Such a Generous Man/Fiction

That awful morning a shaft of light suddenly shone into the room, despite Natalie having done her best, in a preposterously inebriated state the night before, to pull the draperies shut tight. You see, she did not want to wake up early. Her goal was to sleep in—way in. Why rush to wake up? But the vagabond beam had somehow signaled some primal instinct in her brain. Despite her best efforts to ignore the mechanical urge to slide out of bed—she did just that. On her feet, not steady, but nonetheless on her feet, she remembered. Jason had chosen Mia, after all. He would return home to his wife and kiddies. Time to head for the shower stall, turn on that hot water, and rinse the stench of her handsome businessman lover off her skin. How many times, over and over and over, had Jason pronounced Natalie to be the most beautiful woman alive? Barely having only just celebrated her twenty-second birthday, the poor discarded mistress thought, woman my ass! And she began to scrub herself raw with the loofa.

Posh hotel rooms had become the norm. Prior to meeting Jason, Natalie had never set foot in a hotel lobby, let alone the likes of the stately suites he favored. He made it a point to introduce her to the good life. In her previous incarnation as a proud college graduate, The Brown Cow Steakhouse had been her idea of a great place to go for dinner. But, since taking up with Jason on a vacation in Seattle, he had single-handedly done his best to accustom Natalie to loftier fare. Loftier everything. The prospect of crawling back home to Spokane Washington disturbed her to such a degree; she could think of nothing else to do but lean up against the marble wall like some sort of rag doll, under the steady stream of hot water, to cry her eyes out. Sure, in the end she would miss Jason, but how could a girl from a relatively modest background ever willingly give up the ridiculously luxurious way of life he had exposed her to?

Jason wasn’t a monster. Arrangements had been made. The room was hers until Monday. He’d been kind enough to leave a pile of cash on the night table, under the phone. Also, a ticket back home, and a note telling her that he would never forget their erotic times spent together. Jason's assistant answered his cell phone when she called. “Where is he?” Her voice had taken on a shrill and strange register, even to her own ears.

Leo, Jason’s assistant, was a short-little-sawed-off-asshole. They had never cared for each other, and Natalie could hear the glee lurking behind his pathetic effort to sound detached as he replied, “In the South Pacific, with Mia and the children, that’s as specific as I’m allowed to get.”

“Specific, Pacific, don’t put me on. You tell him that he better call me back, and right away,” she threatened.

“Leave it be, Natalie,” Leo warned.

“Don’t tell me what to do.” It was obvious that the little shit weasel had put her on speakerphone, and she couldn’t help but wonder if Jason was listening in.

“He’s made up his mind, from here on in,” Leo told her, in the most cautious tone, “to be a good husband, and a good father. It’s over, Dear. Accept that.”

Natalie caught a glimpse of herself in the full length mirror on the armoire in the corner of the room, her long legs were tan and smooth, her breasts were full and natural. She was everything that Jason could not resist, despite his absolute resolve to head back home so he might play good little mate and daddy extraordinaire. The guy would not be capable of pulling off his little act at domesticity, and Natalie knew it. “Jason had better give me a call,” she advised. “Or I might just show up at his doorstep one day soon. I might just sign up for dance classes.”

Leo let out an involuntary sound, a yelp of sorts, followed by, “Don’t you dare! It would be a mistake to bother the family. It would be a huge mistake to show up at Mia's dance studio. Look, between you and me, Jason dawdles; don’t read into it more than it meant. He was fooling around. Surely you knew that?”

Natalie told Leo to wise up. After counting the bills she headed on over to Nordstrom’s. It came as no surprise when she discovered the wind had been taken out of her sails. There was no impetus to purchase a damn thing. In the end, after ducking into a wine bar, it just made sense to let the-over-the-top-gay-waiter choose a Chardonnay on her behalf. When her phone began to vibrate in her purse Natalie retrieved it, realizing that the call was coming from Jason’s number, her heart began to pound madly. For a brief five second interval she considered not answering. But really, she could not, not answer, now could she?

“It’s me Sweetie,” Leo’s nasal voice assaulted her senses, and the very notion of the jerk using a term of endearment made Natalie’s face turn red and grow warm. She kept quiet while he went on to say, “I have a proposition for you Dear.”

The super-modern-dream-come-true loft apartment overlooked Elliot Bay. As time passed by Natalie came to view Jason as a philanthropic beneficiary. How downright fortunate, to have met such a generous man at such a young age, what a lucky girl she was!







