...part one of this story is called Truth Hurts...
...part two of this story is called Lying Down...
There was a great amount of distance between Karen and the book. She was studying for a grammar test at the community college. Studying was an uncomfortable act for her, so she preferred to keep the book at arms length.
She looked around the kitchen to distract herself. The stove's digital clock said 4:13 p.m. Her husband was gone and the baby was asleep so she had to study now. When Jon came home, it'd be too busy. Even Bruno, the family tomcat, had disappeared. Karen slept with him the night before. He was big and she was fond of him when Jon was away, but Bruno disappeared after she whacked him with a newspaper for ripping up the carpet. That was an hour ago.
He wasn't such a bad cat. He just needed to learn his place.
A few months ago, Jon told her he'd be attending more conferences. There had been an increase in medication for AIDS and HPV, he said. Karen was nine months pregnant at the time and not exactly sure what to do. For years, her whole life had been centered around Jon, but since he gave her advance notice, she decided to take the initiative. A small part of her hoped it wasn't because of their sex life.
She always wanted to work as a librarian so she enrolled at Riverside Community College. She gave birth to their daughter after the first day of class, then continued on like a determined wife and mother. Her gumption impressed everyone, especially herself. It hurt that Jon wasn't around for the birth, but feeling independent was a new strength. He was busy working.
She prayed they would survive the ups and downs of a baby and her career. It would be a lot of work.
Why couldn't she do it all? If she took one class at a time, there was no excuse. On Monday nights during class, her mother watched the baby and cooking dinner for Jon wasn't difficult. Not really. Their lack of sex had a reason now: she was a working woman. He understood. His conferences took his time, too.
He always came home talking about how much he missed her and the baby.
They had a strong bond. He proved it by waited on her hand and foot during the pregnancy. She couldn't wait until he got home to present the big meal she made. Steaks had been marinating; salad had been mixed in the fridge. He always came home starving.
She sighed and turned back to her book. Grammar made her feel ignorant. She loved to read, but she wasn't well-read. She preferred trashy Danielle Steel or VC Andrews books. Reading made her feel good, but learning grammar was a drag. She'd rather just absorb it.
She rose from her chair and poured another glass of Chablis; for comfort. Jon took her to the Temecula vineyards for their fifth anniversary. They enjoyed dinner and wine tasting to the sounds of Van Morrison. Very romantic. He even purchased a case to take home. It was an aphrodisiac.
They made love once after drinking that wine. Karen wasn't the type to be seduced, but her husband went out of his way. He had purchased a dozen bottles and she now saw eight left in the case. They must have had more wine then she thought. She could have sworn they only opened three.
Jon put up with work to earn a good living and care for them. There was nothing in it for him other than their well-being. He offered to pay for her education as well, a thought that helped her hold that grammar book closer to her head.
"If he can tough it out, I can too," Karen said out loud. She was studying commas.
"The comma," she read out loud, "is used in many contexts and languages. It's principal use is for separating things, such as dependent and independent clauses." Karen uncapped her highlighter and streaked it across the phrase 'separating things.'
Studying commas made her flash back before the days of the Internet, when she poured through card catalogs as a kid. She learned that book titles beginning with 'The' were separated with commas, to help with the alphabetizing.
Once she looked up The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland under T; she was shocked when the librarian told her it was listed under A. The listing read:
Adventures of Alice in Wonderland, The.
To further investigate, Karen looked up the word 'the' in her grammar book. It was listed as a definite article.
"The," she read, "is a definite article used before singular and plural nouns that refer to a particular member of a group. Example is 'The cat is on the roof.'" Karen highlighted 'particular member' and read on.
"Indefinite articles such as 'A' or 'an,' can refer to any member of a group, such as 'a girlfriend' or 'a wife.'"
Karen was 'a wife.' Her marriage was a partnership, so why she was wasting so much time studying? She didn't have to worry about dependent and independent clauses. Her husband didn't stick around because she was brilliant.
She picked up her glass of wine and made her way to the couch. With the remote control, she turned on HBO to see if any good movies were on. "The Way We Were" had just started. It had always been one of her favorites. Even though Streisand had such a big nose, she still liked the movie. When Redford cheats with that other prettier girl that he knew from college, the scene made Karen happy. She herself was more looks than brains. It was how she gained control.
The movie was half way over when Jon walked through the door. He made small talk about her class and the baby, then asked what she was watching. She told him and watched him turn green; he hated love stories. She persuaded him to watch it with her, calling him honey. He sat on the couch for a minute, but abruptly rose and told her he had to put gas in the car.
Karen was sad, but Jon came back with a bouquet of forget-me-nots. She understood his ruse and felt nothing but love. While their baby slept, they drank Chablis and made out on the couch.
Garbage - Stupid Girl
...part two of this story is called Lying Down...
