Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Check it out: Part 3!

Here's the next 1000 or so words of my novel. Hopefully it doesn't suck (but it probably does).

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Something was kicking his brain. David opened his eyes. He was surprised to find that the room was familiar. It was his room. He was home.

“So you're finally up, eh?” Said Brenda.

“Brenda? Oh Brenda, I'm so sorry. I should have told you,” said David

“David, it's fine. I'm proud of you. I'm willing to let this one slide because of the circumstances.”

“Circumstances?”

“Your bosses told me what happened when they showed up at our front door with you passed out in their arms. They said that, due to your great performance in the office, you've been given a promotion and you all went out to celebrate. Apparently it's difficult to politely turn down another beer.”

“Oh, uh, yeah well, you know.” said David, fumbling for words and desperately trying to remember the previous day.

“I can't believe they gave you such a large promotion. You'll be making business trips and making important business deals. We can afford a boat and you now have no reason to put off making a university savings account for the kids. Your bosses told me since you were clearly in no condition to do so and I was about to smack you conscious,” said Brenda. “There's some iced tea on your bed stand because I know that's what you like to drink when your hung over. Yes, I still remember things from our university days. I'm going to make us some bacon for breakfast, we need to celebrate somehow.”

“Uh, thanks”

Brenda left the room and David could hear her footsteps as she descended the stairs. He looked over at the clock. It said nine past eleven. He took a drink from the iced tea.

“God bless her soul,” he thought as he savoured the drink.

He stayed in his bed for a little while, thinking about the previous day. There were plenty of chunks missing from his memory. He recalled entering the bar after he was fired but definitely did not recall leaving it. Some blurry ghostly images of two men in black suits haunted his memory. He recalled talking to them. He wondered if they were the ones who took him home. If they were, why did they have to make up such a ridiculous lie to cover up the truth?

“Oh shit! How am I going to break this to Brenda? I didn't get a promotion. Oh crap.”

He jumped out of bed. He paused, holding on to his knees. Getting up so suddenly like that was not such a good idea.

Every creak of the stairs along with every explosion of the Saturday morning cartoons the kids were watching made him regret ever being born. He walked in to the kitchen to find Brenda there, tending to the bacon sizzling in the frying pan. The smell calmed him instantly.

“So you're finally out of bed?” said Brenda.

“Heh, yes,” said David. “Listen honey...”

“Here's your bacon,” interupted Brenda, tossing a some strips on to a plate and placing them in front of him.

“Thanks dear,” said David. “The terrible news could wait until after bacon.”

“Kids, come and get some bacon,” yelled Brenda into the living room.

First came Josh bounding with his seemingly near limitless energy followed shortly by Claire looking disdainfully at her younger brother's jumping antics.

“We've got some good news today. Your father got a promotion at his job. Here's your celebratory bacon,” said Brenda.

“Congratulations daddy,” said Claire, putting her arms around him. “I'm happy for you.”

“Aw thanks honey,” said David.

“This is the absolute worst,” he thought to himself.

“Yeah, good job dad,” said Josh.

“Thanks bud,” said David.

“What does this mean, though,” said Claire, inquisitive as ever.

“It means we can get new things,” said Brenda.

“Like what?”

“Like, a boat, or a new car, a new house, or maybe a cottage.”

“That sounds so cool.” yelled Josh. “I want a dirtbike.”

“Maybe when you're older, squirt,” laughed David, watching his life pass before his eyes.

Brenda and the kids continued to create long lists of every new thing they wanted to buy. Each more expensive and useless than the last and each new item mentioned caused David more and more to want the world to disappear. Erasing all his lies and mistakes as well as the lies and mistakes of others.

Gradually the conversation began to die down and the kids left to play outside and Brenda collected the dishes and placed them in the sink. The kitchen was soon silent.

“Now is the time, David. You have to tell her now. Do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, I can't do it, do it, do it, Do it, Do It, DO, IT,” said his mind.

“Ah, um, listen Brenda,” he stammered.

“I know, honey, you're probably tired and sore. Just go back to bed, don't worry about a thing,” she replied.

“Augh! Don't tempt me like that!”

“No, it's not that,” he said. “It's just that...”

“Oh, before you go back to sleep, your bosses told me that they want to meet with you tomorrow for lunch.

“Really?” David almost yelled.

“Yeah, they said to be at Evergreen Thai at noon, do you know where that is?”

“Yes I do, it's right outside of St. Patrick station and it's delicious,” said David. “You know honey, I think I will take a little nap. Wake me up if you need me.”

“Sure honey.”

He expelled a sigh of relief as he turned around. He was thankful that he could, for a little while at least, put off telling the truth. Maybe these new so called bosses of his could help him out. He was curious as to what they wanted from him. He walked up the stairs.

“Make sure you thank your new deity or something, because you are getting one, and if you make it out of this ordeal alive it will be because of him.”


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