WOTD

Weekend Writing Prompt — Cavalier

Fandango13 Comments

95BECA97-C33A-49E0-9BBA-A743BE435BC1“I assume you still want those earrings with the feathers I got you,” Don said.

“Please, Don, let’s not make a big deal about my birthday,” Megan said.

“I really wish,” Don said, “you wouldn’t be so cavalier about your birthday.”

“On balance, it’s no different from any other day. I just need some space to deal with getting older, that’s all,” Megan said.

(64 words)

Written for Sammi Cox’s Weekend Writing Prompt, where the word is “cavalier” and the word count must be 64 words.E16CC861-2708-43FA-A13F-1258BCB62319Also written for these daily prompts: Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (assume), Ragtag Daily Prompt (feathers), The Daily Spur (birthday), Word of the Day Challenge (wish), Your Daily Word Prompt (balance), and Jibber Jabber (space).

The Worst of Times

Fandango27 Comments

Tricks and TreacheryIn A Tale of Two Cities, an 1869 novel by Charles Dickens that was set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution, he wrote, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”

Are we, in the United States, now experiencing the worst of times, the age of foolishness, the season of darkness, and the winter of despair? It sometimes seems that way to me. I view the times we’re going through right now as treacherous times and times that may lead, possibly before this year is over, to the second American Revolution. A potentially violent revolution.

But I am a white male. My perspective may be colored by my race and heritage.

Are these times as treacherous for black Americans as they were in the days of slavery?

Are these times as treacherous for Native Americans as they were in the days of Manifest Destiny?

Are there times as treacherous for Asian Americans as they were in the days of internment camps during World War II?

Are these times as treacherous for Muslim Americans as they were in the days shortly after 9-11?

Are these the worst of times for American women?

Are these the worst of times for Hispanic Americans, for Jewish Americans, for Catholic Americans, for Italian Americans, for Irish Americans?

In the scheme of things, these are probably not the worst of times for many Americans. Because, throughout the history of this country, many have suffered gravely.

But at the same time, if you take stock of what is happening in the United States today, it’s abundantly clear that these are far from the best of times. This is not the age of wisdom. This is not the age of enlightenment.

And unless we are willing to censure the blatant political corruption that has overtaken our society, unless we are willing to embrace true equality and begin to treat everyone, regardless of race, religion, national origin, and gender, with the same dignity, kindness, and respect with which we expect to be treated, we will continue to float, like that proverbial butterfly, toward the sweetly fragrant but deadly poisonous plant that seems to be growing wild across our nation.

It’s time to do better, America.

Written for the following prompts: Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (treacherous), The Daily Spur (stock), Your Daily Word Prompt (censure), Jibber Jabber (treat), Word of the Day Challenge (butterfly), and Ragtag Daily Prompt (plant).

Failure to Communicate

Fandango4 Comments

4263CDAC-9748-4D99-B12D-6F85FDBF41AB“I need you to strive to achieve new heights, Ken,” my boss said to me. “I need you to soar.”

“You mean soar in the virtual sense, right?” I said.

My boss shook his head. “Yes, I don’t mean you need to literally soar, but I do expect you to rise to the occasion. Do you understand what I’m saying, Ken?”

I chuckled. “Yes, boss, my wife always says that when we’re having sex.”

“Oh my God, Ken,” my boss said. “You need to focus. Your job is on the line. It’s sink or swim time, my boy.”

“But sir,” I said, “I don’t know how to swim.”

My boss threw his hands up into the air. “I’ve tried, Ken, I really have,” he said. “But I can no longer make excuses for you and I won’t be culpable for your failure to perform in this role. I have to let you go.”

“Oh please sir, give me another chance,” I pleaded. “I promise I’ll be much more culpable in the future.”

“Get out of my sight!” He shouted, pointing to the door to his office.

Written for these daily prompts: Jibber Jabber (soar), Word of the Day Challenge (virtual), The Daily Spur (sink), and Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (culpable).

Dress For Success

Fandango9 Comments

“One of the reasons you’re suffering from such loneliness is because you have absolutely no taste,” Ruby said.

“What do you mean by that?” Frank asked.6145B1C0-4D01-4F0B-8E28-5DB73BEDA434“Look at yourself, Frank,” Ruby said. “You dress like an aging hippie. It’s 2020, not 1970.”

“Hey, I’ll be damned if I’m going to start dressing in a manner designed to oblige what others define as high fashion,” Frank said. “I’m fine dressing like an old hippie.”

Ruby let out a sigh, turned around and, as she walked away, quietly said, “an old hippie fool.”

Written for these daily prompts: The Daily Spur (loneliness), Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (taste), Ragtag Daily Prompt (ruby), Word of the Day Challenge (aging), Your Daily Word Prompt (oblige), and Jibber (quietly).

And the Rest is History

Fandango10 Comments

C19869DA-4C9A-4251-84C3-B9309EFD549AThe year was 2001 and the tech industry was in freefall. Carl was the first of the three to suffer a layoff. Shortly thereafter, his two best friends, Ben and Aaron, were also laid off from their jobs. Such was life in the days after the dotcom bubble burst.

But Carl and his pals were not the types to just sit around grousing about how life was so unfair. They were men of action, and soon after each of them found themselves without jobs, they decided to get together as a tripartite and to start their own business.

“We need to strike while the iron is hot,” Carl said. Under these circumstances, we can’t afford to be tardy bringing whatever we come up with to market,” he added.

“Let’s see if we can devise an idea for something that people who have been laid off, like us, really need,” Ben said.

“And, by definition, it needs to be something they can afford,” Aaron said.

“Yeah, that’s a given,” Carl said. “Anyone have any ideas?”

“How about a multifunctional gadget of some sort?” Ben asked.

“I’ve got an idea,” Aaron said. “Maybe we can create a cellphone that can access the internet, surf the web, send and receive email and text messages, has a camera, and on which you can play games.”

“That sounds fantastic, Aaron,” Carl said, “but doesn’t the BlackBerry do a lot of that?”

“The BlackBerry is basically a souped up cellphone with email and texting capabilities,” Aaron said. “No camera, no internet access for web surfing, no games. “I’m talking about developing the next level communications device.”

“Hey, I know Steve Jobs from my days at NeXT,” Ben said. “Now that he’s back at Apple, this is something he might be interested in investing in.”

“Great!” Carl said. “Can you reach out to him and set up a meeting?”

This little bit of fictional history was written for these daily prompts: Ragtag Daily Prompt (layoff), Your Daily Word Prompt (tripartite), Jibber Jabber (hot), Word of the Day Challenge (tardy), The Daily Spur (definition), and Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (gadget).