Thursday December 29th, 2011

The exercise:

Your writing task for today requires you to create something to do with: support.

At 11:30 this morning it was 16 degrees here. Welcome back, spring!

Mine:

The men studied the blueprint they had stretched across the surface of the dinner table, their fingers twitching for the coffee mugs that held it in place. If they hadn't been so distracted while laying it out, they would have used empty mugs for the task. As it was, they were trying not to rush through their analysis for the sake of more caffeine.

"It's a beaut of a design," one of them said and the others nodded their agreement. "The layout of the living room and the way it flows into the kitchen is particularly sweet."

"You said Cody is responsible for it?" the man to the first speaker's right asked. "Man, I should hire him the next time I'm looking to build. The guy that did my current place must have got his degree from his neighborhood's kindergarten class."

"Can we focus, please?" The third man to speak stared at the others, daring them to continue. "Thank you. Now. This is the main support beam, correct?"

"Yessir," the first speaker confirmed. "We blow that bad boy up and your ex-wife's home will come crashing on down in a big old hurry."

5 comments:

Greg said...

Wow, that temperature sounds a bit abnormal for December! Is it set to continue, or is it just one of those little blips? We've been have a fairly warm week here -- temperatures all around 11, but I think it cools down again next week.
Heh, all that admiration for a place they're going to demolish! Though I'd not hire Cody, not if a single beam is all it takes to destroy the lot!

Support
"And we're cutting off your child support benefits."
"But why?" Janice looked distraught, near to tears. Her mascara, already badly applied and lumpy, started to run as her eyes started to leak.
"Because you have no children. When my supervisor found out about this he spent two days threatening to cut off much more than just your support payments if he caught you."
"But... but I depend on those payments!" Janet was snivelling now, her nose was running and she was pulling tissues out of her bra. "If you stop them my elderly aunt might die!"
"Your elderly aunt has died six times in the last four years, and you've claimed funeral allowances and Grief Aid in each case. If she dies again we're claiming the body in the name of science."
"My dog," tried Janet, a little weaker now. "He needs special food."
"Your dog, accordingly to surveillance photographs, is mostly fed by your neighbours and by helping himself to trash cans. The only thing special about the food you give him is that it's non-existent."
"You're taking away all my support!" screamed Janet, standing up and tipping her chair over. Behind the plexi-glas window the case-worker smiled.
"We're trying, Miss Apple. We're trying."

Cathryn Leigh said...

Marc - that's ah... 16 C right? Cause today it was 30 F and I had to scrap ice off the windows. :}

Greg - and Marc too - my goodness your are dreary sorts *grining giggles* Good think I'm hear to lighten the mood!


Support
(Plese sing to oh where oh where has my little dog gone)

Oh where oh where has Jason gone?
Oh where oh where could he be?
His left his training
And Dissapeared
Supporting Sarah under the tree

Marc said...

Greg - pretty sure it was just a blip, and a single day one at that. The forecast isn't calling for much over zero for the next few days.

Janice/Janet sounds like quite the character. She's got some creative ideas on how to get free money!

Elor - yup, Celsius. I'm sure I'll be dealing with frosty cars again soon enough :P

Hah, that's quite a bit of fun to read with the additional guidance you slipped in ahead of the poem :)

Anonymous said...

Support

Like the roots
that support the oak tree,
which supports which?

Like the foundations
of a building,
a good marriage has long love
which supports it.

Like the woman, newly widowed,
she doesn’t cry today, 
she lets you cry on her shoulder,
who’s supporting whom?

Marc said...

Writebite - I really liked the different takes on this one, in particular the last one.

It's strange how often the ones that need the support end up being the ones doing the supporting.