Wednesday Briefs: Bad Karma and the Family Plan #78 (16.2)

Good morning and Happy Hump Day! If it's Wednesday, then it must be time for more flash fiction from the Wednesday Briefers! We're a group of authors who bring you our finest flash fiction every week, 500 to 1000 words, inspired by one of our prompts.

Things have gone upside down with Vinnie and Ethan. Are they really going to have a conversation with Joey? How can that turn out? See what's going on in this week's chapter of Bad Karma and the Family Plan. Don't forget to visit the other Briefers and see what's up with them. Their links follow my tale! Enjoy!

Bad Karma and the Family Plan #78 (16.2)

Nothing was said at first, we simply sipped our sweet tea and stared out into the backyard, where the laundry floated gently on the breeze. Benny raced about the yard like a madman. He’d spotted a rabbit and, despite the fact the little fella offered him no harm, insisted on chasing it. But the bunny managed to keep well out of Benny’s grasp, to our amusement. I wasn’t worried that our boy might actually catch and harm the rabbit. I think the fun lay in the sheer physicality of the chase.

“I always wanted to have a dog,” Joey broke the silence. That surprised me. I just couldn’t imagine him being interested in another living creature that wasn’t him. Of course, he’d obviously been married, but I’d never seen him show any sign of interest in his wife. Joseph Thorn had paid her more attention than his son had.

And let’s not open that can of worms again.

“I know,” Ethan said softly. I glanced at him in surprise, but said nothing to interrupt the moment. “Sarah and I did too.”

Joey was worrying at his lower lip, his gaze fixed on the porch. He raised his head and released a long exhale. “Dad always said no. He told me I wasn’t responsible enough. What did he tell you guys?”

“The same,” Ethan said.

I couldn’t help but feel bad for both of them. Not that I’d had a pet either, but that was due to circumstances, and I’d never blamed my mother for that. I knew she would have if she could have. I scooted closer to Ethan, close enough for our thighs to touch, and twined my fingers with his.

Another moment of silence passed. Benny grew tired of the futile chase and came trotting back to us, tongue hanging out from exertion. He yipped at us before bouncing onto Ethan’s brother’s lap—to our great surprise—where he comfortably settled himself and closed his eyes.

“Must be tiring to be him,” I commented with a chuckle.

Joey seemed as startled as we were. I watched him tentatively stroke Benny’s back, and then began to repeat the process with a growing confidence. “His fur feels so nice,” he said, a note of wonder in his voice.

“We give him regular baths,” Ethan said. “Whether he likes it or not.”

We all had to laugh at that. Benny didn’t seem to mind being the object of our joke, too happy at being spoiled by someone new to care.

I felt as though whatever tension may have been in the air around us seemed to lessen. That had to be a good thing, right?

“I’m sorry about what happened, Joey,” Ethan said. “I mean, with you and Heather….”

Joey nodded, but didn’t immediately reply. He continued to stroke Benny’s soft fur. I began to think maybe he just needed something to hold onto. I could relate to that. Ethan was my something, and I didn’t even want to think about what I’d do without him. I was too used to being with him now.

“Have you thought about what you’re going to do now?” Ethan continued. “What kind of job you might want to get?”

That was assuming he wanted to get a job at all. On the other hand, even I didn’t think the reverend’s patience was unlimited enough to support a son old enough to support himself.

Ethan’s brother made no immediate reply. Was I seeing things or did I see him wipe a tear from his eye? Not at all what I expected.

“I don’t know,” he said at last. “I really don’t know. I mean, I realize I messed up. Bad. It’s my fault the business failed. But I was so mad…so very mad.” He continued to pet our pup, and I realized with a start that his hands seemed to be shaking.

I exchanged a startled glance with Ethan. Was he thinking what I was thinking? What everyone was probably thinking because Joseph Thorne Senior led them to that conclusion, whether out of vanity or ego or whatever.

I suddenly felt sorry for Joe Junior, and that’s not something I thought I’d ever feel.

 to be continued

Now go see what the other Briefers are up to!

Cia Nordwell

 

 

 

Wednesday Briefs: Bad Karma and the Family Plan #58 (12.3)

 Good morning and Happy Hump Day! If it's Wednesday, then it must be time for more flash fiction from the Wednesday Briefers! We're a group of authors who bring you our finest flash fiction every week, 500 to 1000 words, inspired by one of our prompts.

