Tag: 2.5 Pickaxe

LOVE ACTUALLY – JULIET, PETER & MARK

Posted onAuthorCTC8 Comments

JULIET SIGHED WHILE turning her head to look at the sleeping form of her husband.  He was snoring. Again. She was okay if she fell asleep before Peter but on those nights when sleep took its time before claiming her his snoring kept her awake. It was always worse when he slept on his back, so she gave him a soft kiss on the shoulder before giving him a gentle shove, urging him to roll on to his side. With a grunt he did, and his snores morphed from foghorn to soft rumble. Juliet closed her eyes and rolled on to her back, but it was pointless; she was wide awake. Read More …

CLICHE #2 – FIVE STAR RESTAURANT

Posted onAuthorVan111 Comments

I’d never been to a five-star restaurant before and I gotta say it felt like alien territory to a panel beater tradie like me. Give me a small family diner every day of the week. I was damned lucky to get a table, but, apparently, the five-star hotel hosting the five-star restaurant reserved tables for house guest walk-ins. The fact it was a Monday night in mid-winter helped as well, of course. Read More …

Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!

Posted onAuthorVan110 Comments

FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! How does he know? How did Dave find out? My marriage is toast, I just know it. The courts will judge Dave to be the primary caregiver of our kids, he’ll be awarded custody. I’ll be a social pariah, shunned by just about everyone in this church-going community. Forgiven by the priest with the soft words but the judging expression. Read More …

GONE IN A MATTER OF MINUTES #4

Posted onAuthorVan113 Comments

I’ll let you into a little secret. I hate wankers. You know the guys I mean. The ones who have big bushy beards because some celebrity was photographed with one and all of a sudden all the hipsters have one. The ones with the knees torn out of their jeans because, again, some celebrity was seen like that. One member of this particular sub-breed of wanker was less than amused when I pointed out that this was a re-cycled trend from my youth, the 1980’s. Read More …

FAITHFUL: VAN1 ALTERNATIVE ENDING TO THE CLASSIC BY KCFirst

Posted onAuthorVan13 Comments

But then as I lay there the ceiling light seemed to penetrate my chest, accusing me and forcing my focus inward. I questioned my own behavior. Why, after all the emotional slaps in the face Molly had dished out, was I still here? I’d had my suspicions, four years’ worth, confirmed. Physical or emotional, did it really matter what type of affair they’d been having? Read More …

GONE IN A MATTER OF MINUTES 1: I SAW RED

Posted onAuthorVan18 Comments

In retrospect, I shouldn’t have come to my wife’s work Christmas party. For the last three days I’ve been on the bad end of a gastro bug. I’m only just beginning to get over it. Because of the bug I’ve missed work for two days and I can’t remember the last time that happened. I’m a contract shearer, if you’re interested. Read More …

CUSTODY OF ALICE

Posted onAuthorVan18 Comments

SCENE

Dave and Rebecca Brown, a couple married twelve years, were an hour and a half into their first tripartite, court ordered counselling session. Dave was only attending due to the strong insistence of his lawyer. Post nuptial agreements were a relatively new phenomenon in the legal system and Dave’s lawyer wanted every ‘i’ dotted and ‘t’ crossed. The previous ninety minutes had been dominated by talk between the counsellor and Rebecca, with Dave sitting, tight lipped, notebook and pen in hand. Periodically, he scribbled something on the pad. Read More …