The Date – Pass the baton challenge

Marla

She sat across from him, taking him in.

He was somewhat physically attractive, but it was his personality, his humor that got her to accept a date with him. Over the course of the last three weeks, they had talked for hours, sometimes getting so caught up in the conversation, neither slept.

Work had been a nightmare.

The pictures he chose for his profile were of the man sitting in front of her, no filters, no hazy images, and certainly not a single image from when he was practically in second grade; no, he was honest. She truly appreciated his honesty.

He asked her out, and she couldn’t say no — she liked the person she got to know too much.

As she looked at him, she thought….

Sasha

As she looked at him, she thought: How bad could it be? His eyes expressed joy, a little laughter, and his mouth was soft, without a hidden grimace.

Her experience with blind dates hadn’t been good, but her romantic inclination always implored her to give men the benefit of the doubt. It hadn’t worked out well so far but she thought: Truly, how bad could it be? Buy a meal. Drink something. Walk a ways. Maybe hold hands. Maybe even get in a kiss at the door of the taxi. She’s wasn’t taking him home, or going home with him, but she did so want to smell what he smelled like in a hug. She wanted to feel the texture of his skin, run her fingers up his hairy forearm. She wanted to check his teeth, to see if he was clean, and read the lines in his hands to see if he will live long.

While she was thinking all these things that he couldn’t read, he thought: I need to get you into my bed. Not a romantic but he wanted to hold her hand and look at it. He imagined putting a ring on her finger, not the ring. He also wanted a silver glittering bracelet on her thin wrist. He wanted to smell her skin and the top of her head and run his lips across her cheek. He really just wanted to feel whole.

Fandango

There was something magical happening between them and they were both feeling it. After they finished their coffee and dessert, Peter grabbed her hand, gently squeezed it and said, “These last three weeks have been life changing for me, Liz. I feel as if we’ve known each other forever. I know this is our first actual face-to-face date, but I am hoping I can persuade you to come back to my place for an after dinner drink. I only live a few blocks from here and I promise to be a perfect gentleman.”

Not too perfect a gentleman, I hope, Liz thought to herself. She felt flush. A slight tingling ran through her whole body. She was trying to decide if it was a warning sign or if it was an erotic rush. Perhaps it was both. Like Peter, she, too, felt as if it had been months, not just three weeks, since they first started talking, and she knew that she wanted him as much as he seemed to want her.

She was about to say yes to his proposal to join him for an after dinner drink at his place when a man, obviously intoxicated, walked up to the table, put his hands on Peter’s shoulders, and said, “Petey! Of all the gin joints, dude.” The guy looked over at Liz, ran his tongue across his lips, and said, “And looky, looky, looky at this hot chick you bagged. I see your mojo’s still running hot and heavy.”

Peter stood up and …

Paula Light

… flung down a wad of bills to cover the check, grabbed Liz’s hand, and said “Let’s get out of here. I know a shortcut through the kitchen. Hurry up!”

Liz was not happy about this turn of events, nor Peter’s sudden nasty tone of voice, and her desire for him evaporated instantly like a snowflake on her tongue. God, another loser, with a bunch of loser friends. Why does this always happen to me?

She pulled her hand away and stated, “I’ll get an Uber. Thanks for dinner.”

As Liz strode in the opposite direction to the lobby of the restaurant, she took her phone from her purse and tapped the Uber app. She sensed a presence behind her and whirled around, expecting to see Peter, but instead his friend stood there.

“Hi,” he said. “I want to apologize for my behavior at the table. I, uh, reacted badly when I saw Peter, and I wanted to get revenge for something he did years ago. Unfortunately, I put you in the middle of it, and that was inexcusable.”

Liz scowled at him. “If it’s inexcusable, then quit making excuses. I don’t want to be part of whatever petty drama you two are caught up in. Now, I’m going to get a ride and try to forget this evening ever happened.”

“Petty drama?” he laughed bitterly. “Peter was responsible for the death of my fiancée, is all. But OK, you didn’t know. I’m Charlie, by the way.”

“Whatever,” she muttered, noting that he seemed perfectly sober now.

Charlie continued, “Look, I can’t let you get an Uber. Haven’t you read the news about the serial rapist? We think he’s posing as a driver.”

“‘We?’ We who? You and your imaginary friends?” Liz snarked as she continued the procedure for getting a ride.

