952 Written by Unknown

I don’t know what to call him, the inflatable male doll that now exists in my apartment. It seems silly to name him something simple like Fred or Tom. Those names seemed too commonplace, too ordinary. I had thought of something exotic like Armando or Javier, but those were names reserved for the stories you tell your girlfriends about the steamy love affair you had while vacationing in San Juan. Truth be told, I do not know what to name the almost six foot tall plastic man with the wide eyes and a mouth shaped like an O. So I call him Stud, for short, until I can think of something else.
Janice has three kids, two Schnauzers, and a husband without a clue. She smokes Virginia Slims and wears designer shades while sitting in my apartment. She is a faded beauty, you look at her and can easily see the woman she once was.
“Marlin wants to take us to Florida for a vacation,” she says while lighting up one of her cigarettes. She blows the smoke away towards the window even though it’s closed. I watch as it clouds the air.
“What’s in Florida?”
“Disneyworld. He thinks we all need a break, which is true. I know I at least need one. But Disneyworld? My God.”
“It is the happiest place on Earth, or so I’m told.”
“He does this when we’re having problems, plan these elaborate trips. It’s supposed to make up for all the time he’s not there.” Janice walks over to the fridge and gets herself a soda.
“It’s over between us, but I don’t know how to leave. I’m not like you.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“That I couldn’t do all this,” she says, waving her hands in the air. “And anyway, I have to think of things like braces, mortgage payments, tuition. I can’t just leave.” Janice doesn’t say anything. I watch her as she rubs the muscles in the back of her neck. After a moment she picks up the soda can, pulls back the tab, and takes a drink.
“So Disney World,” I say. “I hear there’s a bad rainstorm coming that way too.”
“You can’t be serious,” Janice responds, in between long sips. “Of all things, we’ll be greeting Mickey in rain slickers and galoshes.”

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Posted on February 9th, 2009 in Fiction

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Sharing is good for the soul

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Mr. Stud

952 Written by Unknown

Comments by 952 People

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