short story

Songbird: The Rise and Fall of Jimmy B. Chapter III

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CHAPTER III: The Rise

Jimmy B’s knee bounced nervously.  He swallowed and swallowed again.  His mouth felt dry.  How was he going to sing with a dry mouth?

His new manager was looking over some forms and sat next to him on the couch.  “Son, you need to stop that thing from shaking.  I’m trying to read our agreement here.  I need to focus.”

Jimmy put his hand on his knee to get it to stop moving but it didn’t work.

“Jimmy,” his mother said, “why don’t you get yourself some water?”

He nodded and stood up.

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Songbird: The Rise and Fall of Jimmy B. Chapter II

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CHAPTER II: Discovered

Jimmy swept the floor dutifully.  He worked as a janitor for one of the small music studios that had opened during the disco fad and performed his duties with exactness and precision.  In this instance, his methodical and precise ways helped him excel.  Unlike when he went to school.  He managed to graduate a year after the rest of his class  but it was a struggle. The only way he made it was with his mom’s help.  That first year of junior high was particularly rough.  At least until his mom and him developed a coping system.  Every day he came home and discussed some new social situation he was unfamiliar with and together they developed a plan.  Armed with a memorized script of what to say if the situation arose again, he would go to school the following day.  Of course, what was rehearsed the night before rarely occurred two days in a row but after several months, he had enough scripts and practiced scenarios he was able to navigate school. 

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Songbird: The Rise and Fall of Jimmy B. Chapter I

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CHAPTER I: School

James Bernard Peternelli sat in the chair quietly.  Just as his mother instructed him to do.  Of course, everything James Bernard did was donequietly.  That is why he was sitting outside the junior high school’s principal’s office.  He could hear his mother’s raised voice as she spoke with the principal and guidance counselor.  Did he understand the meeting concerned his fate at the school?  The school officials didn’t think so but his mother certainly did.  That was why the two of them were at the school.  His mother was determined to prove he had every right to be taught in the public school.

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The Christmas Dinner: Chapter V

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Chapter V

The bedroom was illuminated by the soft glow of a lamp next to the bed. The curtains were closed which made the room dark even though it was midday. Stewart Junior sat by his mother’s bedside. He wasn’t sure how long he had been sitting there or what the current time was but he continued to sit. Ever since his mother’s nurse, Tad Perkins, had informed the four siblings that it wouldn’t be long now. But how long ago was that he couldn’t tell. As a middle-aged man, Stewart’s aching back would argue with Nurse Perkins assessment of ‘long’ but he refused to move. There was no way he was not going to be by his mother’s side when she finally passed.

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The Christmas Dinner: Chapter IV

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Chapter IV

Sarah squeezed Amy’s hand again and the bedroom faded away. The two friends sat at the kitchen table but there was no Christmas dinner. The kitchen was in perfect order not often, if ever, seen. At least, Amy could never remember it looking so pristine. It was also quiet. The sounds of the children playing and watching tv in the other room had faded away. Only the two women were there and neither of them spoke. Sarah waited for her friend to say something.

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The Christmas Dinner: Chapter II

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Chapter II

Amy stood at the kitchen sink washing dishes.  She watched the gentle snow fall outside.  In a few short hours, the house would be filled with family gathering for Christmas Eve dinner and there was plenty that still needed to be done.  But she couldn’t bring herself to work on the meal.  Somehow, she had managed to get the turkey in the oven but that was all her energy level allowed.  It was all she could do to hold back tears as she thought of her conversation with her husband last night.

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The Christmas Dinner: Chapter I

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CHAPTER I

Amy stood at the kitchen sink washing dishes.  Although it was taking her longer than usual because her thoughts kept drifting as she looked out the window.  A gentle snow had been falling most of the day but that wasn’t what she was thinking about.  There was still so much to be done and she needed to take advantage of the quiet time while the baby was sleeping and the kids were downstairs watching Christmas movies but she couldn’t focus.  Her parents and in-laws would be coming for Christmas dinner in a few hours, yet she couldn’t stay on track with finishing the preparations.  Sure, the turkey was in the oven slowly cooking its way to perfection or at the very least, something edible, but all the side dishes needed to be fixed.  Yet, here she stood, staring out the window, her hands slowly wiping the dirty dishes and numbly placing them one by one in the drain.  No matter how many times she shook her head to regain focus, her thoughts always drifted off to one particular thing: her marriage.

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Story behind the Post – The Hitman’s Retirement

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It all started when I found a phone in the gutter. I wondered what the story could be. So, I put something together. As always happens to me, my eyes were bigger than my stomach or in this case, my writing aptitude. I thought I could easily make this a 10-chapter story. Turns out though, I just needed some better editing. But it was too late. I already committed to writing a 10-chapter story not just a normal 5-chapter story. So, I set about stretching it for two months. The story started in July and finished in September with a break in August.

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