Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Three Word Wednesday






The rules, if you wanna call 'em that, are here.
Today's Words: Forgotten, Hotel, Obscure

Whistlin' Dixie
Continuation of "Rotten Egg"
The flight from Atlantic City to Miami was quick, but only because Michelle slept the entire way. Any dreams or nightmares she might’ve had were forgotten by the time her eyes were done reluctantly opening.

Her first waking thought was of her sister Janice, and how worried she must be. She flipped open her cell phone and realized it had been on for the entire flight. “Shit.” An elderly woman standing in the aisle with the rest of the herd gave Michelle a disapproving look. Michelle ignored the old woman and dialed. Sis had been worried, but knew Michelle was cautious, though maybe a little too spontaneous. They had a quick chat that ended with the promise of another phone call in a few hours.

Michelle was fastidious organizer; that included packing, and remembering to pack everything. Once in the rental car, she went through her mental checklist:

Cell phone
Lipstick
Bags in trunk
Trunk closed
Purse
Credit card
Money
Directions
Phone number

The list-checking went on for a minute or two longer as she double-checked herself.

The radio came on as soon as she started the car. A male singer from an obscure group sang an obscure song from the seventies. Her mind drifted as she tried to force a high school memory. But right now, getting out of the parking garage and onto the open road was more important than distant memories.

Once the tires of the car were on the surface of the Palmetto Expressway, a feeling of relief overcame Michelle. A wrong turn took her on a brief stretch of the Snapper Creek Expressway that turned out to be not so wrong. She saw a hotel, but decided to pass when she saw the South Dixie Highway sign. Merging into traffic, Michelle felt another wave of relief – this time a sense of freedom she hadn’t felt for years. She’d been married to Richard for 23 years – since she was 25. She knew exactly where the South Dixie Highway led.

The humidity didn’t bother her, nor did the bright sunlight that forced her eyelids into a painful-looking squint.

Michelle groped for the cell phone on the passenger seat. After she caught it, she flipped it open and deftly dialed a ten-digit number without looking at the keypad. And just as the phone touched her ear: “Hello?"

8 comments:

paisley said...

excellent.. and in my old neck of the woods... keep driving girl!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I read both parts and I like the characters and descriptive way the story unfolds.

Rose

xo

TC said...

She’d been married to Richard for 23 years – since she was 25. She knew exactly where the South Dixie Highway led.

I love that. It's both ominous and promising. Way to keep us hooked! :)

Woozie said...

"Hello, this is Michelle"

"Bitch you gave me the clap! I oughta rape your face off!"

Anonymous said...

Too good...!! Waiting for more!

Shelley said...

Hello? Hello? What kind of way is that to end this episode? I have to wait another week to find out who she called? Was it her sister? Ol' Dick? Why are you doing this to me? Carlos, this is great! You had me from the beginning, now I am totally immersed. I hope she is going for a new life, a new experience. It is never to late to start anew.

Bone said...

I like the she's feeling free and seems to have few if any reservations or worries now at all. You do a good job of conveying that.

Anonymous said...

Loved her organizational skills and feeling of relief on getting to South Dixie Highway. Know it well. both the feeling of relief and the highway

The story gave me a sense of immediacy