「ザキさん、こんなクソ寒い夜中になんの用ですか」 空気も凍るような寒さの夜、理由も告げずに俺を稽古場へ呼び出した小劇団の先輩、崎山に不満を隠さず声を掛けた。そこは、稽古場というより廃倉庫といったほうがしっくりくるボロ屋で、風が吹かないだけ外よりマシという状況だった。貧乏劇団ゆえ暖房器具など置いてすらない。 「おう、すまねぇな、森田。ちょっと見せたいもんがあってな」 「金貸してくれってのは無しですよ」 「そんなんじゃねぇよ。芝居の話だ、芝居の」 崎山はもう四十も半ば、芽の出ない役者だ。売れない理由は、今時となっては珍しい「飲む」「打つ」「買う」と三拍子を見事に揃えた素行の悪さが、業界中に知れ渡っているせいだった。どこぞの脚本家の奥さんに横恋慕して旦那に殺されかけただの、賭場で負けて裸で電車に乗って留置所に入れられ...
He glanced up for at least the fiftieth time as Jen, "not Jennifer," bent to get more soapy water on the sponge she was using to wash the old, but still serviceable, family sedan. Falling for the farmer's daughter, he thought. How cliché. He went back to working on the financial analysis of the farm's books, unable to make sense of them. This was harder than...
When Kim decided to remodel the loft in the old barn and make it into a private studio, she'd gotten all excited at just the idea of it. Her own private place to get away from the world, to sit back and let her mind wander and play. A reading room. An office. A haven to listen to music and drift away from everyday hassles and responsibilities. Watching the s...
edited by abashed-dreamer ========================== The four handmaidens laid out the beautiful gown. It had just this morning arrived from Italy. Six seamstresses had worked four weeks to prepare the velvet gown to the Princess's specifications. The details in gold and pearls alone were worth a King's ransom. The handmaidens oooh'd and ahh'd over the lov...
There was a young woman I knew named Terri, who at the time I met her was twenty-five. She was a supple, beautiful woman with creamy skin, long lovely brown hair, deep blue eyes and long, thin subtle fingers with perfectly manicured nails. Her arms and legs were feminine, slender and long each exhibiting a delightful grace and elegance one rarely sees. Even...
The snow began falling an hour ago and it looks like there are at least 3 inches on the ground as we drive up to the side of the cabin. A single lamp on a side table lights our way as we enter. You stand there, in the doorway, looking around at what can be seen. It is just as I described it last night when you just couldn't wait to know where we were going t...
Seen from the skylight window, the back-to-back suburban rear gardens were a tessellation of wooden boxes. Slightly different shapes and sizes. Slightly different heights of fence separating them. Each a neat, closed cell. Some with children's paddling pools and trampolines. Some with decking or paving. Some with what Adrian considered to be stupidly expensi...
"I've...oh God, I feel bad about admitting this..." "Go on -- it's only a laugh." "Well, OK...but promise you won't tell anyone. Especially Chris." And so began the most amazing adventure... *** My wife, Jane and I are friends with a couple -- Chris and Lucy. Jane went to school with Lucy and -- how can I put this? Lucy and Chris...they are of a religio...
Saturday morning began with a full country breakfast. Scrambled eggs with bacon, link sausages, hash browns, pancakes with fresh country butter and syrup, and thick slices of cantaloupe. After the dishes had been cleared and Papa Howard had puffed his pipe in his homemade wooden rocking chair on the front porch for a few minutes, we all went to our assigned...
Jacob Bard Daniel called her at work just before quitting time and told her he would be waiting for her at their loft downtown and for her not to be concerned about the lights not working. He had removed the fuses. Obviously, this was not going to be their usual romantic Friday evening rendezvous. He went on to assure her he had everything taken care of an...