his hands through her luxurious hair, indulging in the ever-magnetic curves of her back when Karen says: “What’s all this? I mean it is very nice but aren’t you supposed to be writing?” “I don’t want to write right now”, Brian said, “I want you right now. I need you right now. Please distract me from the blank screen of tyranny.”
“I don’t know Bri, Bri” Karen smiled “You wanted to be so much more than a dirty old man. Didn’t you want to be an artist? I don’t want to be blamed for keeping the world away from your long-term word obsession.”
“Please, Karen. Please, I am begging you to keep the world away from my word obsession. All I need and want is you.”
“OK”, said Karen “I accept no responsibility for your artistic ambitions. You can go ahead and resume what you were doing. You have my full attention, now make use of it.”
Brian smiled and said “I love you, K. You are my goddess, my muse, and my salvation.” He said all this as he was unbuttoning her blouse and her pants. Karen was involved in the same undressing activity, smiling, laughing, and slapping Brian in all of his most sensitive places.
It did not take much time for them to get to the bedroom, laughing and playing on the bed. Though they had been together for almost 40 years, Karen and Brian were never bored with each other, because they had never lost their sense of play, teasing, surprise, and joy together. They knew each other’s special spots and triggers but continued to surprise and delight each other with their quirky and unique approach to loving each other. Today was no exception as they laughed, gasped and delighted in each other’s bodies and sensibilities, when right in the middle of their passionate exploration, Brian jumped up and shouted “YES! That’s it!!!” He got up and ran to the living room and sat at the keyboard and began typing furiously. Karen slammed her arm on the bed and yelled: “Oh no you don’t!” She grabbed the bedsheet, stormed into the living room, and wrapped the sheet around Brian’s neck as she said: “Listen, mister, you are going to have to learn to finish what you start, do you understand me.!”
“But I’ve finally got it,” Brian said
“Well that’s very nice Bri, but I don’t and I am not done with you, so get off that keyboard and back into bed with me this instant.” Karen whispered as she tightened the sheet around his neck.”You do understand, don’t you, Bri Bri?”
Brian interrupted his typing and smiled. “Yes, ma'am.” He said and tried to stand up. Karen kept the sheet locked around his neck and pulled him back to bed.
When they were done, happy, spent, and laughing. Karen asked, “Do you have inspiration left to write, dear one?”
Brian smiled and nodded his head. “I’ll get to it. I just want to stay here and enjoy you a little bit longer.” And that’s what he did. After Karen had fallen asleep, he got up and got his tea and let Karen’s smile flow through his fingers onto the keyboard as if there had never been any writer's block at all. Sometimes, the right kind of interruption was the only thing that worked.
— DanielSouthGate
Karen walks in with a smile. Brian runs up and throws his arms around her and kisses her deeply and begins running his hands through her luxurious hair, indulging in the ever-magnetic curves of her back when Karen says: “What’s all this? I mean it is very nice but aren’t you supposed to be writing?” “I don’t want to write right now”, Brian said, “I want you right now. I need you right now. Please distract me from the blank screen of tyranny.”
“I don’t know Bri, Bri” Karen smiled “You wanted to be so much more than a dirty old man. Didn’t you want to be an artist? I don’t want to be blamed for keeping the world away from your long-term word obsession.”
“Please, Karen. Please, I am begging you to keep the world away from my word obsession. All I need and want is you.”
“OK”, said Karen “I accept no responsibility for your artistic ambitions. You can go ahead and resume what you were doing. You have my full attention, now make use of it.”
Brian smiled and said “I love you, K. You are my goddess, my muse, and my salvation.” He said all this as he was unbuttoning her blouse and her pants. Karen was involved in the same undressing activity, smiling, laughing, and slapping Brian in all of his most sensitive places.
It did not take much time for them to get to the bedroom, laughing and playing on the bed. Though they had been together for almost 40 years, Karen and Brian were never bored with each other, because they had never lost their sense of play, teasing, surprise, and joy together. They knew each other’s special spots and triggers but continued to surprise and delight each other with their quirky and unique approach to loving each other. Today was no exception as they laughed, gasped and delighted in each other’s bodies and sensibilities, when right in the middle of their passionate exploration, Brian jumped up and shouted “YES! That’s it!!!” He got up and ran to the living room and sat at the keyboard and began typing furiously. Karen slammed her arm on the bed and yelled: “Oh no you don’t!” She grabbed the bedsheet, stormed into the living room, and wrapped the sheet around Brian’s neck as she said: “Listen, mister, you are going to have to learn to finish what you start, do you understand me.!”
“But I’ve finally got it,” Brian said
“Well that’s very nice Bri, but I don’t and I am not done with you, so get off that keyboard and back into bed with me this instant.” Karen whispered as she tightened the sheet around his neck.”You do understand, don’t you, Bri Bri?”
Brian interrupted his typing and smiled. “Yes, ma'am.” He said and tried to stand up. Karen kept the sheet locked around his neck and pulled him back to bed.
When they were done, happy, spent, and laughing. Karen asked, “Do you have inspiration left to write, dear one?”
Brian smiled and nodded his head. “I’ll get to it. I just want to stay here and enjoy you a little bit longer.” And that’s what he did. After Karen had fallen asleep, he got up and got his tea and let Karen’s smile flow through his fingers onto the keyboard as if there had never been any writer's block at all. Sometimes, the right kind of interruption was the only thing that worked.
— DanielSouthGate
This is very loving and sweet and ideal. And beautifully put together. Yet this is "flash fiction" session, Daniel, so I must tell myself it's fiction. I TOTALLY RELATE to the beginning of it, and I think I experienced something similar today. The prompt, "interruption," is almost TOO GOOD, if you know what I mean. ---Macoff
ReplyDeleteYou know, I don't think I have ever written fiction before. I have written short plays, but that is very different. I improvise stories all of the time, but that is relational. collaborative and always comes from accessing shadows of the self. I struggle with the "form" at times. I has been an interesting visit to a foreign land.
DeleteAssuming you have been paying attention, the best details are always from real life. I think you just have to rearrange them in fiction.
ReplyDeleteLove this piece. And they say write what you know... rearranged as Opelikakat says.
ReplyDelete