There was a great amount of distance between Karen and the book. She was studying for a grammar test at the community college. Studying was an uncomfortable act for her, so she preferred to keep the book at arms length.
She looked around the kitchen to distract herself. The stove's digital clock said 4:13 p.m. Her husband was gone and the baby was asleep so she had to study now. When Jon came home, it'd be too busy. Even Bruno, the family tomcat, had disappeared. Karen slept with him the night before. He was big and she was fond of him when Jon was away, but Bruno disappeared after she whacked him with a newspaper for ripping up the carpet. That was an hour ago.
He wasn't such a bad cat. He just needed to learn his place.
A few months ago, Jon told her he'd be attending more conferences. There had been an increase in medication for AIDS and HPV, he said. Karen was nine months pregnant at the time and not exactly sure what to do. For years, her whole life had been centered around Jon, but since he gave her advance notice, she decided to take the initiative. A small part of her hoped it wasn't because of their sex life.
She always wanted to work as a librarian so she enrolled at Riverside Community College. She gave birth to their daughter after the first day of class, then continued on like a determined wife and mother. Her gumption impressed everyone, especially herself. It hurt that Jon wasn't around for the birth, but feeling independent was a new strength. He was busy working.
She prayed they would survive the ups and downs of a baby and her career. It would be a lot of work.
Why couldn't she do it all? If she took one class at a time, there was no excuse. On Monday nights during class, her mother watched the baby and cooking dinner for Jon wasn't difficult. Not really. Their lack of sex had a reason now: she was a working woman. He understood. His conferences took his time, too.
He always came home talking about how much he missed her and the baby.
They had a strong bond. He proved it by waited on her hand and foot during the pregnancy. She couldn't wait until he got home to present the big meal she made. Steaks had been marinating; salad had been mixed in the fridge. He always came home starving.
She sighed and turned back to her book. Grammar made her feel ignorant. She loved to read, but she wasn't well-read. She preferred trashy Danielle Steel or VC Andrews books. Reading made her feel good, but learning grammar was a drag. She'd rather just absorb it.
She rose from her chair and poured another glass of Chablis; for comfort. Jon took her to the Temecula vineyards for their fifth anniversary. They enjoyed dinner and wine tasting to the sounds of Van Morrison. Very romantic. He even purchased a case to take home. It was an aphrodisiac.
They made love once after drinking that wine. Karen wasn't the type to be seduced, but her husband went out of his way. He had purchased a dozen bottles and she now saw eight left in the case. They must have had more wine then she thought. She could have sworn they only opened three.
Jon put up with work to earn a good living and care for them. There was nothing in it for him other than their well-being. He offered to pay for her education as well, a thought that helped her hold that grammar book closer to her head.
"If he can tough it out, I can too," Karen said out loud. She was studying commas.
"The comma," she read out loud, "is used in many contexts and languages. It's principal use is for separating things, such as dependent and independent clauses." Karen uncapped her highlighter and streaked it across the phrase 'separating things.'
Studying commas made her flash back before the days of the Internet, when she poured through card catalogs as a kid. She learned that book titles beginning with 'The' were separated with commas, to help with the alphabetizing.
Once she looked up The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland under T; she was shocked when the librarian told her it was listed under A. The listing read:
Adventures of Alice in Wonderland, The.
To further investigate, Karen looked up the word 'the' in her grammar book. It was listed as a definite article.
"The," she read, "is a definite article used before singular and plural nouns that refer to a particular member of a group. Example is 'The cat is on the roof.'" Karen highlighted 'particular member' and read on.
"Indefinite articles such as 'A' or 'an,' can refer to any member of a group, such as 'a girlfriend' or 'a wife.'"
Karen was 'a wife.' Her marriage was a partnership, so why she was wasting so much time studying? She didn't have to worry about dependent and independent clauses. Her husband didn't stick around because she was brilliant.
She picked up her glass of wine and made her way to the couch. With the remote control, she turned on HBO to see if any good movies were on. "The Way We Were" had just started. It had always been one of her favorites. Even though Streisand had such a big nose, she still liked the movie. When Redford cheats with that other prettier girl that he knew from college, the scene made Karen happy. She herself was more looks than brains. It was how she gained control.
The movie was half way over when Jon walked through the door. He made small talk about her class and the baby, then asked what she was watching. She told him and watched him turn green; he hated love stories. She persuaded him to watch it with her, calling him honey. He sat on the couch for a minute, but abruptly rose and told her he had to put gas in the car.
Karen was sad, but Jon came back with a bouquet of forget-me-nots. She understood his ruse and felt nothing but love. While their baby slept, they drank Chablis and made out on the couch.
Garbage - Stupid Girl
3 comments:
i really really like it.
i don't think you know me.
i live in Malaysia, and i am just a teenager.
I came across your blog, and so, since i liked it, i linked you.
that's all.
Nabila's right.
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