Good Wednesday, my peeps! Well.. for another 7 minutes in my neck of the woods anyway! Didn’t think I’d have the energy to come up with anything and then tried not to go any particularly direct route (as I like to do, anyway) so… voilà…
Thank you to Rochelle for keeping us in line each and every week. Thank you to all of you who participate and reciprocate, which makes this weekly get-together all the better. And this week, thank you to Yvette Prior for allowing us to use this photo… I won’t even ask what that’s all about, k? To play along, please click on the blue frog below. Not sure how this works? Easy peasy! 100 words – no more but less is accepted (not including the title) – one story, beginning, middle and end. Hook up with the frog!
Not Fit For Company
She had that deep, sexy voice you just couldn’t forget. And a laugh that included everyone within hearing distance. And, always dressed to kill. Not overkill, mind you, but always in good taste, well put together, you know? Clothes, make-up, jewellery, the whole shebang. Never ever would you see her out in public in sweat pants and no make-up. Never in a million years.
Had never been inside her home, always said it wasn’t fit for company. Laugh and say, ya right! Then one day, she called. She’d fallen and couldn’t get up. So I went. Man, she was right.
Q,
Are you outing Kathie Lee Gifford? LOL.
What a masterful collection of lung cancer she has accrued on that coffee table! And I’ve got to think her falling has something to do with her beverage of choice. Hopefully she fell close to the coffee table so’s she could partake whilst waiting for help!
Love your coffee ‘clash’!
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B,
I dunno, am I?
That is quite the paraphernalia, eh? I wasn’t gonna go down that whole lung cancer route, though I came *this* close…
Glad you enjoyed…
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I mean . . I haven’t seen that many lighters since Bon Jovi was touring!
And I like to think this was Kelly Ripa’s future . . just because.
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Buahahahah! Love it!
And… why not? Too funny, B… Too funny…
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Ditto Q. With warm maple syrup on top! And umm . . hold the Winstons.
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Mmmmaple syrup…
Oh? You sure you don’t want one now and again?
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Now and again yeah, but I ain’t spell it Winstons . . .;)
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Might start with an upside-down Dubya… like Marly, eh?
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Whoa dudette! Get outta my head!
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Too late!
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Security!!!
My cat is looking at me like . . “Sorry dude, I ain’t security but if you want to feed me a third meal, I can pretend . .”
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Ha ha ha ha!
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Great character portrait, Dale
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Thank you, Nei!
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Terrific voice, I really love the casual conversational style – a neat and realistic story, Dale.
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Thank you, Jilly.. Almost went in another direction. Kinda glad I didn’t.
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Her place… it looks like a batchelors flat after three months of no girl friend to convert him from his sluvernly ways. Your spin painted a hoarder an eccentric older lady that let it all run away from her … until she had no choice. I envision her coming home from hospital and the neighbours have her house pristine all ordered and clean. The woman as crotchety as hell that the nosy buggers have rooted through stole her stuff and made it smell like a perfumed bordello. Haaaahaha! Sorry Dale I got soemwhat carried away. Good work!
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Haha! i love that you got carried away! So much fun…
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Now its my turn 😇
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Yes!!
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At least she was honest about her housekeeping.
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That she was!!
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Her reality didn’t quite live up to the external facade. Nice one!
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Thank you, Alistair… No, it didn’t, that’s for sure.
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A glimpse behind the glamour and the sheen. Nicely done.
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Thanks, Iain. Appearances are not always representative, are they?
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I loved the way you showed how a person can present a different image to the world in complete contrast to their private life. Nice take on the photo prompt, Dale.
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
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Thank you, Susan. I much appreciate your comment!
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At least she’s still alive – after all, I thought she was gone! Well done gathering a story from that mess!
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Thanks, Frank. I was going to go the whole cancer route but just couldn’t. Figured there would be a couple and I was right 😉
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Ha! There’s a saying in Hindi, which loosely translated means- An elephant’s ‘show teeth’ are different from the teeth he uses to eat!
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Love that, Anurag!!
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Yea, that view in the photo doesn’t exactly suggest a smartly put together person. It looks more like the debris I’d leave behind me. Nice realistic twist.
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Thank you, Crispina. It doesn’t at all. Glad you liked.
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My mum always used to say to such people: außen hui, innen pfui, meaning neat on the outside, ugly on the inside. Great take, Dale, I think that lady had servants in an earlier life. 🙂
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I dunno. I’m not the neatest housekeeper but I could not have a table in that state!!
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Nicely done! I think my coffee table might have looked almost as messy back in my smoking days. (I’m glad those are over!!)
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Maybe after a party…
And am I ever glad mine are as well!
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Dear Dale,
Housekeeping just isn’t a priority with everyone, is it? I loved the contrast between the lady and her house. Yikes. I hope the MC could find her fallen friend under all the debris. Good one.
Shalom and hugs ❤
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle,
Nope, that it is not! I wanted to show that appearances could be contradictory. Doesn’t mean she is a bad person, just her priorities are elsewhere. I like to think so!
Lotsa love,
Dale
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Back when I was a carpenter, we built a house next door to a guy like your character. He dressed impeccibly, but you could barely see the floor inside his house and the kitchen table was piled with empty TV dinner trays, flies, and ants. I almost hurled!
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Makes you wonder, doesn’t it? How do they stand it? And, how do their clothes not become infested?
