Thursday, August 1, 2019

TY


markwildyr.com, Post #93
  
Courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org
Headhunter was a long series with mixed results. Got a record number of daily hits during part of it and very at other times. Picked up at the end, so guess everyone wanted in on the finale.

Today, I want to do a piece of flash fiction. Please let me know how you like it.

*****

TY

          “Tyrone Harwood, or do my eyes deceive me? You the kissing king of Langley High now?”
          The deep, masculine voice surprised me, given where I was.
          The school’s annual carnival was the big fund-raising event. Frankly, I’d have enjoyed it more if they hadn’t lassoed me into a booth, although I was both embarrassed and excited by the kind of booth it was. The senior class’ kissing booth was the place for action. Or that’s what the banner over the booth claimed.
          How’s that for a switch? Gals paying guys for a smooch. According to a lot of girls from junior high forward, I’m a good kisser, giving me an undeserved rep as a ladies’ man. In all honesty, deep kissing and sucking on a few boobs was about all I’d done.
          It turned out all right because a lot of girls showed up and paid their dollar. I got to kiss a few new lips. Some of them hung around and flirted afterward. But now, everyone was gathered around the barbecue booth filling empty stomachs.
          The voice that startled me belonged to Mark Bilders, a kid a year or two older than I am who dropped out of school last year. It would have been easy to like Mark if he’d let you. He was smart but not book smart, if you know what I mean. He always left the impression of a balloon about to burst. Good-looking, lanky with hard muscles but not real bulked up. That was the whole impression he gave, hard! From his marble black eyes to his little toe, the guy was hard. He leaned over the booth to offer a hand. I took it. Hard.
          “N-not really a kissing or any other kind of king,” I responded to his opening remark. “Just got lassoed into the job. Hello, Mark. How you doing?”
          “Great,” he said, glancing at the sign mounted over the booth. He took a quick glance around before plunking down a dollar.”
          “Whoa, man. That’s a donation, right?”
          “Hell, no. I’m buying the merchandise.”
          “Wh-what merchandise?
          He pointed upward. “Sign says kisses, dollar each.”
          Sweat popped out on my upper lip and my voice rose. “You’re buying a kiss? From me?”
          “Sign says all comers.”
          “Yeah, but….” I took a ragged breath. “But I don’t think it means guys.”
          “You discriminating, huh?”
          “Hey, no way! I’m not gonna kiss you right—”
          “Oh, I get that,” he interrupted. “We’ll do it in private later.”
          “That’s not what I meant! I’m not going to kiss you at all. No way, man.”
          He nudged his dollar bill lying on the little counter. “You sell kisses, Ty. I’m buying one. See you later.”
          I’m sure my mouth hung open as he strode away. Not for the first time, I noticed a slight strut to his walk. Mark was considered a hard case when he was in school. Came from the wrong side of the tracks, if we’d had tracks in our town, and ran with a rough crowd although he was a decent guy when he was away from his buddies. All the girls thought he was the handsomest thing at school, but they were afraid of him.
          He’d always had a quirky sense of humor, so that was probably what was going on now. I watched as he joined a couple of toughs across the way. They sauntered on up the mall, making noise and taking up space. They reminded me of the gang guys in West Side Story. No respect. None, whatsoever.
          The guy relieving me in the booth came in time for me to get my share of the barbecue. M. J. Jennings wanted to hook up with me, but for some reason I didn’t ask her. Just wanted to stay loose and have some fun. So I ended up going home alone that night, and I probably shouldn’t have. When I headed for my car at the far end of the parking lot, somebody fell into step beside me.
          Startled, I halted in my tracks. “Mark! What th—”
          “Hey, man, didn’t mean to make your balls shrivel. Just came for what I paid for.”
          “Mark, I don’t kiss boys.”
          “Not asking you to. I want you to kiss a man. Me.”
          “I don’t kiss men, either,” I said. “And I don’t kiss you in particular.”
          “What’s the matter? Afraid of me or worried I’ll start something you can’t handle?”
          “What the hell you want to kiss me for anyway?”
          He shrugged. “Never kissed a guy before. Saw your booth and decided to see what it was like.”  He leveled a look at me that I caught even in the darkness. “Glad it was you. You’re a good-looking son of a bitch.”
          “Yeah, well, tough. I’m not gonna kiss you right out here for everyone to see.”
          He moved so quickly I was taken by surprise. I found myself flat against the shadowed wall of a nearby building.
          “Now we’re not so public.” He pinned my arms to my sides and moved his head toward me. I was so startled that I didn’t even try to avoid his lips. They touched mine gently. His tongue forced my mouth open and raked the enamel of my teeth before invading my oral cavity. I caught my breath.
          After a moment, he broke away. “Interesting,” was all he said before walking away in that insolent strut he affected.
          I stayed where I was for five minutes trying to figure out what had happened. Oh, I know the dude kissed me, but that’s not what I meant. Something happened! To me. Inside. I liked that damned kiss! Man, how could that be? I could still feel his long frame pressed against me, the warmth of his full groin against mine. What the hell? What the living hell!

*****

“Interesting” Mark said as he walked away. Does that mean he’ll be coming back for more? More than Ty ever considered giving. Or is that true? Has the kiss Ty “felt” kindled something inside the kid. That’s something you’ll have to answer for yourself.

A reminder that I’ve now returned to my regular postng schedule.

A plug for my other Okie buddy: Don Travis’ next BJ Vinson mystery series novel, The Voxlightner Scandal has been scheduled for release on November 19, 2019. The following is a buy link:  http://www.dsppublications.com/books/upcoming-releases-c

Now my continuing plug (read plea) for my own work. Amazon permits you to read a short passage of my novels, Cut Hand and Johnny Two-Guns. I also believe the STARbooks-published River Otter, Echoes of the Flute, and Medicine Hair are still up. I sure would like to get the final book in the Cut Hand Series, Wastelakapi… Beloved, published, but it’ll take some help from readers to get Dreamspinner interested.

My contact information is provided below in case anyone wants to drop me a line:
Website and blog: markwildyr.com
Email: markwildyr@aol.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/mark.wildyr
Twitter: @markwildyr

The following are buy links for CUT HAND:


And now my mantra: Keep on reading. Keep on writing. You have something to say, so say it!

Until next time.

Mark

New posts at 6:00 a.m. on the first and third Thursdays of the month.

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