E.A Rumfield
10-23-2012, 11:29 PM
“I have something I need to get off my chest.” she said walking meaningfully toward him, her watery mouth arranged in a pout he was all too familiar with.
“What is it?” he responded with a practiced neutrality.
“This shirt.”
“Oh yeah? Take it off all slow and ****, you know, like they do in the movies.”
“Okay. I always wanted to be in films. Ever since I was a little girl,' she paused and looked thoughtfully at him 'but my father used to tell me I wasn't pretty enough”
“Your father was right, but you do have a great body.”
“What a ****ing *******. “ And see was gone. As the door slammed he thought how their relationship always dissolved so easily. With the simplest provocation. Maybe you are an ******* he thought, but why should I start lying to her now? But couldn't he just let her alone. Hadn't he always wanted to be a musician. That dream never panned out. True, he was better than most. Exceptional even. But he could not deal with people and could never find his place in a band. Only work he received was as a session musician a “job” he despised. Anyway there is nothing in life that can't be solved by a bottle of scotch. It isn't always the cure for unhappiness but often times it will make you not really care. He sipped directly from the bottle placing it softly down on the table and examining the room. A bra slung across the chair, a pair of slippers, a make up bag, a single hair pin on the table, the scent of her perfume hanging in the air. She always wore to much perfume but she is a great girl. Not really classy but natural. Honest and somehow she loves me. Through all my bull**** and indecency she always returns to me.
At times like these the night grew thick across his shoulders and he knew he could stand the four walls no longer. He threw his coat on and slunk out into a calm late autumn night. No real destination in mind, just to take his mind off waiting for her return. She could be with another man he thought but likely she is also walking around or visiting a friend. Not two blocks from his front steps he ran into Jack.
“Hows it going Tom?”
“Hanging in there. You know how it goes man, just had a fight with my old lady. It was real funny actually.”
“How exactly was it funny?”
“Well she was telling me how her father used to tell her that she wasn't pretty enough to be an actress. I told her he was right but I was kind of joking.”
“How were you kinda joking.”
“Well she's not pretty enough she knows it but I was joking its just my sense of humor.”
“Does she usually put up with your humor?”
“Yea she usually tolerates it at least.”
“And at worst?”
“She hates me.”
“I know how it goes. Been doing any work recently?”
“I've been doing a lot of session work, keyboard synthesizer bull **** but I've been in contact with this band. They need a guitarist. Its right up my alley and they're looking to tour.”
“What kind of sound they got?”
“They got a kind of Yes sound. Real good vocals. I really want to make this work. I swear if I have to DJ one more time to pay the rent I might kill myself.”
“I hope it works out. I always thought you were real talented. Were set to record our EP. Maybe you could drop a guest solo.”
Jack was a musician as well but Tom didn't think much of him. He was capable but lacked the soul required to truly create music though Jack was making a small name for himself.
“Want to grab a drink?” asked Jack.
“Sure, why not.”
“Hey are you voting this year?”
“Voting to me is something like asking me to choose between Coke or Pepsi, I'll tell you I don't drink soda you dig.”
“Yea, yea that's some real next level **** but you gotta choose or you got no say. I'm voting for Obama see what he can do with another shot.”
“**** them both. They're all the same. I'm my own king I don't vote for them. That is the important difference between us Jack. You so easily conform to make your life easier.”
“You can beat your head into a brick wall all you want but don't ask me to join.”
“See that is an attitude too often adopted. It's like the whole world stinks so nobody wants to shower. You say I'm banging my head against a brick wall but maybe if we all joined in we could knock it down. But that's a plea I found long ago doesn't work. You can keep this world and the reality TV shows and the football just let me have mine even if it is extinct.”
“You're such a ****ing idealist. Life is never going to be the perfect world you imagine, sooner you learn that the better.”
“**** that, we can do better than this. If you don't think so that is your problem not mine.”
“What is it?” he responded with a practiced neutrality.
“This shirt.”
“Oh yeah? Take it off all slow and ****, you know, like they do in the movies.”
“Okay. I always wanted to be in films. Ever since I was a little girl,' she paused and looked thoughtfully at him 'but my father used to tell me I wasn't pretty enough”
“Your father was right, but you do have a great body.”
“What a ****ing *******. “ And see was gone. As the door slammed he thought how their relationship always dissolved so easily. With the simplest provocation. Maybe you are an ******* he thought, but why should I start lying to her now? But couldn't he just let her alone. Hadn't he always wanted to be a musician. That dream never panned out. True, he was better than most. Exceptional even. But he could not deal with people and could never find his place in a band. Only work he received was as a session musician a “job” he despised. Anyway there is nothing in life that can't be solved by a bottle of scotch. It isn't always the cure for unhappiness but often times it will make you not really care. He sipped directly from the bottle placing it softly down on the table and examining the room. A bra slung across the chair, a pair of slippers, a make up bag, a single hair pin on the table, the scent of her perfume hanging in the air. She always wore to much perfume but she is a great girl. Not really classy but natural. Honest and somehow she loves me. Through all my bull**** and indecency she always returns to me.
At times like these the night grew thick across his shoulders and he knew he could stand the four walls no longer. He threw his coat on and slunk out into a calm late autumn night. No real destination in mind, just to take his mind off waiting for her return. She could be with another man he thought but likely she is also walking around or visiting a friend. Not two blocks from his front steps he ran into Jack.
“Hows it going Tom?”
“Hanging in there. You know how it goes man, just had a fight with my old lady. It was real funny actually.”
“How exactly was it funny?”
“Well she was telling me how her father used to tell her that she wasn't pretty enough to be an actress. I told her he was right but I was kind of joking.”
“How were you kinda joking.”
“Well she's not pretty enough she knows it but I was joking its just my sense of humor.”
“Does she usually put up with your humor?”
“Yea she usually tolerates it at least.”
“And at worst?”
“She hates me.”
“I know how it goes. Been doing any work recently?”
“I've been doing a lot of session work, keyboard synthesizer bull **** but I've been in contact with this band. They need a guitarist. Its right up my alley and they're looking to tour.”
“What kind of sound they got?”
“They got a kind of Yes sound. Real good vocals. I really want to make this work. I swear if I have to DJ one more time to pay the rent I might kill myself.”
“I hope it works out. I always thought you were real talented. Were set to record our EP. Maybe you could drop a guest solo.”
Jack was a musician as well but Tom didn't think much of him. He was capable but lacked the soul required to truly create music though Jack was making a small name for himself.
“Want to grab a drink?” asked Jack.
“Sure, why not.”
“Hey are you voting this year?”
“Voting to me is something like asking me to choose between Coke or Pepsi, I'll tell you I don't drink soda you dig.”
“Yea, yea that's some real next level **** but you gotta choose or you got no say. I'm voting for Obama see what he can do with another shot.”
“**** them both. They're all the same. I'm my own king I don't vote for them. That is the important difference between us Jack. You so easily conform to make your life easier.”
“You can beat your head into a brick wall all you want but don't ask me to join.”
“See that is an attitude too often adopted. It's like the whole world stinks so nobody wants to shower. You say I'm banging my head against a brick wall but maybe if we all joined in we could knock it down. But that's a plea I found long ago doesn't work. You can keep this world and the reality TV shows and the football just let me have mine even if it is extinct.”
“You're such a ****ing idealist. Life is never going to be the perfect world you imagine, sooner you learn that the better.”
“**** that, we can do better than this. If you don't think so that is your problem not mine.”