one-word prompt

Fandango’s Flashback Friday — May 28th

Fandango23 Comments

Wouldn’t you like to expose your newer readers to some of your earlier posts that they might never have seen? Or remind your long term followers of posts that they might not remember? Each Friday I will publish a post I wrote on this exact date in a previous year.

How about you? Why don’t you reach back into your own archives and highlight a post that you wrote on this very date in a previous year? You can repost your Friday Flashback post on your blog and pingback to this post. Or you can just write a comment below with a link to the post you selected.

If you’ve been blogging for less than a year, go ahead and choose a post that you previously published on this day (the 28th) of any month within the past year and link to that post in a comment.

This was originally posted on May 28, 2018.

Happy Retirement

045FA379-DC72-4DA9-9849-39362A100E05

The retirement ceremony was brief. “In a appreciation of his forty years with Klemperer and Sons, I am pleased to give this engraved silver pocket watch to our retiring head of accounting, Harry Rhodes,” the eldest Klemperer son said.

The two dozen or so employees who were gathered in the large meeting room gave Harry a round of applause. One of them started a “speech! speech!” chant and a few others joined in, prompting Harry to stand up and say a few words.

“I don’t know what to say, and as most of you know, I’m usually not speechless,” Harry said, his quip generating a smattering of chuckles. He looked at the pocket watch George Klemperer has presented to him. “Just what a retiree needs, right? A watch. So that I’ll always know what time it is when what time it is doesn’t really matter all that much anymore.”

Harry took note of the awkward silence. “After forty years with the firm, all working in the accounting department, I’m finally hanging up my visor, pocket protector, and armband and retiring. It’s a good thing I figured out early in my career how to embezzle millions of dollars off the books just for this occasion.”

Again, an awkward silence. “I’m just joking,” Harry said. Then holding up his pocket watch, “I guess I’d better, um, watch what I say, eh?” This time his comment drew laughter and a round of applause.

Harry spent a few more minutes shaking hands and bidding his former coworkers farewell.

As he was leaving the office for the last time, Harry went over to his personal assistant of the past ten years. He winked at her, leaned over, and whispered in her ear, “I wasn’t joking.” Then he placed the pocket watch in her hand and said, “give this to your husband,” and kissed her on the cheek and told her goodbye.

Written for today’s one word prompt, “ceremony.”

Fandango’s Flashback Friday — May 21st

Fandango21 Comments

Wouldn’t you like to expose your newer readers to some of your earlier posts that they might never have seen? Or remind your long term followers of posts that they might not remember? Each Friday I will publish a post I wrote on this exact date in a previous year.

How about you? Why don’t you reach back into your own archives and highlight a post that you wrote on this very date in a previous year? You can repost your Friday Flashback post on your blog and pingback to this post. Or you can just write a comment below with a link to the post you selected.

If you’ve been blogging for less than a year, go ahead and choose a post that you previously published on this day (the 21st) of any month within the past year and link to that post in a comment.

This was originally posted on May 21, 2018.

Let It Bleed — Nothing Ventured

“I don’t know,” Jon said to Angela, his older sister. “I feel really awkward.”

“You can do it,” she whispered. “I heard her talking to Sarah and she told her that she thinks you’re cute.”

“But she’s never even said hello to me,” Jon countered. “I don’t think she even knows that I exist.”

A look of frustration crossed Angela’s face. “Don’t be such a wuss,” she said. “She’s right over there on the bench sitting all by herself. Go talk to her, ask her out. What’s the worst that could happen, Jon?”

“She’d turn me down flat and I’d be devastated,” Jon said. “And then she’d tell all of her friends and soon I’d be the laughing stock of the school.”

“That could happen,” Angela admitted. “But think of the risk-reward ratio. Take a risk and ask her on a date. If she says yes, think how rewarding that would be.”

“But I’m also risking being rejected when she says no,” Jon said.

Trying to encourage her brother, Angela said, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”

“I choose nothing ventured,” he said.

Angela was pissed at her brother about his lack of self-confidence. She walked over to the bench where Sally was sitting and started talking with her. The two girls looked over to where Jon was standing. Angela signaled for Jon to join them but he couldn’t. He just stood there, frozen.

He saw Sally stand up and walk towards him. He felt his stomach tie up into knots. “Hi Jon,” Sally said when she reached him. She stuck out her hand for him to shake. “Angela says that you would like to ask me for a date but you’re afraid I’ll say no.”

Jon hemmed and hawed for a second before finally finding his voice. “Well,” he said, “I’m sure you’ve got lots of guys wanting to go out with you.”

“You’re right, I do,” she said, smiling brightly. “But you’re smart and kinda cute and way too shy. So since you seem reluctant to ask me out on a date, I hope you won’t find it too awkward if I ask you to go out with me.”

“Not at all awkward,” Jon said. “I’m glad you asked.”

“You know what they say, Jon,” Sally said, grabbing both of Jon’s hands. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”

This is a twofer, written for today’s one-word prompt, “awkward,” and the this week’s Let It Bleed prompt, where the phrase, “‘You can do it,’ she whispered,” appears in the post.

Fandango’s Flashback Friday — May 7th

Fandango20 Comments

Wouldn’t you like to expose your newer readers to some of your earlier posts that they might never have seen? Or remind your long term followers of posts that they might not remember? Each Friday I will publish a post I wrote on this exact date in a previous year.

