The Fifteen Minute Novel is a novel written fifteen minutes at a time with each week day’s section starting with the sentence from the previous day. At least it is attempting to be a novel. For now I am just aiming at one continuous story, worked on for fifteen minutes each day. Started Friday January 1st, 2021 (in case you want to search for the beginning. I can’t wait to see where it ends up. It could be good, or it could be a mess. We’ll have to see. For now, here is today’s fifteen minutes.
Day 212: “I take it you haven’t seen the news?”
“I take it you haven’t seen the news?” Tucker asked.
James frowned. “What news?”
Tucker ran a hand through his hair. “We might want to take this inside.”
James nodded and turned. He was starting to feel a tingling numbness spreading through his body. Bad news was coming. He could feel it. For as long ago as he could remember the tigling numbness in his body signaled the onset of bad news. It wasn’t any sort of premonition or second sight, merely a trained response. In his family showing the impact of bad news in public wasn’t considered acceptable. Hie father considered it a poor business tactic as had his step father after him. His mother considered displays of emption to be a social liability.
The spreading numbness was his defense mechanism. With it coating him, he could face the worst economic fiascos and personal distresses without so much as a flicker of unease showing. It helped him through many a business discussion and disgusted his ex-wife during their divorce proceedings. He hoped it would help him now.
James led Tucker into the house, spared a passing thought for the falafel mix he picked up on his last grocery store foray and had a hunch he would be trying it out on some other night. He suspected once Tucker left, James would be outsourcing his dinner requirements.
The two of them settled themselves in the living room. Tucker again ran a hand through his hair. He took a deep breath and looked at James. “Quick like a band aide and then questions and explanations?”
James nodded. His tongue was now a frozen lump in the bottom of his mouth. He doubted it was capable of helping him to form words. “Your mother and step-brothers are dead.”
James blinked. He was expecting the company to be facing criminal charges. He might have even guessed that one or both of his step brothers were going to jail. Dead hadn’t crossed his mind. James opened his mouth the speak found he had no words, and closed it again. Words circled in his brain but it was like they were all trying to shoot down the funnel into his mouth at the same time. As a consequence none of the words were getting through.
“There was a car accident, your mother was pronounced dead on the scene. We have no idea at this time if it was an accident or intentional. It could just be bad timing. It was raining and the car that hit her ran through a red light. We are investigating,” Tucker told him.
James nodded, glad he hadn’t needed to ask. The logjam of words was starting to break apart in his mind, but now the numbness he always used as a defense turned his fingertips icy. James wondered if he could freeze to death in his own living room.
Ten til Midnight 