Then Charlie flashed a badge…

Jim

Liz said, “This whole night has been a total disaster and Peter sounded so promising and now I have to worry about a serial rapist.  It is no wonder my good friend Paula has given up on trying to find love, as who needs all these complications in their life.  Has this serial rapist been attacking multiple victims, or is this a single victim that was raped repeatedly over a period of time?  Whatever, it is horrible, but I would feel a lot safer if it was a single victim, and don’t judge me for saying that, as I feel really bad for her and for anyone that had to go through an ordeal like that.  What is wrong with men these days and why are they so unbalanced and out of control?”

Charlie answered, “I guess a lot of men have not grown up yet, as physically they are men, but mentally they are still mixed-up youths.  The women have all the power when it comes to dating and that can be dehumanizing for the average guy.  Men are expected to make all the first move, so this requires them to be confident and assertive and most women only care about money, and they constantly look for any possible red flag to give them an excuse to ghost the guy.  Dating is unfair and when a guy is honest it is even worse, so you can’t go around blaming men for everything that is wrong.  How about since I ruined your date, that I give you a ride back to your home, so you won’t have to worry about the rapist?”

Liz said, “That sounds nice, but first I have to make sure that you are not a rapist.  Let me take a picture of your badge and your driver’s license and I will email them to my mom and then I will feel safe being with you.  What kind of car are you driving, and I am going to want to take a picture of your license plate also.  While you are answering my questions Charlie, tell me how much money you make being a cop.”  Charlie said I have a Lincoln Continental and I am more than just a cop, as I am a detective and I do alright.  Charlie held his arm out for Liz to hold on to, and they walked out the door together.

Liz said, “This is more like it”, as they drove toward her home and then an alert came on Charlies’ police radio.  The voice said we have a 2513 on Washington Avenue and all available units are to proceed to help out.  Charlie said that he was still on duty and that he should respond and that he could take Liz with him if she promised to stay in the car, because this could get dangerous.  Liz asked, “What is a 2513” and Charlie told her that is a possession of firearm by a person addicted to a narcotic drug.  Liz said, “Oh, let’s go!”

Christine

When they pulled up to the scene, with all the flashing lights and a crowd already gathered, Liz felt adrenaline course through her body. Wow, she thought, this is a real crime scene!

“Don’t get out of the car!” Charlie barked as he leapt from the car.

Of course she wouldn’t get out, she thought, everyone had seen this stuff on television. The innocent bystander just has to see what is going on…they go…they get killed…story over. Nah, she’d stay put. 

Taking out her phone to prep it for a video of this whole thing she jumped as someone rapped on her window.

“Open up,” Peter shouted from the street.

“What? What are you doing here?” Liz screamed through the glass.

“Just open up and I’ll tell you,” Peter said.

With that Liz reached back and unlocked the back door of the Lincoln. Jim  Peter jumped in and slammed the door.

“Did you see that?” he huffed out.

“See what? I have no idea what is even going on. Why are you here?”

“I should ask you the same question!” replied Peter.

“Well your friend felt bad about ruining my night and when I said I was going to get an Uber home he told me about this serial rapist that is posing as an Uber driver and raping and killing women. He offered to bring me home. I had no idea where you even went off to or what the hell was going on. I still don’t!”

“Listen, Liz,” Peter said, “I wasn’t totally honest with you but I never lied about the way I felt about you. Charlie threw me for a loop and I got nervous. You see, about a year ago he was dating my sister, Meg. Him and Meg were engaged and I really tried convincing Meg not to go through with it. She was furious with me and told me that she was going to elope so that her and Charlie could get married and move on with their lives. I told her there was no way I would let my little sister marry such a creep. Charlie isn’t a great cop or detective like he says he is. He’s dirty. No one can ever catch him and I can’t prove it but I know the truth.”

“So what does this have to do with anything?” Liz asked.

“Well, the night they were supposed to run off I told Meg I needed to borrow her car for work. She didn’t care because they were taking this piece of crap,” Peter pointed around him. “Next thing I know she is walking down the sidewalk with her thumb out. I was like, what the hell are you doing?, and she said she was hitching a ride to meet Charlie since she had no car to use. Next thing I know a Dodge Ram pulls up and she jumps inside. The truck takes off and I am left in the dust with my jaw hanging open. Well, the guy in the Ram, he killed her. He took her out past that old brick building off I75 and raped and killed her.” His voice started to quaver. “It’s all my fault. If only I had let her take her car.”

“Oh my God, that’s what Charlie was talking about and that is the rapist he was warning me about! But I don’t get it. What does any of this have to do with Charlie being a dirty cop?” Liz asked.