As this long day finally draws to a close for our heroes, one has to wonder what is on the horizon? See what's happening in this week's chapter of Bad Karma and the Family Plan. Don't forget to visit the other Briefers and see what's up with them. Their links follow my tale! Enjoy!

Bad Karma and the Family Plan #58 (12.3)

Of course, telling the tale of our involvement with Sweet Surrender just had to involve the story of how we first met a certain evil actress and why I hated her so much. To Ethan’s credit, he kept that to a minimum. To be fair, it’s not like he was ever interested in her or anything. Ever since I’ve known him, he’s only had eyes for me.  Also, her goal was primarily to win back her ex, the director. See how well that worked out.

“Do you really think she might be responsible for what’s going on?” Benny directed his question primarily to me, since Ethan hadn’t been nearly as vocal about that as I had been. “What about that Florida Mangler guy?”

He made a good point. The trouble with that theory was Chip was securely incarcerated, awaiting trial for what he’d done. No chance of bail. Her, on the other hand… well, despite Troy’s insistence that she never went out, I still had to wonder if maybe she kept things hidden from him.

“Maybe it’s neither one,” Benny continued. “Maybe another player has entered the scene.”

 “That new player would have to know a lot about us,” Ethan said. “An awful lot.”

And wasn’t that a disturbing thought in and of itself?

“And you, and Troy and Brendan,” Ethan continued. “Besides, what motive would such a person have?”

What motive, indeed?

On that note, we decided to call it a night. We gave Benny—the little one, not the big one—a last chance to do any business he might have before we tiptoed back into the house, careful not to disturb the sleeping inhabitants. When we entered the living room, I heard something that sounded like a freight train. What the hell? It took me a minute to realize it was the sound of snoring.

Oh great, Ethan’s brother snores.

Couldn’t be helped. Ethan offered an apologetic shrug as we laid down together on the floor, as far from Joey as we could get. Benny curled up at our feet. I snuggled into Ethan’s embrace and tried to ignore the noise from the other side of the room. Before long, I fell asleep and didn’t stir until morning.

I awoke to delighted cries of “Puppy!” from Alex, who’d been asleep before Troy and Brendan had arrived the night before and was thus unaware of the pup’s arrival.

“Shh, Alex.” Sarah tried to quiet him, but it was too late as we were all awake now. I didn’t really mind. The floor wasn’t exactly comfortable, and I was glad to stretch my muscles. I could hear the bones pop as I sat up.

“Hey Sis,” Ethan greeted her.

“Sorry guys,” Sarah apologized, but we all told her not to worry. Well, Joey didn’t. Primarily because he wasn’t there. Maybe he was skulking outside again? That thought was quickly dispelled when we heard the minister loudly tell his older son not to sleep in his study again. Guess he wandered in there when we were asleep. His bad.

Ethan and I took advantage of Sarah being downstairs to use her room to change our cloths, while Benny opted for the bathroom. I felt much better as we rejoined them.

Sarah seemed to be in a very good mood, all things considered. I was about to ask her if she’d slept well, when the doorbell rang and I suddenly realized why she was so chipper. A certain dreamboat movie star was about to take her… well, all of us… out for breakfast. As we admitted Troy and Brendan, I couldn’t help but wonder if we weren’t making ourselves an even bigger target.

 to be continued

Now go see what's up with the other Briefers!

Cia Nordwell

Wednesday Briefs: Bad Karma and the Family Plan #46 (9.4)

 Good morning and Happy Hump Day! If it's Wednesday, then it must be time for more flash fiction from the Wednesday Briefers! We're a group of authors who bring you our finest flash fiction every week, 500 to 1000 words, inspired by one of our prompts.

As you'll recall, circumstances have conspired in such a way that Ethan and Vinny and Sarah and Uncle Benny will be staying with the family longer than expected. There is one member of the group who is less than thrilled at this outcome, though. See what's going on in this week's chapter of Bad Karma and the Family Plan. Don't forget to visit the other Briefers and see what's up with them. Their links follow my tale! Enjoy!