How about you? Why don’t you reach back into your own archives and highlight a post that you wrote on this very date in a previous year? You can repost your Friday Flashback post on your blog and pingback to this post. Or you can just write a comment below with a link to the post you selected.

If you’ve been blogging for less than a year, go ahead and choose a post that you previously published on this day (the 7th) of any month within the past year and link to that post in a comment.

This was originally posted on May 7, 2018.

If You Got It…

“You couldn’t be more ostentatious,” she said to me. “Look at you with your expensive sports car, your huge house with a swimming pool, and your thousand dollar suits. Who are you trying to impress?”

“Hey, baby,” I responded. “What can I say? When you got it, flaunt it. Am I right?”

“Are you right?” she responded. “Well, yes, if you’re trying to compensate for some shortcomings elsewhere.”

“I’m good in that department, too, baby. I wear a size 11 shoe and I’ve got the hands of a basketball player,” I said, holding up my two enormous hands.

“Oh, you thought that was what I was talking about? Think again, honey,” she said.

“If not that, what are you talking about?” I asked.

“I’m talking about your pea-sized brain,” she said.

“Are you kidding?” I responded. “Look at all I’ve got, lady. You think I would have a 25-room mansion, a gold Lamborghini, and expensive suits if I wasn’t smart. I’m really smart. I’m, like, the smartest person around.”

“Come on,” she said. “You inherited it all from your daddy.”

“Not true,” I said. “He just gave me a small loan to get me started.”

“A small loan? How small of a loan was it?”

“Just a million dollars,” I said. “Chump change.”

“As I said, you’re obnoxious, showy, and ostentatious. You need to be taught a lesson.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked. “What kind of lesson?”

“Hand me that Forbes magazine over there, Donald,” she said. “Yes, the one with you on the cover. Now drop your pants. Stormy’s gonna teach you a thing or two.”

Written for today’s one-word prompt, “flaunt.” And yes, this is supposed to be fiction.

Fandango’s Flashback Friday — April 23

Fandango12 Comments

Wouldn’t you like to expose your newer readers to some of your earlier posts that they might never have seen? Or remind your long term followers of posts that they might not remember? Each Friday I will publish a post I wrote on this exact date in a previous year.

How about you? Why don’t you reach back into your own archives and highlight a post that you wrote on this very date in a previous year? You can repost your Friday Flashback post on your blog and pingback to this post. Or you can just write a comment below with a link to the post you selected.

If you’ve been blogging for less than a year, go ahead and choose a post that you previously published on this day (the 23rd) of any month within the past year and link to that post in a comment.

This was originally posted on April 23,2018.

A Vague Feeling

They met in high school and since then he had devoted his life to her. She was his everything. She was what gave his life meaning and a sense of purpose.

He took her complaints about intestinal pains seriously and wanted her to make an appointment with her doctor as soon as they began to increase in both frequency and intensity. There were times when it was so bad that she would double over in pain, tears streaming down her cheeks.

He demanded that she see her doctor, but she was both stubborn and stoic. She didn’t want to be poked and prodded and tested and told that there might be a serious problem. So she refused.

Until she couldn’t refuse.

But by then he had this somewhat vague, yet foreboding feeling that it was already too late.

Another twofer. Written for this week’s one-word prompt, “vague,” and for this week’s Let It Bleed Weekly Challenge prompt from Randomness Inked, where we’re suppose to write something containing the words, “it was already too late.”

Fandango’s Flashback Friday — April 16

Fandango20 Comments

Wouldn’t you like to expose your newer readers to some of your earlier posts that they might never have seen? Or remind your long term followers of posts that they might not remember? Each Friday I will publish a post I wrote on this exact date in a previous year.

How about you? Why don’t you reach back into your own archives and highlight a post that you wrote on this very date in a previous year? You can repost your Friday Flashback post on your blog and pingback to this post. Or you can just write a comment below with a link to the post you selected.

If you’ve been blogging for less than a year, go ahead and choose a post that you previously published on this day (the 16th) of any month within the past year and link to that post in a comment.

This was originally posted on April 16, 2018.

Pep Talk

John knocked on his boss’s door. “Excuse me, Al. Do you have a minute?”

“Sure,” Al responded. “Come on in and have a seat.”

John sat down in a chair across the desk from Al. “I’ll get right to the point, he said. “In my written review you wrote that I need to crank it to eleven. What did you mean by that?”

“John,” Al said. “It means that it’s time for you to turn up the volume.”

John looked confused. “Turn up the volume, sir?”

“You know what I mean, John,” Al responded. “It’s time to put the pedal to the metal.”

“The pedal to the metal?”

“John, you know what I’m saying,” Al said. “You need to give it 110 percent.”

“Are you suggesting I’m not doing all I can for this job?” John asked.

“I’m just saying that it’s better to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission, John,” Al said. “It’s time for you to shoot for the moon, to sing like no one is listening.”

“I see,” said John.

“Good,” said Al, “because you know that you miss 100 percent of the shots that you don’t take. Son, you need to make hay while the sun shines. When opportunity knocks you need to answer the door.”

“Yes, I see what you’re getting at,” John said, trying hard not to roll his eyes.

“Good,” said Al. “Now go out there and make it rain, my boy.”

John went back to his cubicle and started drafting his resignation letter.

Written for today’s one-word prompt, “crank.”