Prompt Response #4 [A Long Night's Dream]
I missed last week's Writers Bloc prompt, unfortunately -- I would like to say it was because I was working hard on a complex story, but it's mainly because I am a lazy bastard who did not start his submission until Thursday. Now I'm finished, however, and I'm ready to submit it for this week, even though the end product doesn't have much to do with my chosen prompt, "The most useful thing you've ever bought."
I'm pleased with the end product, though. For one, it's the first short story of any decent length I have finished in years. Second, I believe I did something pretty damn good, writing-wise. I think I am starting to get a clearer idea of my voice as a writer, and this story gave me an opportunity to pull a trick I've never tried before. It's not anything particularly special or complex, but I hope it makes the story more fun.
Lastly, this story ended up as something completely different from how I initially envisioned it. Before, I promised a story exploring Eddie and Christine's rivalry -- this is about something else entirely. I'm happy I wrote it, though. It gave me a chance to know these two better than I did before; my perspective on them changed so much that the ending is significantly changed from what it was originally supposed to be. I am not completely happy with the very end of the story (I agonized over it for at least an hour), but everything up until that point rings true to me. Christine, especially, is someone who changes for me every time I think about her. That's probably reflected in this.
Anyway, here is the story.
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"A Long Night's Dream"
Eddie Villanueva and Christine Berkshire met under the street lights that night.
Eddie was the first to arrive. The golden orange light of the street lamps cast pools of darkness in his eyes. A cool breeze drifted by, carried on by the cacophony of honking horns. He looked at his watch; he was five minutes early. Nothing to do but wait.
He tapped his shoe and looked to the starlit sky. It was a Friday night, so naturally, with his amazing social abilities, he should have been at home shouting at people in all capital letters. But something compelled him to ask Christine out to dinner and a movie, and to treat her well all night long. Something he could not resist.
Something like a $50 bill.
Five minutes passed, and Christine arrived. She wore a white waist-length coat, dark blue jeans and black knee-high, heeled boots; Eddie was wearing an untucked red dress shirt, frayed, faded blue jeans and worn-out sneakers. They stood facing each other, two harsh silhouettes set against the black night.
"You're looking nice," Christine said, looking Eddie up and down.
"Whatever," Eddie said, peering around, his head swiveling around like Linda Blair in The Exorcist. "Do you want me to take your coat, or something?"
"This coat is not coming off anywhere around you," Christine said, wrapping her arms around herself. "If you have any disgusting ideas floating around in your head, then I suggest you get rid of them right now."
"Jesus, settle down," Eddie said. He turned toward the ticket booth and walked to it. "I wasn't suggesting anything funny. What movie do you want to see?"
"Oh, everything looks so good," Christine said. She sighed and muttered under her breath, "What am I even doing here?"
Eddie closed his eyes and clenched his jaw. The night had just started, and already he was about to crack. But something held inside him. He let out a slow breath and looked back at Christine.
"We could see The Dark Knight," Eddie said.
"That's too long," Christine said. "And you don't see Christian Bale outside that Batsuit nearly enough. Pass."
That really miffed Eddie. He still hadn't seen The Dark Knight and thought he could use this as an excuse to watch it. Too bad for him.
"Then why don't you choose a movie, huh?" Eddie said. "I bet you have a really good one in mind."
Christine sauntered to the ticket booth with her hands on her hips. She leaned forward slightly and peered at the listed movies. Not even five minutes, and Eddie was totally whipped. If only he could see himself.
"We're going to see Wall-E," Christine announced.
"Wall-E?" Eddie said. "The one with the fuckin' anime-eyed robot?"
"Yes," Christine said, raising an eyebrow. "The one with the robot."
"The fuckin' anime-eyed robot," Eddie repeated.
"I am not going to use your gutter language, Edward," Christine said, turning her head quickly. The tips of her long brown hair brushed against Eddie's face.
"It's Eddie -- not Eduardo, and definitely not Edward," Eddie said.
"Get your money out, Edward," Christine said. She took out her wallet.
"Whoa, wait a minute!" Eddie said. He thrust his arm toward her and pinned her hand against her hip. "I asked you out, so I'm going to pay for the movies. It's a rule ... or something."
"Tch, maybe 50 years ago," Christine said, brushing Eddie's hand away from her hip with a swipe of her arm. "I am going to pay for my ticket. Your manhood will survive. It has to be worth more than $8.50, correct?"
Eddie winced -- that was a severe blow to his ego. The alpha male cannot stand afronts to his dominant position.
"Fine," Eddie said. "Pay for your damn ticket. I don't give a shit." He turned to the ticket person. "One adult for Wall-E, 7:30 show." He paid, took the ticket and went inside the theater. Christine did the same.