Bad Karma and the Family Plan #36 (9.4)

Sarah and Alex came down the stairs just as Maureen was saying, “Well, then, looks you’ll be able to stay for dinner after all.” She sounded very happy, and I couldn’t blame her. She had her whole family together for the first time in a long while, even if the circumstances were less than ideal.

“We’re staying for dinner?” Sarah turned inquisitive eyes to Ethan and me.

“Yeah, looks like we’ll be here for a few days,” Ethan replied. “Things have come up and Anderson thought it was best.”

She and Ethan exchanged glances, and I could tell she understood something was going on and we would tell her later. She shifted Alex from her hip to the floor before a sudden thought must have struck her.

“Oh but where’s everyone going to sleep?” she asked as she straightened up.  “And what about clothes and stuff? I don’t know if I have enough pull-ups for Alex.”

“I’m sure we can make a quick run to the store, can’t we?” I turned to Ethan and he nodded.

“We can, absolutely. And as for sleeping—”

“They’re kicking me out of my room for you!” Joey belligerently interjected. I couldn’t tell if he was really trying to start a fight or he was just stupid. My inclination was the latter.

“Stop it!” Maureen said sternly. “You’re a guest here as much as they are. And I’m sorry your circumstances are what they are. But I won’t allow you to take it out on everyone else, do you understand me?”

Whoa, looked like Maureen had definitely found her voice. She wasn’t putting up with shit from her husband or her older son. Good for her!

“Straighten up that room and get what you need for tonight, then help Sarah up with her things.”

I noticed that Sarah didn’t look particularly bothered at Joey’s outburst. She turned to her mother and said, “Thanks, Mom! All my stuff is in the trunk, Joey.” That last was, of course, aimed at her brother.

“We can bring those in,” Ethan quickly said. I suspected he didn’t want Joey touching our rental car. Besides, our stuff was all there too.

“I’ll help too,” Benny chimed in. He already had Alex comfortably ensconced on his lap

Well, that was settled.

“Can I help with dinner, Mom?” Sarah asked.

“Sure, honey, that would be nice.” The two women headed toward the kitchen. Joe Jr had thrown himself into his father’s armchair and sat in sullen silence. Not as though I expected him to help with anything. As of one accord, Ethan and Benny and I exited through the front door. I couldn’t help but wonder if the agents Anderson had spoken about were in place even now, watching us.

“I’m so sorry to cause everyone so much trouble,” Benny said as we hefted everything from the trunk.

“Don’t even think that,” Ethan assured him. “You’re family, and that’s what counts. And once this is all over and done with, I hope we get to see a lot more of you.”

“You can count on that,” Benny said. “I’ve missed everyone so much. It feels so good just to be back with y’all.”

“Ditto, Uncle Benny, ditto.”

“Once this is over and I figure out what to do with myself… well, I guess we’ll take it from there.”

We filed back into the house with our baggage.  Joey looked as though he hadn’t moved a muscle and deliberately avoided making eye contact.

“Joey, is the spare room ready for Sarah and Alex?” Ethan asked. I suspected he knew the answer to that as well as I did, though.

Ethan’s brother made no immediate response. At least not until he saw Benny take up a position beside his chair. I would have wilted under that stern glance, and I suspected Joey was made of less sterner stuff.

At first Joey pretended not to notice, but he couldn’t pull that off for long.

“Your brother asked you a question,” Benny said in a quiet voice.

Joey opened his mouth and closed it quickly, sliding out of the chair without a word. He skirted his uncle and reluctantly made his up to the stairs. He was almost at the top when he responded with, “You can’t tell me what to do. You’re nothing but a jailbird!” Not waiting for a reaction, he disappeared out of sight.

The three of us looked at one another of one accord and burst out laughing.

I guess when it comes to family, you have to take the bad with the good.

to be continued

Now go see what's up with the other Briefers!

Cia Nordwell

Wednesday Briefs: Rose and Thorne 6 #24 (5.3)

 Good morning and Happy Hump Day! If it's Wednesday, then it must be time for more flash fiction from the Wednesday Briefers! We're a group of authors who bring you our finest flash fiction every week, 500 to 1000 words, inspired by one of our prompts.

Ethan's twin sister's baby daddy shows up unexpectedly and tensions rise until Vinnie reaches the breaking point and punches him! See what the aftermath is in this week's chapter of Rose and Thorne. Don't forget to visit the other Briefers and see what's up with them. Their links follow my tale! Enjoy!

