Welcome to the two hundred and eighty-third in this series that is ‘5pm Fiction’.
Late April 2011 I discovered StoryADay.org and the project that is to write 31 stories in 31 days. Anyone who knows me or follows this blog, knows how passionate I am about short stories so my clichéd eyes lit up at this new marvel. And just a few days later there I was, breathing life into new characters. This went on to become (with some editing of course) my 31-story collection eBook Story A Day May 2011. I have since published (as eBooks) the 2012 and 2013 collections, detailed on https://morgenbailey.wordpress.com/books-mine/short-stories/story-a-day-may.
I was nearing completion of the 2012 project when I decided that I didn’t want to stop at the end of May so 5PM Fiction was born. I put a load of prompts on the 5PM Fiction page and today’s was to write a monologue from the prompt of ‘loveable rogue’. Here is my 496-worder.
The Reason Why
Like a dog with a bone. I’d always been like that. Take after my father. My mum’s the pushover. No, that’s not fair. Just softer, nicer really. On the inside and out. I’m just nice on the outside, when I feel like it… which is what got me in this position in the first place. I got greedy.
One of the seven deadly sins. I’m working my way through them, not on purpose but just how life’s turned out. Adultery. Been there, a few times on both sides. Black eyes – given and taken.
You don’t like me, I can tell. There’s not a lot to like, but you’ll get there. I do have some redeeming features, no black eyes at present. I’m fairly good looking without them. With them, the women feel sorry for me… like having a baby in a shopping trolley; I just put on my ‘not my fault’ face and they flock.
So, you’ll want to know why I’m here. Or maybe you won’t, but you’re curious. Determined not to like me. But want to know why you might by the end of this one-sided conversation. Reserving judgement is a good thing. I’m a guns-blazing kind of guy, act before I think and suffer the consequences.
OK, go back a couple of months, yeah, only just got here so it’s new to me too.
I hit someone… in a van. They weren’t in the van, just me, but they were in the way so I kept going. Normally, I’d have stopped, but when you’re being chased, you don’t think straight, and the guy I hit – I’d have stopped for a woman, swerved at least, I’m not that bad. I knew him. Tommy Sandford, bad as me, worse, although you won’t believe me. I’m emotional bad, not really breaking the law, he’s a big-time crook… medium-time anyway. So far over the line, he can’t remember what it looks like.
Didn’t take them long to find me, after hitting Tommy. I’d stolen the van. A publicity van – one that the council owns and a guy drives around the county changing their posters. Stupid git left the engine running. I hear an engine noise, no one in the driver’s seat, no one inside at all, I’m going to take it. Who wouldn’t? Invalidates their insurance, so it was his fault not mine. It was like a test, see who takes it first. I wasn’t the nearest, there were others but they were busy, or not paying attention. I pay attention so I thought, why not? How was I to know it had a tracking device?
I did the world a favour, if you ask me. Tommy had always been on the wrong side; of the law growing up, of the road when I hit him. Made a mess of the van, as you would expect. I am sorry for that, I’m a taxpayer too. And now for the reason why you will come to like me…
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Photograph above courtesy of morguefile.com.
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