All Rights Reserved. © 2009 by Elizabeth Bradley.

I can read your blogs but I can't leave a comment. Google must be having problems again today, these glitches are getting rather tiresome. I blocked out a length of time to read and comment on Blogger and I can't accomplish what I set out to do. I'll try again later.

All Rights Reserved. © 2009 by Elizabeth Bradley.

HONEST SCRAP

Oowie Peewie, I've won the HONEST SCRAP award. I can't capture the picture for some reason. Marguerite from Cajundelights  bestowed it upon me. How sweet she is, and if you haven't been to her blog, scoot on over. Good food, good times, and you'll learn just how FUN being Cajun can be. 

I'm going to take this opportunity to thank everyone that follows my blog, or leaves a comment. I'm kind of new to blogging and you've all made me feel real welcome. Reading your blogs has expanded my world. Some of you bloggers out there are sweet, some of you are spicy, some of you are naughty, and some of you are just plain hilarious. 

Last night I went and saw the movie Julie & Julia. Blogging is featured in the film. Meryl Streep deserves an Oscar, (big surprise), and it was amazing to see how Julie Powell's blog became so popular SO FAST. Just in case you're unfamiliar with Julie Powell, she wrote the blog that did so well, was pursued by agents and publishers, and then went on to write a book about her experience, and that book inspired the movie. 

I guess as part and parcel of receiving this award, I'm supposed to tell you guys 10 things you don't know about the author of this blog. Here goes:

*I grew up in various locations in The Pacific Northwest. I love it up there and miss the country. I even miss the rain!

*Got one older brother, and one younger sister, so that makes me a middle child.

*Three things drive me absolutely up a wall, untangling necklaces, cleaning ovens, and going to see a doctor (for any reason).

*Over the course of 16 yrs I gave birth to five children.

*Cooking turns me on, I'll whip you up something yummy if you come to visit.

*You could say I tend to be a bit picky about order. But having the 5 kids REALLY mellowed me out.

*Worry, stress, and lack of sleep, all tend to hit me in the stomach. I have to take medication when it does. So I've learned to drink yogurt every morning, and to meditate when things get hectic, in order to avoid keeping the makers of Zantac in business.

*My birth sign is Virgo, my rising moon is Scorpio.

*At the age of three, I could write my name out in cursive. My brother taught me, all nineteen letters. And by the age of four I was reading. My parents would have me read at parties to entertain their friends.

*I'm crazy about my husband. He's the best person I know. He's like George Washington, he cannot tell a lie. Really, he's incapable of lying.

Whew, I did it!

All Rights Reserved. © 2009 by Elizabeth Bradley.

Under the Temecula Sun

We spent the past weekend surrounded by family. Yesterday afternoon, The Husband took my brother and our son-in-law out for a walk while my daughter and I made a trip to Target to buy a bathing suit for the baby. Somewhere along the line, The Husband and The Brother decided to go for a real hike. So, The Son-In-Law (he was pushing The New Baby Granddaughter in a stroller) returned home with the three dogs, and the two older guys took off. They ventured far beyond the housing developments, off into a more rustic and rural landscape. When they returned a couple of hours later, we heard about their discovery—an ancient olive grove with an incredible abandoned stone farmhouse. I’ve mentioned before, the husband is a photographer, but he doesn’t take his camera with him when he walks the dogs, so he didn’t have one. Drat, and double drat.

Okay, who doesn’t love ancient olive groves and abandoned stone farmhouses? I can’t imagine anyone not finding the description they furnished utterly enchanting: after climbing a long grassy hill, upon reaching the crest and beginning their descent, they spied the olive trees. That photo at the top of the page came from the Internet. My attempt at setting the mood…

Anyway, the stone farmhouse sounds fantastic to me. A dream come true. After I stop hyperventilating, I ask, “Is it for sale?” I’m already buying a ticket at the gas station and winning the lottery in my mind. Fixing the place up, restoring what’s been cast aside back to its former glory. I read “Under the Tuscan Sun”, which by the way had nothing whatsoever to do with the stupid movie of the same name. My imagination has been captured. My imagination is in jail.

There’s no way to drive to the location. So, it’s safe to say a hike is in my future.

What captures your imagination?






All Rights Reserved. © 2009 by Elizabeth Bradley.