Rose and Thorne 6 #24 (5.3)

I think the idiot was actually going to respond to what was probably a rhetorical question on my part. I braced myself to punch him again, if necessary. I was operating on an adrenaline high at the moment. I knew later I would probably be in at least a little pain where my knuckles had made contact with his nose. But right then I didn’t care.

Luckily any further display of fisticuffs was not required as Sarah herself stepped between us, standing over her baby daddy and preventing Ethan from getting any closer to him than he already was. “James, you need to leave.” Her voice was deceptively quiet, but I could hear the same tone I’d heard in Ethan’s warnings to some of the scum we’d dealt with on the job. I wondered if James had the sense to realize she meant business.

“Fine, I’ll leave. I can tell when I’m not wanted.” He rose to his feet, swiping at the blood which was pouring from his nose. “C’mon, Sarah, you and the baby can come with me. We can get a hotel room and fly back to—”

“Oh hell no.”

Oddly, Sarah and Ethan delivered that same line in stereo. Told you that twin thing was eerie and I meant it. Sarah shot Ethan a look that clearly said I got this.

I didn’t doubt that for a moment.

Ethan gave a slight nod. He wrapped his arm about my waist and brought my injured hand up to his lips, kissing it gently. I knew then that he wasn’t angry with me for what I’d done. Not that I’d really thought he would be. We stand up for each other—it’s what we do.

“James, I honestly don’t know what’s wrong with you,” Sarah continued. “I overlooked everything you did after I told you I was pregnant, including the way you ran out on us and never contacted us until recently. Against my own better judgment, I let you back into our lives because I thought maybe, just maybe, you’d grown up. I thought maybe you weren’t the immature asshole you were before, and that you loved us. I get it. People can change. And I thought things were going well, that we had something good. But then you have the nerve to come into my brother’s home. Not just my brother’s but the home of his fiancé, who is a wonderful and good man, and you have the nerve… the unmitigated gall to…. Just take your homophobic self and get the hell out of here. Now!”

I think the rest of us were too stunned to react at that moment. Including James. Benny (the pup, not the uncle) had taken up a defensive posture in front of Sarah and Alex, as if he intended to protect them from all harm, I have to admit that even with his teeth bared, he didn’t look very threatening.

Uncle Benny, on the other hand….

I guess James didn’t move fast enough for his liking. The next thing I knew, he held James’ forearm in a tight grip as he escorted him down the hall, headed toward the front door. “I guess you didn’t hear my niece very well, did you? It’s time for you to leave. And I suggest you don’t return. Ever.”

I thought James sputtered something, I don’t know what, but then the front door opened and closed in rapid succession, and I realized Benny had literally tossed the hapless baby daddy out.

Wow, so that happened.

I wasn’t sure what to say or do in that moment. But before I could collect my thoughts, Sarah had turned toward Ethan and me, tears already raining down her cheeks.

“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry…” She kept repeating the same words, clinging tightly to Alex, who was beginning to fret, which caused Benny to yip in consternation. He probably thought the child was in distress, which he probably was after that very stormy scene.

“No, don’t,” Ethan stopped her. “It’s all right. Don’t cry, please don’t cry.” The next thing I knew, he had wrapped his arms around Sarah and Alex, and then around me, and we were all hugging, while Sarah continued to sob. Then Uncle Benny joined us and we became one big hugging machine, there in our narrow hallway. Finally, Sarah’s sniffles began to decrease, and her breathing returned to normal.

“I’m okay now,” she insisted, but Ethan decided she needed to sit, so we all trooped into the living room and took our seats.

 Sarah took a deep breath and exhaled. “I had no idea he was like that,” she said. “I mean, the subject of you… I never told him you were gay because it never occurred to me. Since we started talking again, he never asked about you. I figured we’d talk about what happened eventually, and he would ask about you.. But not like this, never like this.” She fell silent.

Ethan and I sat hip-to-hip on the couch. He’d pulled a piece of ice from the freezer and wrapped it in a paper towel, which he held against my hand. He’d also whispered, “My hero,” when we were momentarily alone in the kitchen.

I would have done what I did again in a heartbeat.

