A short story I'm writing.
An old man sits in an antique chair, gently toking from his Sherlock Holmes style pipe, calmly reading a novel he loved when he was young.
The man's face is settled. Settled in the way old age has on a man. As he's reading, he falls back into his thoughts, and is only half reading at this point. This old book forces him think about his youth. Remembering the energy and exuberance.
He was ready for war. Just begging to fight for something. Ready to die young, but enjoy what little time he felt he had left. Little did that boy know that he would grow be an old man. Regretting how hard he had been on his body. Always pushing himself to the limit. Maybe just trying to find his limit.
He pulls away from his book for a moment as his wife walks in. Age has had it's toll on her, but he can't see it. He only sees the eyes he fell in love with the first time he saw her so many years ago. She places a small plate with a few pills on it, a glass of water, and a glass of wine next to him.
"thank you, dear" says the old man with the hoarsness old age has on a voice.
"Must you smoke that damned pipe?" She teases him.
"I've been attached to the pipe since I've been 17 years old. Would you really take a pipe from an old man. You'll be taking my cane next if I'm not careful." said the old man with a grin on his face.
She got that smart smirk on her face and said "You didn't need that cane 80 years ago, and you don't need it now. You walk fine without it."
"What's a man to buried with if he doesn't attach himself to things that will fit in his coffin?"
"I didn't let you die the early death you dreamed of. I'm not gonna let you die without me" she says
"I'll die when I damn well please. I just kept pushing it off. I blame you. You know damn well I shouldn't have made it this far. Why do you think I was so damned hard on this body of mine? I was getting my miles out of it. Now, I just hurt. Do you see what you've done?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Take your medicine. What has you stuck in reminiscing anyway."
"This book." as he grabs a handful of medicine, throws it to the back of his mouth, and quickly washes it down with his water
"What is it?"
"Fight Club." He says as his loose skin tightens into a smile.
"Oh, great. You'll never stop quoting it now."
"I just wish I could get one more good fight out of myself" as he takes small gulp of his wine.
"Yeah, and break a hip."
Choosing to ignore fragility he says "And what is for lunch?"
"You'll like it."
"I'd better, or I'll have to trade you in for a new model."
"Yeah?"
"Naa, I've invested too much into this beater." he teases, and draws more wine from his glass.
"Lunch will be ready soon."
She kisses him softly, and walks out of the room. Not before the old man manages to pinch her behind.
"Oh, would you stop that already!?"
The man giggle softly. Delighted with his antics.
He goes back to his book, and reads calmly, and sips at his wine. until his wife re-enters with a smile on her face. She waits for him to finish the page, and moves the book to the other side of his desk, and as she's about to set the plate down, with another glass of wine, he smells what she'd cooked for him.
"You made me pot pie! Now, I remember why I married you." He says as the plate is set in front of him, and softly kisses her on the cheek.
She walks away content with her pleasant suprise.
He grabs his fork, and put's a square in his mouth. Slowing chewing, and savoring the taste he fell in love with years ago, and failed to grow tired of. He washes it down with the last of his glass, and rises from his cozy chair. He walks out of his study, down the hall to the room that was once his fathers, and his father's father years ago. Opens his closet, and pulls out an expensive suit, and changes his clothes. He stands in front of the mirror, and adjusts his silk tie, and walks down stairs.
"I'd say we should be leaving if we're to make it on time." He says
"I suppose you're right." She says as she adjusts his tie.
They walk outside, and smell the outside. He imagines this is what he smelled as a child, and walks arm and arm to the car with his beloved wife. He opens the passenger door, and she makes herself comfortable. He walks around the car, and get's in the car. He reaches into his pocket.
"Damn it, I forgo..." As his wife hands him the keys to the car.
"You'd be lost without me" She says with that smug smile she gets.
He puts the car in reverse, and goes for the accelerator.
His wife interjects quickly but calmly "The emergency brake, dear."
Then ride the goes on for 2 1/2 hours of nothing much more eventful then the man's wife telling him to slow down on the occasion. They then arrive in State College, Pennsylvania. They go to a diner, and have a cup of coffee. They were interupted often by students pleased to have caught him in a diner. To much of the students dismay he shortly had to leave them. "I hope to see you all at 8 o'clock." he said as he fell behind the diner's exit.
At 8 o'clock he walked into a room filled with students standing and applauding. The old man spun his cane, and did a little jig to show he wasn't dead yet, and held his hand out to silence the audience.
....to be continued.
Pretty much, I'll continue it for one of two reasons. 1.) popular demand. 2.) intiative.
The man's face is settled. Settled in the way old age has on a man. As he's reading, he falls back into his thoughts, and is only half reading at this point. This old book forces him think about his youth. Remembering the energy and exuberance.
He was ready for war. Just begging to fight for something. Ready to die young, but enjoy what little time he felt he had left. Little did that boy know that he would grow be an old man. Regretting how hard he had been on his body. Always pushing himself to the limit. Maybe just trying to find his limit.
He pulls away from his book for a moment as his wife walks in. Age has had it's toll on her, but he can't see it. He only sees the eyes he fell in love with the first time he saw her so many years ago. She places a small plate with a few pills on it, a glass of water, and a glass of wine next to him.
"thank you, dear" says the old man with the hoarsness old age has on a voice.
"Must you smoke that damned pipe?" She teases him.
"I've been attached to the pipe since I've been 17 years old. Would you really take a pipe from an old man. You'll be taking my cane next if I'm not careful." said the old man with a grin on his face.
She got that smart smirk on her face and said "You didn't need that cane 80 years ago, and you don't need it now. You walk fine without it."
"What's a man to buried with if he doesn't attach himself to things that will fit in his coffin?"
"I didn't let you die the early death you dreamed of. I'm not gonna let you die without me" she says
"I'll die when I damn well please. I just kept pushing it off. I blame you. You know damn well I shouldn't have made it this far. Why do you think I was so damned hard on this body of mine? I was getting my miles out of it. Now, I just hurt. Do you see what you've done?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Take your medicine. What has you stuck in reminiscing anyway."
"This book." as he grabs a handful of medicine, throws it to the back of his mouth, and quickly washes it down with his water
"What is it?"
"Fight Club." He says as his loose skin tightens into a smile.
"Oh, great. You'll never stop quoting it now."
"I just wish I could get one more good fight out of myself" as he takes small gulp of his wine.
"Yeah, and break a hip."
Choosing to ignore fragility he says "And what is for lunch?"
"You'll like it."
"I'd better, or I'll have to trade you in for a new model."
"Yeah?"
"Naa, I've invested too much into this beater." he teases, and draws more wine from his glass.
"Lunch will be ready soon."
She kisses him softly, and walks out of the room. Not before the old man manages to pinch her behind.
"Oh, would you stop that already!?"
The man giggle softly. Delighted with his antics.
He goes back to his book, and reads calmly, and sips at his wine. until his wife re-enters with a smile on her face. She waits for him to finish the page, and moves the book to the other side of his desk, and as she's about to set the plate down, with another glass of wine, he smells what she'd cooked for him.
"You made me pot pie! Now, I remember why I married you." He says as the plate is set in front of him, and softly kisses her on the cheek.
She walks away content with her pleasant suprise.
He grabs his fork, and put's a square in his mouth. Slowing chewing, and savoring the taste he fell in love with years ago, and failed to grow tired of. He washes it down with the last of his glass, and rises from his cozy chair. He walks out of his study, down the hall to the room that was once his fathers, and his father's father years ago. Opens his closet, and pulls out an expensive suit, and changes his clothes. He stands in front of the mirror, and adjusts his silk tie, and walks down stairs.
"I'd say we should be leaving if we're to make it on time." He says
"I suppose you're right." She says as she adjusts his tie.
They walk outside, and smell the outside. He imagines this is what he smelled as a child, and walks arm and arm to the car with his beloved wife. He opens the passenger door, and she makes herself comfortable. He walks around the car, and get's in the car. He reaches into his pocket.
"Damn it, I forgo..." As his wife hands him the keys to the car.
"You'd be lost without me" She says with that smug smile she gets.
He puts the car in reverse, and goes for the accelerator.
His wife interjects quickly but calmly "The emergency brake, dear."
Then ride the goes on for 2 1/2 hours of nothing much more eventful then the man's wife telling him to slow down on the occasion. They then arrive in State College, Pennsylvania. They go to a diner, and have a cup of coffee. They were interupted often by students pleased to have caught him in a diner. To much of the students dismay he shortly had to leave them. "I hope to see you all at 8 o'clock." he said as he fell behind the diner's exit.
At 8 o'clock he walked into a room filled with students standing and applauding. The old man spun his cane, and did a little jig to show he wasn't dead yet, and held his hand out to silence the audience.
....to be continued.
Pretty much, I'll continue it for one of two reasons. 1.) popular demand. 2.) intiative.