Buck, naked
by Frank Dahai
Buck, naked, has no words. The best he can manage is a dopey strangulated cough. His wife, who is clothed, stands before him, next to a mattress that took Buck half a day to force into the trailer.
'Make a ...'
'Please,' says Buck.
'...mischievous face. A mischievous little boy face.'
Buck tilts his head and angles his eyes, aiming for insouciance.
'No.' says his wife.
Buck thinks mischievous. Imagines stealing a biscuit. Then a van load of biscuits. Then a van driven by a crazy-naked mermaid, breaking the speed limit, Buck leaning out the window, waving his Stetson, screaming like a cowboy that just found god.
'Yes, that's it!'
She pushes down hard on the Polaroid. It snaps and whirs, spitting Buck out onto a small square of emulsion. She takes it, stares at it, and pins it on the notice board next to all the rest: Buck, angry. Buck, unhappy over a lost balloon. Pleasantly surprised. Caught in the zipper. Caught in the act. Caught again and again and again, over and over, ad infinitum.
'Make a ...'
'Please,' says Buck.
'...mischievous face. A mischievous little boy face.'
Buck tilts his head and angles his eyes, aiming for insouciance.
'No.' says his wife.
Buck thinks mischievous. Imagines stealing a biscuit. Then a van load of biscuits. Then a van driven by a crazy-naked mermaid, breaking the speed limit, Buck leaning out the window, waving his Stetson, screaming like a cowboy that just found god.
'Yes, that's it!'
She pushes down hard on the Polaroid. It snaps and whirs, spitting Buck out onto a small square of emulsion. She takes it, stares at it, and pins it on the notice board next to all the rest: Buck, angry. Buck, unhappy over a lost balloon. Pleasantly surprised. Caught in the zipper. Caught in the act. Caught again and again and again, over and over, ad infinitum.
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Without the comma this was Costanza's porn name, right? That was my first thought when I saw the title.
"...spitting Buck out on a small square of emulsion." YES
I love how the last sentence opens this thing up so much and I feel like I know so much about this couple in so few words. Damn fine work.
Frank that's wonderful - such imagery.
Love the bit about waving his Stetson, screaming like a cowboy that has just found god. Terrific title, too.
Thanks everyone for your comments.
Biscuits and mermaids - I like Buck's imagination. A few small graphs, and we know the good, bad and ugly about these people. Nicely done.
Love this, Frank. I love the "Buck, unhappy over a lost balloon." And how that last sentence stretches toward the "ad infinitum."
Thanks again!
Compressed. Funny. Sad. Compelling.
Cool!