“Were you planning to fly home with him tomorrow?” Ethan asked.

Sarah nodded. “I know I shouldn’t have let him come here when you were gone. I really was going to say something about him coming, but then it turned out you had to work, so I just thought I’d let sleeping dogs lie. That was dumb, I know.” She turned her gaze to me. “He deserved that, Vinnie. I’m sorry you had to do it, though. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I assured her.

“We should all get some sleep,” Ethan said. “Tomorrow—”

His words were cut off by the sound of his cell. This late?

What could Anderson want at this hour?

to be continued

Now go hand out with the other Briefers for a bit!

Cia Nordwell

J Ray Lamb

Wednesday Briefs: Rose and Thorne 6 #3 (1.3)

 Good morning and Happy Hump Day ! If it's Wednesday, then it must be time for more flash fiction from the Wednesday Briefers! We're a group of authors who bring you our finest flash fiction every week, 500 to 1000 words, inspired by one of our prompts.  

Ethan's twin sister Sarah is visiting for a few days, staying with them, along with her young son Alex. But at breakfast, Sarah drops a bombshell on her brother, and Vinnie nervously waits for the fall-out. See what's going on in this week's chapter of Rose and Thorne 6. Don't forget to visit the other Briefers and see what's up with them. Their links follow my tale! Enjoy!

Rose and Thorne 6 #3 (1.3)

I had to hand it to Sarah, she didn’t look the least bit taken aback or thrown off by Ethan’s question. Not even the slightest bit embarrassed, either. I could see something of her minister father’s stubbornness in the set of her jaw, the way she held her head high.  “Not long,” she said.

“How long’s not long?” Ethan persisted.

I nibbled on a crisp slice of bacon and wondered if I should leave the room, give the siblings some privacy. I had a feeling Sarah had more to reveal and Ethan just might not like what he was about to hear. On the other hand, that was also a good reason to stay, namely to offer moral support to the man I loved. That brought me to the age-old question—should I stay or should I go? And since it’s easier to do nothing than something, I stayed.

And maybe I was just a touch curious to hear the answer, to be honest.

“We started talking about a year ago,” she finally admitted.

That’s not long?

Sarah’s cheeks began to pink, and her confidence seemed to wane slightly. She turned toward Alex and began to fuss over him. “You done eating? Oh my, such a mess. Let’s get you cleaned up, little man.”

Only then did I notice Benny hovering beside Alex’s chair. And the next moment I knew why, when the toddler let slip another scrap of food. Benny snapped it up before it hit the floor. Ever the opportunist, that Benny.

“Sarah, I don’t understand.”

Sarah swiveled toward her brother with an exasperated sigh. “What’s there not to understand, Ethan? James is Alex’s father. My son has a right to know him, doesn’t he? And maybe, just maybe, I miss him. Love him even. Love doesn’t die simply because someone makes bad choices. James wasn’t ready, I get it. But that was almost four years ago. People change.”

I was listening to Sarah’s words, but my attention was riveted on Ethan. I was afraid he might go ballistic, as odd as that sounds. My Ethan is a quiet man, a very calm man. But when a situation involves someone he loves, he can surprise me. Not now, though.  Quite the contrary. The more she spoke, the more stricken he seemed to be, and that alarmed me.

Sarah rose quietly. She pushed back Alex’s chair and lifted the child into her arms. “Time for a bath, I think. You can play with Benny after that.”

 Alex squirmed momentarily then smiled down at Benny with a knowing grin. “Puppy!” he exclaimed, wriggling his fingers in what could either be good-bye or let me have him now. Hard to tell.

Ethan scooted back his chair, which screeched as it scraped across the tiled floor. He stood and I hastily followed suit. “Have you forgotten how he abandoned you when you needed him most? The horrible things he said? The suggestions he made?”

I had no idea what those suggestions might have been but Sarah’s face turned alarmingly scarlet. What was going on here? I’d never heard such angry words exchanged between these two, who were normally closer than close.  Frankly, I didn’t like it.

“Can you honestly tell me you’re willing to forgive and forget?” Ethan continued relentlessly. “When he’s never been there for you? Not emotionally, physically, or financially? Doesn’t Alex deserve better than that?”

Sarah hitched Alex a little higher on her hip. “Down,” he insisted, but she ignored his command.

“And you think Dad has been all of these things?” she countered. “But we managed to turn out all right.”

I almost interjected with a comment about their brother Joe being an exception to that rule, but decided this wasn’t the time, even if I was right about him, so I kept quiet.

“Tell me something, Ethan,” Sarah said. I had a sudden premonition that what she was going to say wouldn’t be pretty, but I didn’t know how to stem her words, hoping and praying I was wrong and she could never say anything to harm him.

“Are you angrier on my behalf or yours?” She flung the words at him like a challenge, held Alex to her tightly, and made her exit, headed toward the guest room she was occupying.

I didn’t know what she meant, but one look at Ethan’s face told me he did, and she had just wounded him to the quick.

Shit.

 to be continued

Now see what's up with the other Briefers!

Cia Nordwell

J Ray Lamb

 

Wednesday Briefs: Rose and Thorne 6 #2 (1.2)

 Good morning and Happy Hump Day ! If it's Wednesday, then it must be time for more flash fiction from the Wednesday Briefers! We're a group of authors who bring you our finest flash fiction every week, 500 to 1000 words, inspired by one of our prompts.  

Ethan's sister is spending a few days in Roanoke, visiting the boy, along with her cute baby Alex, when she drops something of a bombshell that has the usually calm Ethan rather flustered. See what's going on in this week's chapter of Rose and Thorne 6. Don't forget to visit the other Briefers, 

Rose and Thorne 6 #2 (1.2)

I don’t know if I was more surprised by Sarah’s statement, or by Ethan’s reaction to it. I glanced at him, forgetting whatever comment I had intended to make. His blond brows were furrowed in uncharacteristic anger, and his normally calm blue eyes had darkened, resembling a storm on the sea. As if sensing his daddy’s perturbation, Benny made an appearance, having just awakened. He leapt up onto Ethan’s leg, while I placed my hand on Ethan’s arm, my own gaze undoubtedly revealing how disturbed I was at what I was seeing.

But the very next moment the storm had passed, almost as if it had never been, and the sun in my sky made a reappearance. If I didn’t know Ethan so well, I might have thought I’d been mistaken. But I do, and I know what I’d seen. Ethan was not a happy camper.

He stroked Benny’s soft fur, which elicited a yip from the excited pup. “Ready for breakfast, little guy?” He lifted Benny into the crook of his arm and rose from the table in one smooth motion. My inclination was to follow him, even the short distance to the stove where he’d kept Benny’s breakfast warm. Not his entire breakfast, of course, just a little something to add to his kibble to give it a little oomph. But I decided he’d be safe enough walking the few short feet, and he didn’t need me underfoot. Bad enough I was still feeling overprotective of him after his stint as a hostage in Washington DC last Christmas—I didn’t want him to find my presence claustrophobic. Ethan would laugh and just tell me he never could, but I wasn’t taking any chances.

Yes, call me insecure… but I am getting better.

I glanced toward Sarah. She had busied herself with Alex, assisting him to use his fork, although at this point I wasn’t sure what difference that would make considering the mess he’d made of the table, but I think that was just an excuse for avoidance on her part. I could see her brother’s unhappiness mirrored on her face. Yet when she turned toward me, that storm too had passed.

This twin thing was eerie, to say the least.

Ethan carried Benny to his food bowl, added in the bit of extra he’d made for him, and set the pup on the floor. Benny barked a quick thanks before tucking in with gusto. He did enjoy his meals, I’d noticed, and never complained about the menu, always careful to show his gratitude to the chef.

 Afraid Ethan intended to bolt, I held out my hand. He hesitated for a split second before taking it. I squeezed his hand lightly, hoping he would find my touch comforting.  When he returned my squeeze, I breathed a small sigh of relief as he resumed his seat beside me. I scooted a little nearer—any closer and I’d have been in his lap.

“Breakfast is good,” I praised Ethan, hoping to diffuse the situation, even if I didn’t understand exactly what the problem was. Family dynamics was not something I had much experience with, other than my mom,, and she and I always got along well.

My ploy didn’t exactly work, though.

“So, how long has this been going on?”

to be continued

Now go see what the other Briefers are up to!

Cia Nordwell

J Ray Lamb