Hump Day Short, Short Story

~ John W. Howell

Wednesday is here and I’m sure we are all glad it is. I have noticed the summer flying by. I was talking with some folks and came to realize their kids go back to school in two weeks. I can hardly believe it since it only seemed like yesterday that it was Memorial Day.(or even the Forth of July) The end of summer used to put me into a very dark place thinking of all the snow and bad weather to come during the winter months. Of course now that I live in an area where we really don’t start a so-called winter season until after Christmas, I am a little removed from empathy about the meaning of back to school. Today’s story is about the ending of summer. It’s not a back to school story but does explore the feeling of “being over.” The title coincidentally is It’s Over. I hope you enjoy it.

It’s Over by John W. Howell © 2014

“What do you mean ‘it’s over?”’

“Just what I said. Do you not hear me?”

“I hear you fine, I just don’t understand.”

“Let me explain it to you then. You see there was you and there was me. Then there was you and me. Now there is you and there is me again.”

“You breaking up with me?”

“That’s pretty cold.”

“Excuse me, but what’s pretty cold.”

“The term breaking up. I would hope we would just call it we are now ourselves again.”

“You are yourself without me?”

“Yeah, sorta.”

“’Sorta.’ What do you mean by ‘sorta’”?

“C’on Helen. Let’s not make a scene.”

“Frank. The only scene to be made is me wondering how I picked up your useless ass from the gutter and made you into something and now you say we are no longer a pair.”

“Yeah, well sometimes we have to do good for others to really feel good about ourselves.”

“So helping you get to the top was good for me?”

“Good way to look at it.”

“So if you somehow take a dive and fall to the bottom I will cease to feel good?”

“Another good way to look at it. What’s that?”

“It is a Glock 9MM Frank and I am preparing myself to get real sick over your decline.”

26 thoughts on “Hump Day Short, Short Story”

  1. Frank really has to start learning to check people for weapons before he does stuff. The overall story reminds me of a rock song too, but I can’t remember the name. I think one of the lines was ‘don’t you want me, baby’. Not sure if that’s the title.

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    1. Frank only has an internal focus. He can’t possibly see danger, nor others reactions. Narcissist squared with a touch of sociopathology. The song was by Human League “Don’t You Want Me Baby.”

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  3. Charles is right. Frank needs to start doing security checks before he delivers bad news … but then that wouldn’t be Frank, would it? A good one, John. I always think I know how the story will end but I never do 😉 Happy Hump Day!

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  4. I know it’s only the first week in August, but I feel like summer is over because my son started back to school today – so early!

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  7. How will Frank get out of this one? I am impressed with his ability to screw up continually, yet never have any consequences. I wish I could figure out how to do that. 🙂

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