Morning all. Coffee is brewing and I very badly want to put my mouth under the brew pt. I won’t mostly because I know I will burn myself but it is tempting. Instead we will will do the writing prompt. Timers set for fifteen minutes and off we go.
Not sure where this is going but I kind of like it.
Wednesday, June 5th: He smiled for the camera.
He smiled for the camera. He did his best to make it look natural and not forced and as no one c0omplained, he thought he did a fairly good job. The annual family photo taken Trevor stepped away from the group. He made it through the massive family dinner. He swallowed the insults along with the excellently prepared meal brought in from a local catering company and he managed not to directly insult anyone.
‘I even smiled for the camera,’ he told himself. It was more than he expected he would be able to do and felt proud of himself. ‘A task worthy of the trials of Hercules,’ he told himself.
But he was done. He knew he didn’t have the patience for even one more of his cousin’s jibes or his father’s snide comments. He was in no mood to hear his grandfather make grand pronouncements condemning his life or to hear his mother chime in about his wasted potential.
‘All while the aunts nod along like bobbleheads.’ Trevor fought back a sigh and walked back into the house. He had come straight from work, knowing that if he stopped off at home and made himself comfortable he would have a harder time talking himself into leaving again.
‘And comfort isn’t the dress code here anyway,’he thought. His work suit was appropriate for the evening and so he wore t. He just needed to reclaim the bag he used as his pseudo briefcase and he could be gone. He found the bag where he left and picked it up slinging the strap over his head as he did so. His steps didn’t slow down as he made his way to the door. He thought he heard someone calling his name, but he ignored it and continued on.
He was desperate for escape. The insults he swallowed back were circling and all of the things he refused to let himself say at the table were gathering on his lounge. He had a limited window to escape before he let them fly. He made it to his car and was relieved beyond measure to find it not blocked in by anyone else. he tossed his bag into the passenger’s seat and got inside. He saw movement t the front door, but fastened his seatbelt and put the ar into motion without looking back. He heard his name being called as he pulled away from the curb but he ignored it too.
“I am done” He told himself. He turned on the radio and took a deep breath. His family had never made any show of accepting his decision to walk away from the family company. They complained about it and ridiculed him for it. Usually the comments and insults were kept to a minimum. Tonight it seemed as though every other word uttered was designed as an attack. he didn’t know what changed but he knew he couldn’t take any more.
Trevor heard his cell phone ring. It was muted as he left it in his bag for the family event. It was too easy to have someone call him with an emergency and give him an excuse to flee. “I do not talk on the phone when I am driving,” he said loudly to the empty car as he drove on.
Given that someone had followed him to the door, he expected that it was family calling. He had no inclination to answer it. The phone stopped ringing and Trevor relaxed. It started ringing again. He wondered if it was someone else trying or the same person.
“Don’t care,” he said. He turned the radio up and began to sing along. By the time he pulled into his own driveway he had fourteen missed calls.
Ten til Midnight 