Me and Son Gundy are sitting in our lawn chairs, right here at the intersection of Yellow Road and St. Maggie’s. It is cold and it is snowing, and it’s only ten degrees. We lifted these chairs from Goodwill because no one was foolish enough to buy them. The manager – that would be Joe Bodine, him from over on Hiatt Street next to the old Courthouse – he helped us load them in the back seat, folded them proper so they wouldn’t get snarled. They’re decent enough chairs for when you’re sitting in the cold, waiting on accidents.
We pass a Thermos back and forth, and it’s filled with black coffee and Gram’s Special: two parts brandy and one part never-mind. We watch the cars slide through the intersection, brake lights flashing, but no pavement to grab hold because of the ice. The cars sometimes slide sideways, slide up against a No Parking sign or a power pole, sometimes up on St. Maggie’s Church lawn, but usually into each other.
Me and Son don’t mind. In a small town, it’s the only day-time entertainment we have. There may be a world of excitement somewhere, but it ain’t in Horse so you can cross that off your list.
We wait on accidents. That’s what we do. We watch them scuttle towards us and we sit still, waiting for fate to fall into place. We hope for the best, but maybe deep down we believe they are ordained. Son would laugh if I ever said such a thing out loud. The words that come from our mouths and the words we have in our heads aren’t always the same. They get tangled and sound foolish, even to our own ears. But with Son and me, we know what we really mean. So I don’t mind it when he laughs. It means he’s listening and figuring it out for himself.
Ordinary Handsome 
Like the new photo 🙂
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Thanks. Something warm and cheerful before the Trumpocalypse. 🙂
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Ahhh, those words inside our heads. Good thing you figured out what to do with them.
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Good thing I don’t have to say them out loud. 🙂
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“Two parts brandy and one part never-mind.”
I love that. Wonderful characterizations, voice, theme, creativity, words.
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Thanks, Diana. It’s an ongoing thing. 🙂
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I love the voice in this. Your words again painted a picture of the two I can see in my mind. Excellent, Steven. 🙂 — Suzanne
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Thanks so much, Suzanne. 🙂
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Reblogged this on Diary of an Internet Nobody. and commented:
I like discovering new styles of fiction writing and there is something quirky and yet accessible about the way Stephen Baird spins a yarn.
Check him out with this post from his blog, Ordinary Handsome…
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Thanks for the reblog! Much appreciated. 🙂
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My pleasure
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