“I don’t have proof yet but I think Charlie….”

Di’s bit:

“I think Charlie had a run in with that driver over a drugs bust and somehow he found out about Meg, which is why he killed her. The rape was just to cover his tracks to suggest it was the serial rapist who is still out there.”
Liz was now between a rock and a hard place, not knowing what to do.
“Look, ” Peter said. “You shouldn’t be here. He should not have brought you when he’s on duty. He’s put you in danger, even if you stay in the car. Come with me, my car is round the corner and I’ll take you home, which I should have done in the first place.”
Liz reached for her bag and as they were just about to get out of the car, they heard shots.
‘Officer down!’ came across the radio and Peter and Liz looked at each other in horror…………………………..

I have been nominated by Di to continue this story

Very soon it was apparent that the policeman hit was Charlie. Liz was in a shock at how things had changed rapidly and now the person she was thinking of as a potential mate was accusing the Charlie of being dishonest and corrupt. Charlie, who had “ rescued” her from an embarrassing situation was killed in an encounter with a drug addict with a firearm in his possession.

She had had enough trauma and drama to last her a long time. She flagged a taxi, bid Peter a frosty goodbye, and left the scene.

Next time she’ll only accept a date from a person she has actually met and not someone from a dating site.

~*~ End~*~

The story is now at more than 2300 words so I thought it’s time to end it.

Thanks everyone for participating in this saga. And Marla for starting this story.

#Keepitalive

#PassTheBaton

WDYS # 187 -A Roundup post

Pets

Our family

Loving and caring

Sometimes infuriating

Yet like a child, so endearing

They bring joy when we are sad

They bring comfort when our heart aches

Pets, a family that we treasure

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Beautiful, heartwarming entries this week in response to this image. Please click on the links to read the contributions of our lovely participants.

David; Out with the old; or a dog’s life

Reena; Treasure

Lesley; je suis un frenchie- A rhyme about a dog

Maria; Can we go now?

Keith; Why not

Destiny; Mr Frenchie

Ramya; pawsome adventure

Angela, What do you see

Sweeter than nothing; National crime agency

Jim; Fanny pack

Di; Photo shoot

Eugenia; Contentment

Susi; I’m ready

Suzette; Angel wings

Ken; The forlorn looking pooch

Sandy; Grin and bear it

Grace; Walk the dog

Ganga; A pet baby

Maya; My travel Buddy

Aboli; Grin and bear it

Michnavs; Hush

Jules; Braveheart?

Indira; Money matters

Nancy; Dog day afternoon

Punam; I can’t take it no more

O’Nika; You think you have problems

Fandango; Do you think I’m sexy

Melissa; Pout

I am grateful to all those who have read, shared and commented on these posts.

I will be posting next week’s challenge on Monday at 12:00 pm, PKT.

Thanks for reading.

#Keepitalive

#Whatdoyousee

#WDYS

My lost and found bag

While I love traveling overseas, even on my own, the thing I didn’t like, perhaps I should say hated was connecting flights.

Some airlines book your luggage to the end of your journey and that’s the most convenient way to travel but with some airlines, you have to retrieve your luggage and book it for the next flight.

On these journeys, losing the luggage is quite common and I had this experience when of my two bags, one went missing and I stood staring at the carousel going round and round with few bags on it which no one wanted, but my bag was nowhere to be found.

I waited for perhaps half an hour, as most people from my flight had left the arrival hall and just a few people were around, it was then I picked up enough courage and went to a help desk to ask about the whereabouts of my luggage.

It turned out that due to several flights arriving simultaneously, there were too many bags and they had offloaded some of them on the side of the arrival area, and I finally was reunited with my lost bag.

I finally made it to my next flight with a few minutes to spare, phew!

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In response to; Six Sentence Story- Carousel, hosted by Denise

#Keepitalive

#SSS

WDYS # 186 -A Roundup post

Connecting with my child

Bending down to his level

Making him feel understood

I do all that I have to as a mom

And pray that he understands

When I fail as a parent, as we all do

That I’ve always tried to be my best

And that my love for my child has

No other parallel except the love of God

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Beautiful, and moving entries this week in response to this image. Please click on the links to read the contributions of our lovely participants.

Carol Anne; Mama

David; Mine, or; you are your own

Michnavs; Mama

Reena; Don’t go

Maria; That’s true love

Keith; Sweet

Destiny; # Comfort #

Angela; I got you- WDYS

Aboli; Mama and child

Ganga; The joys of life

Ubiquitous Sense; Loving eyes

Jim; Her little man

Ken; Little man with a big heart

Punam; Dear mom

Eugenia; Remember

Ami; Just try?

