BAD HAND
BY :ME
A wheezy rattle ripped through his nostrils. The blowout woke him to reality. The sticky film around his eyelids made it hard to open. The murkiness in his eyes made it hard to focus as the swimming room went back to calm waters.
He could still feel the toxic chemicals treading in his veins. He struggled to remember the events that led him to collapse in his moth-eaten bed. He forced himself up, the room shook out of focus. His head thumped in muffled drums to the beat of his heart. He coughed to dismiss his lungs from hissing and wheezing.
After fumbling for a cigarette from the bedside table, he took the smoke into his lungs and exhaled the unwholesome poison in a long careless sigh. He felt a chill on his sock less foot. While searching for the missing sock his mind became lost in thought.
His life was a giant pause, anchored from one day to the next. Stagnant. He abandoned himself from the human race. Her laughter was absent from the house. The sunshine that once painted the walls in gilded golden hues now replaced with greasy gray grime. Furniture gone, abandoned shelves, the house lay in dilapidation. He faded with it. The cigarette fell to the dusty floor and was snuffed out by his calloused foot.
His legs trembled on the way into the kitchen. At the mercy of thirst he opened the last PBR and flooded his empty stomach. He lifted his right arm to whiff the pungent bouquet emanating from his armpit. A hot shower came to mind. How long has it been sense he washed his polluted skin and changed his discolored clothes? But what was more apparent, he was out of beer.
The phone was ringing when he returned from the store. Al was on the other line and asked him to come over for another card game with the guys. Like he had anything important going on. He put the phone back on the receiver and sucked down another beer. With $58.00, a bottle of vodka and a case of beer, he made his way out the door.
It was a typical Tuesday night at Al’s. raunchy porn on the outdated Tv, stail pretzels in plastic bowels. And 5 overweight deadbeats sitting around the table drinking beer and talking about woman they never had. The air was thick with stale cigar smoke and countless shots of vodka. He was up $12.00 when his vision began to sway violently. He needed to call it a night. One more hand. The steaks were high while the bank overflowed with crumbled one dollar bills and fives.
With two men out he had a good hand. Much better than any tonight. He raised $20. one man folded. It was now between him and Al. he raised Al again, but Al was out of money. “Tell ya what”, Al said. I have some collateral worth well over $20.00, what do you think?”
He agreed and dropped his hand. Al bluffed. $64.00 and Al’s collateral, time to hit the road. They stumbled outside and Al submerged from the back yard with the collateral, an old goat on a leash. They all burst into laughter. He was way top drunk to argue so he put it in the back of the truck and sped off down the road.
The next morning he was aroused by wet soppy kisses all over his face. He flew out of bed when his eyes opened. Then it all came back to him why a goat was in his bedroom. He took it outside to find a place for it. There on the side of the drive way was an old neglected dog house. The dog died years ago. It would work out fine. He found an old towing chain and tied the goat to it and the dog house. He brought out an opened can of chili and fed it to the goat. He then went to work.
A week had gone by and he found himself at another poker game. He lost big that night, luck was not on his side. He drowned himself in vodka and beer before he left for the night.
When he got to his home he turned the truck around and started to back up his drive way. His drunken expert driving skills made him zig zag on and off the road. Then the truck jolted and bumped over something large. He kept his foot on the gas in spite of the obstruction he just drove over. He needed to get up to the house and use the bathroom.
The next morning, he lifted his head out of a dried puddle of vomit under the toilet. He stumbled out of the bathroom and looked out the window while he washed his mouth out with beer. There on the drive way was something large laying still.
When he got up to it, it all came back to him. He hit and ran over the old goat when he came home.
He was too tired to deal with it so he picked it up and threw it in the old pool next to the house. Floating next to it was a green rancid dead rabbit blanketed in autumn leaves.
BY :ME
A wheezy rattle ripped through his nostrils. The blowout woke him to reality. The sticky film around his eyelids made it hard to open. The murkiness in his eyes made it hard to focus as the swimming room went back to calm waters.
He could still feel the toxic chemicals treading in his veins. He struggled to remember the events that led him to collapse in his moth-eaten bed. He forced himself up, the room shook out of focus. His head thumped in muffled drums to the beat of his heart. He coughed to dismiss his lungs from hissing and wheezing.
After fumbling for a cigarette from the bedside table, he took the smoke into his lungs and exhaled the unwholesome poison in a long careless sigh. He felt a chill on his sock less foot. While searching for the missing sock his mind became lost in thought.
His life was a giant pause, anchored from one day to the next. Stagnant. He abandoned himself from the human race. Her laughter was absent from the house. The sunshine that once painted the walls in gilded golden hues now replaced with greasy gray grime. Furniture gone, abandoned shelves, the house lay in dilapidation. He faded with it. The cigarette fell to the dusty floor and was snuffed out by his calloused foot.
His legs trembled on the way into the kitchen. At the mercy of thirst he opened the last PBR and flooded his empty stomach. He lifted his right arm to whiff the pungent bouquet emanating from his armpit. A hot shower came to mind. How long has it been sense he washed his polluted skin and changed his discolored clothes? But what was more apparent, he was out of beer.
The phone was ringing when he returned from the store. Al was on the other line and asked him to come over for another card game with the guys. Like he had anything important going on. He put the phone back on the receiver and sucked down another beer. With $58.00, a bottle of vodka and a case of beer, he made his way out the door.
It was a typical Tuesday night at Al’s. raunchy porn on the outdated Tv, stail pretzels in plastic bowels. And 5 overweight deadbeats sitting around the table drinking beer and talking about woman they never had. The air was thick with stale cigar smoke and countless shots of vodka. He was up $12.00 when his vision began to sway violently. He needed to call it a night. One more hand. The steaks were high while the bank overflowed with crumbled one dollar bills and fives.
With two men out he had a good hand. Much better than any tonight. He raised $20. one man folded. It was now between him and Al. he raised Al again, but Al was out of money. “Tell ya what”, Al said. I have some collateral worth well over $20.00, what do you think?”
He agreed and dropped his hand. Al bluffed. $64.00 and Al’s collateral, time to hit the road. They stumbled outside and Al submerged from the back yard with the collateral, an old goat on a leash. They all burst into laughter. He was way top drunk to argue so he put it in the back of the truck and sped off down the road.
The next morning he was aroused by wet soppy kisses all over his face. He flew out of bed when his eyes opened. Then it all came back to him why a goat was in his bedroom. He took it outside to find a place for it. There on the side of the drive way was an old neglected dog house. The dog died years ago. It would work out fine. He found an old towing chain and tied the goat to it and the dog house. He brought out an opened can of chili and fed it to the goat. He then went to work.
A week had gone by and he found himself at another poker game. He lost big that night, luck was not on his side. He drowned himself in vodka and beer before he left for the night.
When he got to his home he turned the truck around and started to back up his drive way. His drunken expert driving skills made him zig zag on and off the road. Then the truck jolted and bumped over something large. He kept his foot on the gas in spite of the obstruction he just drove over. He needed to get up to the house and use the bathroom.
The next morning, he lifted his head out of a dried puddle of vomit under the toilet. He stumbled out of the bathroom and looked out the window while he washed his mouth out with beer. There on the drive way was something large laying still.
When he got up to it, it all came back to him. He hit and ran over the old goat when he came home.
He was too tired to deal with it so he picked it up and threw it in the old pool next to the house. Floating next to it was a green rancid dead rabbit blanketed in autumn leaves.
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