End of Act 1
Well! What I consider to be 'Act 1' of Guernica is now complete. It won't be posted until the rest of the story is finished, but I feel like I've reached the crest of a mountain (aptly enough) and it's all downhill from here. I've already passed 20k words. There will probably be 15-20k more, yet.
Here's another little snippet, from close to the end of the the first act. I've taken out a couple of lines here and there to hide a plot point...
"Who's this young man?" the elderly woman behind the register asked Jay, smiling at him and peering over the rims of glasses that had last been fashionable in 1985. "Are you the brother he talks about?"
Adam laughed, wondering how much time he'd spent chatting to her over giant bags of flour and crates of beer. "No, ma'am. I'm just a friend."
The woman look sternly at Jay and folded her hands across her stomach. "Well, now. I thought you said you didn't take guests?"
"I don't, usually, Mrs Diskin."
[...]
"He's such a nice boy, isn't he?" she asked Adam, casting Jay the look of an exasperated grandmother.
"I'm thirty-six," Jay reminded her, loading his purchases back into the shopping cart to wheel them back out to the truck.
"He's a credit to his parents, ma'am."
[...]
"It's not right, a young man like that, all by himself."
"Mrs Diskin, I'm fine, I promise."
"I've told him, 'I can introduce you to a beautiful young woman,' but he doesn't listen. [...]"
Adam cast Jay a sidelong glance and found him red-faced and flustered, turned away from Mrs Diskin so she couldn't see.
"Well, some people just aren't the marrying kind, ma'am."
"What about you? Are you married, young man? James, what's his name?"
Jay sighed and straightened up from leaning over the shopping cart. "Adam. Adam, this is Mrs Diskin; Mrs Diskin, this is Adam."
"So, are you married, Adam?"
"No, ma'am," Adam said, casting Jay a look of amusement. He decided to slip in a little extra information to throw her off track. "I was once, but I'm afraid to say I'm living the batchelor life again, now."
Mrs Diskin sucked her teeth. "Such a handsome young man, too."
"Thank you, ma'am."
"Where do you live? Pocatello? Boise? Because there's such a nice young girl -"
"No, I'm from Seattle. I'm just heading back there, now."
"Seattle? Oh, you're such a long way from home!"
"Well, I was in the Marine Corps, ma'am; I've been a lot further."
I love writing old ladies.
Here's another little snippet, from close to the end of the the first act. I've taken out a couple of lines here and there to hide a plot point...
"Who's this young man?" the elderly woman behind the register asked Jay, smiling at him and peering over the rims of glasses that had last been fashionable in 1985. "Are you the brother he talks about?"
Adam laughed, wondering how much time he'd spent chatting to her over giant bags of flour and crates of beer. "No, ma'am. I'm just a friend."
The woman look sternly at Jay and folded her hands across her stomach. "Well, now. I thought you said you didn't take guests?"
"I don't, usually, Mrs Diskin."
[...]
"He's such a nice boy, isn't he?" she asked Adam, casting Jay the look of an exasperated grandmother.
"I'm thirty-six," Jay reminded her, loading his purchases back into the shopping cart to wheel them back out to the truck.
"He's a credit to his parents, ma'am."
[...]
"It's not right, a young man like that, all by himself."
"Mrs Diskin, I'm fine, I promise."
"I've told him, 'I can introduce you to a beautiful young woman,' but he doesn't listen. [...]"
Adam cast Jay a sidelong glance and found him red-faced and flustered, turned away from Mrs Diskin so she couldn't see.
"Well, some people just aren't the marrying kind, ma'am."
"What about you? Are you married, young man? James, what's his name?"
Jay sighed and straightened up from leaning over the shopping cart. "Adam. Adam, this is Mrs Diskin; Mrs Diskin, this is Adam."
"So, are you married, Adam?"
"No, ma'am," Adam said, casting Jay a look of amusement. He decided to slip in a little extra information to throw her off track. "I was once, but I'm afraid to say I'm living the batchelor life again, now."
Mrs Diskin sucked her teeth. "Such a handsome young man, too."
"Thank you, ma'am."
"Where do you live? Pocatello? Boise? Because there's such a nice young girl -"
"No, I'm from Seattle. I'm just heading back there, now."
"Seattle? Oh, you're such a long way from home!"
"Well, I was in the Marine Corps, ma'am; I've been a lot further."
I love writing old ladies.