Sunday, August 14, 2011

Dermot and Sally, Part One


Dermot was a nice boy even if he did eat fast. He never squished a bug unless his mama asked him to, he always let the girls go first, and he couldn’t ever pass a flower without leaning in for a good old fashioned sniff. Oh, and he didn’t complain. Not ever. It just wasn’t in his nature. Maybe that’s why he didn’t know watermelon wasn’t supposed to make his tongue itch or that peanuts weren’t supposed to make him sneeze. Come to think of it, before Dermot was thirty-seven there was a lot he didn’t know on account of his not complaining and to tell you the truth, most of it had to do with the state of his tongue.

It didn’t look funny. And Dermot talked just the same as everyone else did. So why would he think something was wrong with his tongue? He wouldn’t. He didn’t. He just kept living the way he always did. With itchy watermelon and peanuts that made him sneeze. That is of course, until he hit thirty-seven.

The big day wasn’t just his birthday, it was also his first date with a woman he had loved since high school. He was biding his time, waiting for the right moment and finally, after twenty-one years, that time had come. He had asked her out to eat and she had said yes. So he was driving to get her in his souped up black Ford, the windows rolled down to wipe the early blush off his face.

“Hi Dermot!” she was waiting on the stoop outside.
“Hi Claire! Hop in!”
So she did. And before he could say another word, she was kissing him like a mad woman. (Or maybe she was just a thirty-seven year old girl kissing the boy she had loved since high school.)
“Hey Dermot?” she said between breaths.
“Ya?” he didn’t want to talk but he thought he better.
“Happy Birthday. And Dermot?"
"Ya?"
"Why you got such a slimy tongue?”
“Huh?”
“Its slippery like the side of a plastic pool. I ain’t never felt a tongue like yours before.”
“Its all good,” he said. “Lets just keep kissin’.”
So they did.

But that night after he got home (they never did make it out to eat), Dermot went into the bathroom to take a better look at his tongue. He stared at it good and hard. Nothing looked slimy to him. All seemed fine from where he stood. But just to be extra certain he opened the medicine cabinet and took out his tweezers.

Before he could finish a single tweezer-scratch, Dermot had already realized he was onto something. It started like a gust of ice cold wind and then he thought he tasted metal. So he did it again. Made another scratch. Soon he had scratched the whole surface of his tongue off, the film he had lived with for thirty-seven years—gone, a tiny pile of clear junk sitting in the bottom of the sink. Dermot blinked.

You see, for the first time in his life, Dermot William McFarland had uncovered his ability to taste.


...to be continued

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Super crazy! I can't wait to read what happens next to Dermot and Sally :) Thanks for sharing your wonderful imagination with the rest of us!

Brynne said...

Thanks, Katy! I knew I could count on you for a comment! And it *is* crazy, but I hope its crazy-fun!:)

Chronicles of Illusions said...

ohhhhhhhh - can't wait to find out where you are going with this one.
thanks for the b/day wish dear Brynne

Brynne said...

thanks for the encouragement, Jo....I dreamt this and was a little wary of posting it since its not my usual kind of post...but its also FUN and the more I write, the more important I think it is to challenge ourselves in our writing, to push ourselves out of our comfort and into any direction that feels fun...and magic:) I think its a bit of a life mantra, too...

Hope its been a WONDERFUL day for you, Jo. You are such a beautiful human being! I wish I could direct the good-fortune fire hose your way to shower alllll sorts of joy and magic into your life--non stop! You certainly deserve it!!:)

Sara said...

Delightfull! I am a captive audience, this looks to be a fairy tale of the best kind.

I wonder if Durmots ailment is shared by my brother. When ever my brother has ever kissed me on my cheek, I always say, "Yuck!" because it leaves wet, slimy cooties on my cheek.

Love your imagery with the sink. Makes me want to flush it quickly down the drain.

Brynne said...

thanks for the chuckle, Sara! And glad you are enjoying my fairy tale! Its not been a very big hit with most of my readers but I am glad at least a few of you can ride this dreamy idea with me! Yay!!!

Bella said...

Brynne, I already like Dermot! The poor soul, to never have known what taste was like until today! I wonder what he thought Sally's kisses tasted like if he didn't have any taste! :) I am looking forward to the next Sally/Dermot installment with great anticipation. I can't wait to see what happens next!

Brynne said...

Sweet Bella! So glad you are having fun with Dermot! I love how you aren't afraid to like quirky, toO!!! HoorayYY!