Tag: Animals

Darryl & Delilah

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Flash Fiction: A Tale of two squirrels

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

“I’ve named them, you know?”
“Who?”
“The squirrels that keep coming to the stoop. I’ve named them.”
“You have, have you? Let’s hear the names!”
“Darryl & Delilah.”

MacKenzie’s older sister shoots her an odd look — one that questions her name-choosing skills, but the younger sibling stands her ground.

“Darryl & Delilah!? Mack, why on earth would you . . .”

“It’s simple. Remember that song Mommy used to sing when I was like 5? The one by Billy Joel, ‘Just the Way You Are’? I hear that song every time I see them running around, gathering acorns, and hoarding them under the flower pot on our stoop. Their names fit them. They seem like a happy couple — one that can’t live without each other.”

Misha stares at her kid sister in total disbelief. She can’t believe what’s coming out of her mouth, but then again, she thinks it’s best not to question 11-year-old girls whose parents recently divorced. She continues to listen without judgment.

“I see Mommy and Daddy in them. Mommy rushing to gather all the acorns. Daddy hustling to the stoop to lift the flower pot so Mommy can place the acorns there. They make a great team!”

And then the tears fall. Misha watches her kid sister turn into a mush-mouth full of anger and resentment and pent-up sadness on the corner of Circle Way and Todd St. Divorce isn’t simply dividing their family, it is changing them in ways they never thought it would. MacKenzie is anthropomorphizing the squirrels in the neighborhood now. What’s next?!

“Mack . . . it’s okay to cry. You know that, right? It’s okay to just cry. You don’t have to make up stories or see Mom and Dad in the squirrels that use our stoop for storage. You can just . . . cry.”

MacKenzie shifts her thinking head to the left, bats her lashes slowly, and leans into her sister’s personal space. She whispers . . .

“I know. But it hurts less when I make up stories.”

Misha pulls her sister into a tight embrace, smooths back the wispy hair from her eyes, and kisses her forehead.

*Sighs* “I know, kiddo. I know.”

Billy Joel, Just the Way You Are

Originally published in Hinged on Medium.

NaPoWriMo #20

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I Tricked You

Jernee hiding behind the pillow and sitting on another pillow. Apparently, she thought it was entertaining to have me search for her. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt

asleep
in
the
guestroom
away
from
all
the
fuss

the little monster ignores
my worried calls

and
I
start
thinking
she
died
while
I
was
busy
tending
to
a
catty
patient

she seemed to take
great pleasure in
temporarily breaking my heart

NaPoWriMo #16

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finding sweet rest

Jernee Timid Loadholt, asleep in one of her favorite places. Just so readers know, I’ve tried to place this bed in other spots in our living room, but Jernee will not sleep in it when it’s moved. She wants it under THIS TABLE only. Lol. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt

my sweet baby girl
a mountain in the rearview
of my healing heart

NaPoWriMo #2

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my love

Jernee Timid, sitting; enjoying the sun at my friend’s place. Photo Credit: Tremaine L. Loadholt

she looks at me with
awe settling in her pupils;
sweet nectar in my heart.

I love harder because
of her, and no one will
EVER take her place.

my love wakes me up
in the morning when the
sunlight kisses her nose.
I’m alert. I’m aware. I’m
forever changed.

she is my comfort, and
the welcome wagons that
come for me and don’t
want her are unwelcome

Jernee: A Glimpse

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Jernee: staring intently at me while my mom prepares a lunch she cannot have–sloppy joes. Video created by Tremaine L. Loadholt

I have my mom over for the weekend, and this is just a short clip from yesterday, of Jernee intently staring directly at me because she wanted some of what my mom was preparing to eat, which she could NOT have–sloppy joes!

When these two get together, a barrel of laughs is had. Lol. You can hear my mom talking in the background stating something along the lines of, “You keep saying she can’t hear and can’t see” and also, “She wasn’t paying me any kind of attention.”

My mom is a loud talker. Everything she says is at a volume I’d consider NOT being an “inside voice.” I’m certain that’s the blend of the Bronx, New York and West Savannah, Georgia deeply embedded in her upbringing. Lol!

I’m forever “Shushing” her and to no avail. Oh, but she is certainly funny, and Jernee & I enjoy her company from time to time.

She can be a bit much, though. This weekend, however, we are managing not to get on each other’s nerves too badly. So, I’ll take it.

Also, this is my first post using the Jetpack app which WordPress has basically shoved down my throat. Please tell me if the post is generated okay for you on your end.

I’ve also been using the Jetpack reader for about three days. Not bad. Not bad at all, actually. I may end up being a fan.