MaeveoSliabh
spinning yarns
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2006
- Posts
- 3,454
Anybody up for a challenge?
I just had a blurb pop into mind, and feel that something could be made out of it. Just not by me. Who wants to take it and run, and see where it ends up?
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The partners laughed at the old joke as the sergeant left the locker room. The blonde one shook his head. "He sure knows how to poke at a bad situation."
"Yes. Yes, he does," the larger one agreed.
"So what are you going to do about it?"
Gabe shook his head. "I don't know. One of them's got to go soon, but I don't know which one."
"Why not both of them?" Sam closed his locker and turned a worried frown on the younger man. "They're both giving you more trouble than they're worth. You can't deny that."
"I know. But..." he sighed, running a hand through his thinning hair, "I don't know. The one, she's a sort of a gypsy, like me. We think the same way on a lot of things."
"Uh huh. What about the other one?"
Gabe laughed. "Can you believe that I'm her first love? She's nearly thirty, and this is her first serious relationship. I don't want to break her heart." He slammed his locker shut and grinned. "Besides, she's not quite mentally stable. You've seen her." The look of amusement faded. "And I'm afraid she'll hurt somebody. Or herself. It's something she would do."
Sam nodded, twirling his cap between his hands. "Both trouble."
"Both trouble. In their own ways."
Sam raised his brows as he peered through the window and down the hall. "And here comes trouble."
Gabe jerked his head around just before the door flew open. A thin woman with dark hair pulled into a bun stepped into the room.
"You're not supposed to be in here, Gail," Sam admonished.
She flashed him a grin and waved. "Hey you. No worries. Not like it's anything I've never seen before." Her attention turned to the other man, blue eyes looking over his large, slightly overweight frame. "I came to talk to you."
"I figured." He slowly lowered himself to one of the benches.
"Look, I know one of us has got to go soon. Or both. I don't know."
The men glanced at each other. Sam mumbled an excuse and quickly moved to the other end of the locker room.
Gail held up a slender hand. "Don't ask, I just know. You know I do that."
Gabe nodded.
"It's just..." She paused, chewing at her lower lip, her eyes wandering over the ceiling. "It's just that... well..." She drew in a steadying breath. "The travelling season is coming soon. It's about time to load up the RV and trailer and hit the road, and I wanted to know if I'm just packing my things this year, and looking for another partner, or if your stuff needs to go too."
"Oh." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know yet. Give me another few days, ok?"
She hugged herself tightly before nodding. "Yes, baby. Whenever you know..." Another deep breath, and a squaring of her shoulders, and she left as abruptly as she had entered.
Sam let out a low whistle as he returned to where Gabe sat staring at the floor. "How did she know that?"
Gabe shook his head slowly from side to side. "If I knew, man..." He gave a rueful laugh. "But it's kept our asses out of trouble more than once."
"Uh huh. So she wants the travel thing, like you do. What about the other one?"
"Her? She wants a picket fence, three kids, and a dog."
"She's the one that's got a more steady income, right? The one that helped you through academy and all?"
Gabe nodded.
"I see where your problem is." Sam plopped down on the other end of the bench. "They've both got what you like, what you're looking for. You just need to decide if you want a steady nine-to-five more, or if you want to throw chance to the wind and see what comes up with that one." He nodded toward the door.
Gabe snorted. "It's a hard choice."
"I know. I had to make it a long time ago." He scratched the stubble on his chin where a beard failed to thrive. "I figured a steady girl would be better. And ever since then, I've wondered... But sometimes you have to just pick a road and keep walking, no matter what happens. You never know where that road ends up. Sometimes that road ends badly. Sometimes... sometimes it ends in a picket fence and three kids."
"And a dog."
Sam laughed quietly. "And a dog." He patted the larger man on the shoulder and left him to his own thoughts.
I just had a blurb pop into mind, and feel that something could be made out of it. Just not by me. Who wants to take it and run, and see where it ends up?
---------------------------------------
The partners laughed at the old joke as the sergeant left the locker room. The blonde one shook his head. "He sure knows how to poke at a bad situation."
"Yes. Yes, he does," the larger one agreed.
"So what are you going to do about it?"
Gabe shook his head. "I don't know. One of them's got to go soon, but I don't know which one."
"Why not both of them?" Sam closed his locker and turned a worried frown on the younger man. "They're both giving you more trouble than they're worth. You can't deny that."
"I know. But..." he sighed, running a hand through his thinning hair, "I don't know. The one, she's a sort of a gypsy, like me. We think the same way on a lot of things."
"Uh huh. What about the other one?"
Gabe laughed. "Can you believe that I'm her first love? She's nearly thirty, and this is her first serious relationship. I don't want to break her heart." He slammed his locker shut and grinned. "Besides, she's not quite mentally stable. You've seen her." The look of amusement faded. "And I'm afraid she'll hurt somebody. Or herself. It's something she would do."
Sam nodded, twirling his cap between his hands. "Both trouble."
"Both trouble. In their own ways."
Sam raised his brows as he peered through the window and down the hall. "And here comes trouble."
Gabe jerked his head around just before the door flew open. A thin woman with dark hair pulled into a bun stepped into the room.
"You're not supposed to be in here, Gail," Sam admonished.
She flashed him a grin and waved. "Hey you. No worries. Not like it's anything I've never seen before." Her attention turned to the other man, blue eyes looking over his large, slightly overweight frame. "I came to talk to you."
"I figured." He slowly lowered himself to one of the benches.
"Look, I know one of us has got to go soon. Or both. I don't know."
The men glanced at each other. Sam mumbled an excuse and quickly moved to the other end of the locker room.
Gail held up a slender hand. "Don't ask, I just know. You know I do that."
Gabe nodded.
"It's just..." She paused, chewing at her lower lip, her eyes wandering over the ceiling. "It's just that... well..." She drew in a steadying breath. "The travelling season is coming soon. It's about time to load up the RV and trailer and hit the road, and I wanted to know if I'm just packing my things this year, and looking for another partner, or if your stuff needs to go too."
"Oh." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know yet. Give me another few days, ok?"
She hugged herself tightly before nodding. "Yes, baby. Whenever you know..." Another deep breath, and a squaring of her shoulders, and she left as abruptly as she had entered.
Sam let out a low whistle as he returned to where Gabe sat staring at the floor. "How did she know that?"
Gabe shook his head slowly from side to side. "If I knew, man..." He gave a rueful laugh. "But it's kept our asses out of trouble more than once."
"Uh huh. So she wants the travel thing, like you do. What about the other one?"
"Her? She wants a picket fence, three kids, and a dog."
"She's the one that's got a more steady income, right? The one that helped you through academy and all?"
Gabe nodded.
"I see where your problem is." Sam plopped down on the other end of the bench. "They've both got what you like, what you're looking for. You just need to decide if you want a steady nine-to-five more, or if you want to throw chance to the wind and see what comes up with that one." He nodded toward the door.
Gabe snorted. "It's a hard choice."
"I know. I had to make it a long time ago." He scratched the stubble on his chin where a beard failed to thrive. "I figured a steady girl would be better. And ever since then, I've wondered... But sometimes you have to just pick a road and keep walking, no matter what happens. You never know where that road ends up. Sometimes that road ends badly. Sometimes... sometimes it ends in a picket fence and three kids."
"And a dog."
Sam laughed quietly. "And a dog." He patted the larger man on the shoulder and left him to his own thoughts.