Regina; Amazing love, forever love, a mother’s love

Rochelle; A picture from a friend

Fandango; Mother and child reunion

Sangeetha; You won’t

Suzette; Bridging

Sweeter than nothing; Jeremy

Melissa; Stairs

Phil; Covenant

Chaya; Role reversal

Jules; Mums the word

Grace; Forever bond

Indira; Heaven

O’Nika; Have I told you lately

My tales within; It ain’t big but it’s everything

Sandy; It’s enduring

Lesley; A mum’s lot

Jane, Trail of poems

Usha; What do you see- Mothers Day

Dawn; Chosen for a reason

Tanya; What do you see- Mother’s Day

I am grateful to all those who have read, shared and commented on these posts.

I will be posting next week’s challenge on Monday at 12:00 pm, PKT.

Thanks for reading.

#Keepitalive

#Whatdoyousee

#WDYS

Good news

The photo is from Andrea Piacquadio at Pexels.com

For the visually challenged writer, the photo shows a man sitting at a desk holding a cup of coffee in his right hand. He’s looking intently at the screen on his laptop and he has a smile on his face.

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Both the online test and interview were simple, and Danial got through them easily.

He was keen to get this job as this Fortune 100 company that he was interested in had a crumb trail leading to bigger, better jobs.

What he was worried about was his age. He wasn’t a young executive anymore, but having worked more than 15 years in hi-tech jobs meant that he might be considered too old for the beginner level.

He was solvent right now and had little savings in his account, but a job offer would be most welcome at this time with the current state of the economy.

Fingers crossed, he fired up his laptop and was happy to see the job offer.

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In response to the following prompts;

FFFC # 219, hosted by Fandango

simple | level | crumb | fortune| solvent

Greg’s Five words weekly challenge

Keepitalive

#gmgblob

#gb5ww

Beetroot red cheeks

Now very gently put the color on your cheeks while smiling, don’t overdo it, as you want a look that’s natural, not that of a girl blushing furiously due to embarrassment”!

Maria paused the tutorial and attempted the slightly flushed look the expert had achieved, but in her zeal to get a professional look, she used too much of the blush and her cheeks looked as if she was acting in a Victorian-era drama with vivid beetroot circles on both cheeks.

Her friend broke into peals of laughter when she saw the result, but Maria was a tough girl, she dabbed a bit of makeup remover on a sponge and wiped off the failed experiment.

Now I know how not to do it”, she said with a twinkle in her eyes.

Maria persisted in her efforts to learn the fine art of makeup and in a few months she was offering her services to friends and family.

The next step was to start her own makeup studio, and she never looked back after that!

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In response to; Six Sentence Story- Flush, hosted by Denise

#Keepitalive

#SSS

WDYS # 185 -A Roundup post

In my mind

I reach out to you

Just to touch you

Perhaps for the first time

Or maybe it will the last time

I want to borrow from your innocence

I want to shed the garb of worldly wisdom

And……

Just once again be that carefree child that I was

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A fantastic week in response to this image. Please click on the links to read the contributions of our lovely participants.

Ivor; In comments

Behind Your Mirror”

At the local veil sales
You will hear me ask
“Are you wearing a mask

I am lurking in the back pews
Beyond your mirror’s view
Waiting to be rescued

When you return home
If you roll away your mirror of stone
You will no longer be alone

Sangeetha; If

David; Touched or slightly mad

Maria; Past and present

Lady Sighs; You touched me

Kriti; What do you see # 185

Diana; Granddad grumps

Punam; Ombromanie

Ken; Finger pointing or reflective yearnings

Eugenia; Reflections

Aboli; Mirror, mirror

Melissa; Glass

Destiny; # me and me#

Jim; Looking back glass

Angela; What do you see?

Susi; Listen here, you

Komaljeet; A song to lost childhood

Reena; In between

Keith; Liar

Di; Love reflected in glass

Phil; Delving into the darkness to find reality

Elizabeth; Approval

Suzette; Intangible

Lady Lee Manila; What do you See

Grace; Reflective memories

Michnavs; Almost

Usha; What do you see # 185

Jules; New covenant

Sweeter than nothing; Glass into the past

Jenifer; Treasured cuddles

Yinglan; No reason to weep

Fandango; Rejuvination

Inkdrop; A Happy meeting

Sandy; Magic mirror

Dawn; Through the glass

Brenda; Transitions

Indira; A little touch of innocence

I am grateful to all those who have read, shared and commented on these posts.

