Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Drabble #16

Yea for I have claimed the Wednesday posting spot for my own this week. But I have nothing erudite or learned to say, unlike my predecessors. What I do have is an experimental drabble. Switching voices back and forth. Inside and outside voices as well.
Comment freely, just... be gentle. :)

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Simon hated to do it but there was no other seat open in the shop. He cleared his throat to get the reading man's attention.

The sound slowly percolated through the haze of words and Umberto muzzily looked up. The man he saw was slender and dressed in a grayish blue suit. Corporate, he thought, and dropped back into his book. But the cough came again.

"Sorry, but is that seat taken?" Simon motioned with his latte filled hand, the other more encombered with his laptop. The book must be engrossing because as the reading man's eyes, green as ferns, came up from the page, Simon knew he had no idea where he was, much less if the seat was occupied.

"No. Feel free." Umberto moved over slightly to make room on the bench. The man in the suit had a nice voice. And he wasn't imperious, like suits usually were. The second surprise was that he didn't immediately put his laptop, leather case, nice, up on the table and power it up. Instead he rubbed his eyes and breathed in the steam from his drink.

Simon could feel the reading man looking at him, and wondered if he had spilled something on himself earlier without noticing. The steam from the coffee was full bodied with the aromas of slightly fruited beans and rich vanilla. It made some of the day's stress retreat, and he breated it in.

I shouldn't bother him; his eyes look tired, was Umberto's thought. He focused back on his book, but even so, was aware when the suit finished his drink and got up to leave, quietly.

I wonder what he's reading? But I won't bother him for the title. I've already disturbed enough. Simon took extra care in getting up form the bench, trying not to jounce the table, which wobbled a bit anyway.

3 comments:

Darlene C. Goodman said...

hmmm interesting. Omniscient, but not omniscient. Poor Simon and Omberto, they've got to stop meeting like this.

purpleprose 78 said...

soo...what exactly is a drabble? I think it should be added to our vocabulary!!

haricot vert said...

i'm using the definition from over at toboldlynano.com, "Drabbles are short (1000 words max), one-shot pieces..."