Wonder City Stories #55
May. 11th, 2010 01:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wonder_cityThis story arc has been published as a novel!
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---
Protect Me from Throwing Any Part of Myself Away
"I can't believe you even called her, much less met her," Megan said, rubbing the spot between her eyebrows.
Simon leaned his chin on his hand and looked away across the Sufferin' Sappho Cafe. This had the counterproductive effect of summoning one of the butch servers, and he blushingly asked for a refill on his water glass.
Megan sighed after the water glasses were topped up. "So, how did it go, anyway?"
Simon still wouldn't meet her gaze, and fidgeted with his silverware. "It went... surprisingly well, actually. She's... she's been doing some reading up and stuff. And she was kind of embarrassingly grovel-y."
Megan cocked her head to the side. "That's more than I expected from her."
"She said she used to be a reporter," Simon said as the server delivered a bowl of piping hot edamame and a discard bowl. "She said that, given that, she had no business making judgments without information." He picked up one of the edamame pods and worried a bean loose with his front teeth.
Megan rolled her eyes and grabbed her own pod. "She didn't have any business doing that, whether she was a reporter or not. And plenty of reporters are asshats about that particular subject."
"Give her a break, Megan," Simon said, rolling his eyes. "She's, you know, older. And she's trying."
Megan tore open a pod with her fingers and popped the three beans thus revealed into her mouth. "So she begged your pardon and you granted absolution and went your separate ways?"
"We-ell," Simon said, examining a pod that was missing one bean. "She also told me something."
"Really?"
"She's, er, married."
Score one for Watson, Megan thought. Aloud, she said, "You're kidding."
"No." Simon studied a smooth little green soybean intently, running his fingernail around its edge. "She's married to that guy... the Brass Guardian? Bronze?... the one that's been in a coma for 10 years."
"Bronze," Megan said. "Feldstein? That guy?"
"Yeah." Simon popped the bean into his mouth. "She said she's a little out of date because of it."
"But she's still living in the same house and, like, taking care of him, isn't she?"
Simon nodded. "But he's brain dead. She's been alone for 10 years, Megan."
Megan peered at him, suspicious of the pleading tone of Simon's voice. All at once, she said, "You two went back to your apartment after you talked, didn't you?"
Simon blushed again and ducked his head, but his ears turned and stayed dark red.
Megan thought, disgusted, Score two for Watson. "Oh, Simon."
"It was really nice," he said in a tiny voice.
The server arrived with their sandwiches, and they ate in silence for a while.
Finally, Megan said, "Which one did you use?"
Simon nearly choked on his Not-At-All Asian Chicken Salad Sandwich. Megan waited patiently as he swallowed and drank half a glass of water, then reinforced her question by waggling her eyebrows.
Simon laughed until he was sliding out of his seat.
He wiped his eyes finally. "The Great Blue Willie, if you must know."
Megan whistled. "Her husband must've been built like a horse."
Simon giggled helplessly. "She said she was making up for lost time."
---
From the author:
This Friday will mark the one-year anniversary of Wonder City Stories! I'm glad I managed to time the postings so that the number of this post felt significant-ish. As we go into Year Two, we are fast approaching the end of what I consider to be Volume 1 of WCS, and I've already started writing pieces of Volume 2, so it looks like the saga will be continuing. :)
Thank you, everyone, for your support over the past year! Please keep reading, and commenting, and anything else you can think of!
Best,
Jude
Vote for us at Top Web Fiction!
Buy in print at Createspace or Amazon!
Buy the ebook at Kindle | Kobo | Apple Store | Scribd | Inktera
---
Protect Me from Throwing Any Part of Myself Away
"I can't believe you even called her, much less met her," Megan said, rubbing the spot between her eyebrows.
Simon leaned his chin on his hand and looked away across the Sufferin' Sappho Cafe. This had the counterproductive effect of summoning one of the butch servers, and he blushingly asked for a refill on his water glass.
Megan sighed after the water glasses were topped up. "So, how did it go, anyway?"
Simon still wouldn't meet her gaze, and fidgeted with his silverware. "It went... surprisingly well, actually. She's... she's been doing some reading up and stuff. And she was kind of embarrassingly grovel-y."
Megan cocked her head to the side. "That's more than I expected from her."
"She said she used to be a reporter," Simon said as the server delivered a bowl of piping hot edamame and a discard bowl. "She said that, given that, she had no business making judgments without information." He picked up one of the edamame pods and worried a bean loose with his front teeth.
Megan rolled her eyes and grabbed her own pod. "She didn't have any business doing that, whether she was a reporter or not. And plenty of reporters are asshats about that particular subject."
"Give her a break, Megan," Simon said, rolling his eyes. "She's, you know, older. And she's trying."
Megan tore open a pod with her fingers and popped the three beans thus revealed into her mouth. "So she begged your pardon and you granted absolution and went your separate ways?"
"We-ell," Simon said, examining a pod that was missing one bean. "She also told me something."
"Really?"
"She's, er, married."
Score one for Watson, Megan thought. Aloud, she said, "You're kidding."
"No." Simon studied a smooth little green soybean intently, running his fingernail around its edge. "She's married to that guy... the Brass Guardian? Bronze?... the one that's been in a coma for 10 years."
"Bronze," Megan said. "Feldstein? That guy?"
"Yeah." Simon popped the bean into his mouth. "She said she's a little out of date because of it."
"But she's still living in the same house and, like, taking care of him, isn't she?"
Simon nodded. "But he's brain dead. She's been alone for 10 years, Megan."
Megan peered at him, suspicious of the pleading tone of Simon's voice. All at once, she said, "You two went back to your apartment after you talked, didn't you?"
Simon blushed again and ducked his head, but his ears turned and stayed dark red.
Megan thought, disgusted, Score two for Watson. "Oh, Simon."
"It was really nice," he said in a tiny voice.
The server arrived with their sandwiches, and they ate in silence for a while.
Finally, Megan said, "Which one did you use?"
Simon nearly choked on his Not-At-All Asian Chicken Salad Sandwich. Megan waited patiently as he swallowed and drank half a glass of water, then reinforced her question by waggling her eyebrows.
Simon laughed until he was sliding out of his seat.
He wiped his eyes finally. "The Great Blue Willie, if you must know."
Megan whistled. "Her husband must've been built like a horse."
Simon giggled helplessly. "She said she was making up for lost time."
---
From the author:
This Friday will mark the one-year anniversary of Wonder City Stories! I'm glad I managed to time the postings so that the number of this post felt significant-ish. As we go into Year Two, we are fast approaching the end of what I consider to be Volume 1 of WCS, and I've already started writing pieces of Volume 2, so it looks like the saga will be continuing. :)
Thank you, everyone, for your support over the past year! Please keep reading, and commenting, and anything else you can think of!
Best,
Jude
Vote for us at Top Web Fiction!
no subject
Date: 2012-01-27 07:53 pm (UTC)Also, Oh, Simon.
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From: