JUSTPROMPTS That's seven years no sex for breaking that mirror.
That's seven years no sex for breaking that mirror.
“Hugo! What was that noise?” Carmen Reyes yelled from the living room.
Hurley’s hand remained outstretched for a moment as he stared at the white hand held mirror the once was. Now it was a cheap plastic frame and fragments of glass embedded in the bathmat fibers and the grout between the tiles. He hadn't even reached for it, truthfully. In the other hand he was holding his toothbrush. Just over his mother's mirror was a tube of toothpaste. Why his mother insisted on leaving her crap in every one of the three bathrooms the house had Hurley could not say. Now there was one less girly thing to stuff away when Starla came over. He had invited her in the first place...ever since he had been getting the cold shoulder from Johnny he wanted to make sure his girlfriend didn't get hurt.
He was still staring at the broken glass. He only stopped when a forceful pounding came from the other side of the bathroom door. "Hugo! Are you alright? What was that noise?" His mother didn't stop knocking. He opened the door slowly. As soon as she saw his face her eyes wandered to the floor and she saw the shiny fragments scattered about. "AY Dios mijo!" she crossed her heart as if to forgive herself before tugging her son into the hallway. She looked him up or down, "Did you cut yourself?"
"No, Ma, I'm fine," Hurley's eyes were fixated on the ceiling. Still cursed. His throat had contracted and his heart beat a little faster.
"That was your grandmother's mirror, Hugo," she went to the closet to get the broom and dustpan that had been habitually placed everywhere possible due to accident after accident.
"Of course it was. You know why that happened, don't you? Because I'm cursed!"
"Curses," she spat venomously as she started to sweep up the mess, "we're Catholics, Hugo. The only thing I am cursing is my back." He winced and moved to help her with the dustpan. The week had been rough and Carmen was tired of her son's anxiety. After sweeping the last of the mess into the dustpan she straightened up and sighed loudly. Her son looked guilty and she frowned.
"Is your friend coming over today?"
"Mom, Johnny and I don't talk anymore."
"No the...girl," she expressed some hesitation in mentioning her sex.
"Oh, Starla? Yeah, she said she was on her way over. I figure if I'm not with her on the drive over she'll be alright."
It wasn’t that she hated Starla- she simply hated anyone trying to change her hijito and lead him into temptation. That was for after marriage. The girl didn’t look the marrying type. He could do much better. Carmen laughed a little. “If you believe in curses so much, Hugo, I don’t know why the mirror doesn’t worry you more. You know what they say about a broken mirror- seven years of not bad luck, but of being physically alone.” She took the dustpan from his hand and left the room satisfied.
Hurley’s mouth dropped slightly, “What? What’d you say?” Did that mean what he thought it meant. There were curses and then there were downright cruelties. That was a fate he wished on no one!
“Mom! Hey, mom! I’ve got some glue! I've got tape! DON’T THROW IT AWAY YET!”
“Hugo! What was that noise?” Carmen Reyes yelled from the living room.
Hurley’s hand remained outstretched for a moment as he stared at the white hand held mirror the once was. Now it was a cheap plastic frame and fragments of glass embedded in the bathmat fibers and the grout between the tiles. He hadn't even reached for it, truthfully. In the other hand he was holding his toothbrush. Just over his mother's mirror was a tube of toothpaste. Why his mother insisted on leaving her crap in every one of the three bathrooms the house had Hurley could not say. Now there was one less girly thing to stuff away when Starla came over. He had invited her in the first place...ever since he had been getting the cold shoulder from Johnny he wanted to make sure his girlfriend didn't get hurt.
He was still staring at the broken glass. He only stopped when a forceful pounding came from the other side of the bathroom door. "Hugo! Are you alright? What was that noise?" His mother didn't stop knocking. He opened the door slowly. As soon as she saw his face her eyes wandered to the floor and she saw the shiny fragments scattered about. "AY Dios mijo!" she crossed her heart as if to forgive herself before tugging her son into the hallway. She looked him up or down, "Did you cut yourself?"
"No, Ma, I'm fine," Hurley's eyes were fixated on the ceiling. Still cursed. His throat had contracted and his heart beat a little faster.
"That was your grandmother's mirror, Hugo," she went to the closet to get the broom and dustpan that had been habitually placed everywhere possible due to accident after accident.
"Of course it was. You know why that happened, don't you? Because I'm cursed!"
"Curses," she spat venomously as she started to sweep up the mess, "we're Catholics, Hugo. The only thing I am cursing is my back." He winced and moved to help her with the dustpan. The week had been rough and Carmen was tired of her son's anxiety. After sweeping the last of the mess into the dustpan she straightened up and sighed loudly. Her son looked guilty and she frowned.
"Is your friend coming over today?"
"Mom, Johnny and I don't talk anymore."
"No the...girl," she expressed some hesitation in mentioning her sex.
"Oh, Starla? Yeah, she said she was on her way over. I figure if I'm not with her on the drive over she'll be alright."
It wasn’t that she hated Starla- she simply hated anyone trying to change her hijito and lead him into temptation. That was for after marriage. The girl didn’t look the marrying type. He could do much better. Carmen laughed a little. “If you believe in curses so much, Hugo, I don’t know why the mirror doesn’t worry you more. You know what they say about a broken mirror- seven years of not bad luck, but of being physically alone.” She took the dustpan from his hand and left the room satisfied.
Hurley’s mouth dropped slightly, “What? What’d you say?” Did that mean what he thought it meant. There were curses and then there were downright cruelties. That was a fate he wished on no one!
“Mom! Hey, mom! I’ve got some glue! I've got tape! DON’T THROW IT AWAY YET!”