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I loved the voice in this story because it’s so beautifully conversational. It feels like having a gossip with you about a third party. You chuckle at the contrast without ever being malicious. It’s a super story – I loved it!
And what a good prompt it turned out to be, didn’t it?
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Aww thank you, Penny! You leave the best comments! I am so very glad you saw there was no maliciousness.
It really did! I am glad it didn’t cause an insane amount of the same story over and over. I like to think that everyone is trying to go outside of the box..
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🙂
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Great take Sis, sometimes people tell the truth 💜💜
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Thanks! And right? Why would she have lied?
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No reason at all 💜🤞
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Is there an explanation for her double life? Everybody kind of has private and public personae, but she plum overdoes it.
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For all we know, this was a rare messy day… or not.
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She probably wears sweats around the house, too.
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Well I have seen worse. And I find the messy place too distracting. Bot everything has to be perfectly angled.. but I appreciate less messy.
I enjoyed your take. Light and funny.
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Glad you did!
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Nothing like going through a sea of trash to save someone. Excellent use of the prompt, Dale.
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Thank you, John. So glad to see you out and about (so to speak)
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Yes. Not too much out and about. I did have dinner at the table tonight but the therapy exercises keep me pretty busy.
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Manner of speaking. You do what you need to so that you can be up and about!
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I have never worked so hard under such painful conditions. I finally found the medicinal word that seems to help. FUCK!!! I can then throw a noun or pronoun in for additional leverage. Me, you, it, them, us, him, us. You know how it goes. 😀
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I can only imagine…. It is the “go-to” word, is it not? And depending on the vehemence used, can be more or less satisfying! And yes.. nouns and pronouns add leverage as does using FUCK as a verb or adverb… I’m sure you could do a whole post on it once you are no longer feeling such pain…
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LOL. I think I coud, Dale. Thank you.
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😀 Any time… If you need a hand 😉
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Would be fun. When my brain clears maybe we could take a swing at a post.
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That would be awesome!!
Me? Collaborating with a bonafide author…
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Hold on. Who you calling bone a fide?
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You, Smarty Pants! 😉
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I know right?
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😘
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🙂
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I like the way you avoided the cigarette / cancer write.
I folded and went with it. I guess it’s because I detest smoking so much.
Anywho … my 2nd thought … who lives like this??? Eeekkk !!!
Great job on writing this little tale of filth discovery.
Izzy 😎
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I almost went there… came *this* close! But then… and maybe it was just one bad day? 😉
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The things we hide… outside appearances mask a lot. Great great piece
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Thanks so much, Laurie!
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That was a killer ending!
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Good you like!!!
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There’s a lot of things that are left unsaid that jump to the fore in this, Dale. Loved the tone and the details.
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Thank you, Varad. I am so very glad you did.
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The character, the contrasting personality, completely reeled me in. Good story.
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So very glad it did, Piyali
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ah, the secrets of a ‘perfect’ image…
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Right?
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magnificent – in so few words…. 😉
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Oh thank you so much, Kiki! xo
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You never really know someone, do you?
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Exackery… appearances are sometimes all that you see
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Oh yes, getting to know people can be scaaary! …for a keep to themselves introverted type anyway.
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Indeed!
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Me thinks she needs to sign up with the FlyLady.
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Maybe!!
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That was a nice take on the photo –
And there is no story behind it – but trust me – it is not any of my coffee tables – it is a picture I took while traveling (their hit tub was to the left) – and side note – I could not even be around cigarette smoke for many years because it made me ill – my throat would start to close (like an allergy)
–
And your story actually reminded me of an episode of “hoarders” I saw a long time ago – a middle aged lady was so tidy with her appearance and did outfits and makeup everyday / but her house was “buried alive”
–
Anyhow – nice social take
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Great little take, Dale. Even great comments. Love them all.
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Thanks, Kelvin.
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How sad. Beautifully written Dale.
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Thank you, Linda.
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The picture says it all – except for her wardrobe away from home. Great story.
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Thank you, Ma’am!
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You never know what goes on behind closed doors 🙂
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So very true…
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She sounds like a woman of extremes who is full of surprises! Intriguing character sketch.
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Thank you, Magarisa… sait-on jamais!!
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De rien, Dale… c’est vrai!!
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Behind closed doors, as they say. You built a great story,
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Thanks, Michael!
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I’ve never given this much thought before but I bet a lot of people are like that.
Good slice of life.
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It does make one wonder, doesn’t it?
Glad you enjoyed my slice!
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Love the last line – the incredulity of the narrator. It is odd how some people live in mess but can’t bear to seen as anything but perfect. Another great character portrait this week.
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Thank you, Sarah Ann. Glad you liked.
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Appearances matter to many. I once stayed for a week in my company’s shared accomodation with other bachelors. Personally all were well dressed but the house? Took me a day of cleaning to make it inhabitable.
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Yes indeed. Goes to show. And I swear, some are worse when it’s not their home!
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Oh wow! I want to know more about this character! Loved this.
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Thanks, Jan! Makes one wonder, eh?
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Very engaging story, Dale. Very interesting character. Based on how she carried herself in public, no one would imagine that her home would be in such a state. It’s funny that although she as much as admitted that it wasn’t fit for company, no one believed her until the narrator saw it personally. Great character illustration.
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Thank you! She was honest…
And I’m glad you enjoyed my character!
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Really great voice.
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Thank you, Lisa!
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