Credit: lowtechgrrl.deviantart.com
WHY LEAVE ANYTHING
YOU THIEVING BASTARD?
Tammy Lynne spray-painted that question onto a piece of plywood, dragged it to the end of the driveway and leaned it against the mail post for all the world to see (well, at least the folks who screamed by in their cars and trucks along Route 481).
Tammy had returned home from her afternoon shift at the clinic only to discover that nearly the entire contents of the small cabin she shared with her husband Kevin had been removed. He left the bed, her dresser, a few chipped dishes, dented pots and pans, the worn couch, her CD player and all of her music.
The walls were bare. All of the art work that had served as memorabilia from their backpacking trips abroad had vanished. The pieces were the only thing of value that they owned. Well, maybe the snow blower and the tools; they were gone too along with the desktop computer that Kevin’s parents gave them as an anniversary present last year. He had the audacity to even take that with him too. Luckily, she saved all of her important information on thumbnail drives. Including those friggin’ incriminating emails between him and that case manager at the hospital. Did Kevin really think she would be that ignorant not to notice how those two looked at each other at the last hospital fundraiser? He spent most of the night ignoring her. Humiliated,Tammy spent it nursing one too many drinks at the bar and fending off the paws of Kevin’s mentor, Phil Keeley. He was one of those docs with big egos and small brains who was constantly trying to get in every woman’s pants except his wife’s. Tammy was sure the night ended badly because when she woke up the next morning, Kevin was sleeping on the couch.
Good thing he had no clue where she kept her secret stash of Hendrick’s gin. The stuff was expensive and hard to find. But Bobby, the bartender down at the Newtowne Tavern, was able to score some for her last month and didn’t charge her for it. She would probably have to find a way to return the favor someday. And Tammy knew exactly what Bobby liked as payments for his good deeds. Heck, he was a hottie; she might even enjoy paying back that debt.
In fact, it was the Hendrick’s that inspired her work of art. She was two drinks down and working on her third, listening to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Tuesday’s Gone” when the idea came to her. She found the plywood and paint in the shed. In her drunken stupor and the coming light, she tattooed her anger on a 10×12 sheet of pine.
*An older story that I found hiding on a piece of paper in one of my writer’s notebooks. Inspired by something I observed on a road trip last summer.
Building A Life Of Hope 
Kim — I love this!!! The perfect revenge and the piece expresses what so many women have had to deal with when their spouse, partner, SO decides the grass is greener elsewhere. I need to share this with a friend … her ex-husband didn’t take everything from their home, but cleaned out their bank account and removed her from all the joint credit cards…leaving her with about $50 in her purse … which he then stole $20. She moved on and for the better!
Thanks so much Annie. 🙂 I actually saw the sign on the side of road last summer and wrote the words down in my notebook. A few months ago I did a rough version and then rediscovered it yesterday.
I am glad for your friend. My ex did something similar in terms of money. It took quite a bit of time and much legal action to get back on my feet. He just kept refusing to take his stuff though! The latter provided fodder for my post “Baggage Claim” https://buildingalifeofhope.com/2013/04/20/baggage-claim/
And you know what they say about Karma… 🙂
A powerful story!
Your seeing the sign, and building a story around it creates a window into a human drama. The story resonates at many levels the ideas of betrayal, lost love, and the aftermath of a shattered and splintered lives. And, that for women, there can always be a price on “kindness,” that must be repaid. A very high price indeed.
“she tattooed her anger on a 10×12 sheet of pine” a fantastic imagery! Roadside signs rarely deal in such raw human emotion!
Thank you for the feedback! I guess hit the nail on the head with that one! I remember so distinctly driving by that sign and my fiance’ saying: “Someone is really mad!” That trip provided so much material for the stories I wrote that summer.
Great story…and start of a series if you want, Kim. The imagery, the metaphors are great. Brought me right smack with this woman…feeling her anger. I like how you add her drinking problem …very realistic and makes her human. This is a story so many can relate to as well…the reader has experienced or knows someone close who did…one of my good friend`s gift was her husband`s credit card debts of over $20,000 and he left for my friend`s sister. I have so much admiration for this friend and her resilience. If you wanted to do a series…you have so many issues in this one story to write about…the office issues, the backpacking, her art work, her drinking…and of course developing this husband of hers. Great! it leaves me thinking of all sorts of scenarios and that`s key of a good writer. Thanks so much for asking me to check this out. I am pretty behind in reading lately with work and writing has been my salvation to keep sane. Blessings, Oliana
I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to read the story and offering such detailed feedback. This is great! It is important that I develop a story and characters that readers can connect with-make them believable. I will definitely be exploring developing the story further. 🙂
Im trying as well to be a bit more organized and save stories with the same character…I am sort of liking that idea…you know like Leo Daudelin…he has lots to share still…and Jim…I want to get back to the original reason I started to write again. You have so much talent, Kim:)
You are so kind! Just today, a colleague and good friend at work was talking to me about my poetry and how it really moves her. I never thought that I possessed the creative force that is now driving me, but here it is!
Keep working on your idea. Last summer, I ended up writing a short story based on one character. It came from a FWF prompt from Kellie Elmore. In fact, it was the first ever fictional piece that I wrote in my life! Turned into an 18 installment piece!
Here’s the link to the original (in case you are interested:
https://buildingalifeofhope.com/2013/07/07/geographical-escape/
Many many thanks once again! 🙂 🙂
Thanks, Kim, I’ll read this next week on my week off or sooner if I can. The feedback here is very encouraging…I think I am slowly getting better and I love the prompts…KellieElmore and Dungeon Seekers and Mindlovemisery seem to get the best out of me:)
I have grown as a writer ever since I found Kellie. No pressure to read the series! BUT I know you will like it!! Good with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine…
I will start with my cuppa in the morning and finish with my glass of vino in the evening with cheese and baquette.
🙂