I will be posting next week’s challenge on Monday at 12:00 pm, PKT.

Thanks for reading.

#Keepitalive

#Whatdoyousee

#WDYS

Partners in crime

The photo is from Cottonbro at Pexels.com

For the visually challenged writer, the photo shows an attractive blonde standing behind a tall desk smoking a cigarette. She’s looking down at a guy in a suit coat and he’s wearing a fedora on his head. He’s sitting in front of a typewriter and looking up at the blonde.

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She searched her apartment frantically trying to find it, but it wasn’t there, his ashes!

It was a mystery that stumped her. Where could she have placed that urn containing the ashes of her beloved husband? And it didn’t just have the ashes in it, the urn also was hiding the diamond necklace that her late husband had stolen before he died.

After turning her apartment upside down, she thought about her next step. She felt that the only logical solution was to approach her former boyfriend, Steven, who had a detective agency.

She made a deliberate effort to dress provocatively and drove to Steven’s office. He was sitting at his desk completing some paperwork. At seeing her there his eyes lit up.

She reluctantly explained her predicament and requested his help. Steven knew her late husband, Richard, quite well and wasn’t surprised to know that he had stolen the famous diamond necklace.

Together they went back to the apartment where Steven went through all the things of her husband, looking for clues. “Look, Diane, it’s clear that Richard had an accomplice and it must be them who stole that urn”.

If you agree to share the proceeds from that necklace with me, fifty- fifty, I will find it for you!”

Diane had no other option but to agree! They shook hands on the deal and became partners in crime.

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In response to the following prompts;

FFFC# 218, hosted by Fandango

FSS# 96, hosted by Fandango

Twiglet # 324, hosted by Misky

#Keepitalive

#FFFC

#FSS

dVerse- Posery- Finding our Pack

On this day without a date,
On a back street, dusky

— Charles Simic, from My Friend Someone

Here’s how to take part in the Prosery Prompt:
• Write a piece of flash fiction or other prose up of up to or exactly 144 words, including the given line from the poem.

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On this day without a date, on a back street, dusky night was just rolling in to take a hold and swallow the day completely.

Having lost all sense of time, she wandered these back alleys trying to find her lost self, a self that had eluded her grasp for many days now.

She remembered the day the truck had crashed into her makeshift shelter on this very street. It had destroyed whatever worldly possessions she had and had broken into smithereens the life she had painfully constructed piece by piece.

Ma’am”, called a polite voice from behind her, turning she saw a youngish woman with a kind expression on her face, “I’m from the local citizen welfare organization, I’ve seen you here on many occasions and was wondering if we can offer you a place to stay as you don’t seem to have a home?”

Tammy smiled, the mist was clearing.

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Word count; 142

In response to; dVerse —posery, hosted this week by Lisa

Also included Six Sentence Story- Truck, hosted by Denise

#Keepitalive

#dVerse

#SSS

WDYS # 184 -A Roundup post

People, from young to old

Wearing the yoke and chains of hard labor

Every day is the day to take up the challenge

With sweat and blood, they earn a few coins

What is their reward you ask

It’s only survival from day to day

We celebrate them just one day a year

What about the rest of 364 days?

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Fantastic entries again this week in response to this image. Please click on the links to read the contributions of our lovely participants.

Shreya; Naina and granny

Lady sighs; WDYS- Harmony

Reena; Labor Day

Maria; Mother’s labour

Pankaj; The water bearer

Diana; Generation gap

Aboli; Labour day

Angela; May women dream

Destiny; # Appreciation #

Jim; No rest for the weary

Michnavs; A mother

Chaya; The balancing act

Eugenia; Labor to savor

Susi; Survival

Di; Watch and learn

Regina; Carrying the needs of others on our backs

Sangeetha; Through

David; Gravity or the force of will

Suzette; Matriarch

Ken; Weight of the World, life giving source

J M Negi; Purposefully yours

Sandy; Hardship

Grace; One of a kind

Usha; International Labor Day- WDYS

Yinglan; Grandmother

Jules; Shazam

Frewin55; Yoke

Indira; For survival

Punam; Her lot

I am grateful to all those who have read, shared and commented on these posts.

I will be posting next week’s challenge on Monday at 12:00 pm, PKT.

Thanks for reading.

#Keepitalive

#Whatdoyousee

#WDYS