Finally, after four long years, I’m free!
I can use the bathroom and take a shower without a tiny partner. I can finish a cup of coffee while it’s still hot.
Oh, the possibilities! I could even read quietly or even watch a non-animated television show.
I miss her already.
Marcus Benjamin Ray Bradley grew up in Perryville and now lives in Versailles, KY, with his wife and daughters. He wonders if his wife will feel this way in three years.
“Dada?”
“Yes, honey? Do you know that I love you more than anyone ever will? One day you’ll get married but… I’ve known you since the second you were born. That will be some guy you just met, in the grand scheme of things.”
“Dada,” said my 10-month-old in agreement.
Marcus Benjamin Ray Bradley grew up in Perryville and now lives in Versailles, KY, with his wife and daughters. Other work can be found in the pages of Chiron Review and Five 2 One magazine as well as online at the Kentucky Arts Council and here at Fifty Word Stories websites.
Tim’s dry, red eyes lost focus again.
His mind had begun to wonder while reading story after fifty-word story, most of which were asinine drivel.
The hour was late and he needed to select just one more before he could rest. Finally throwing in the towel, he chose this one.
Marcus Benjamin Ray Bradley grew up in Perryville and now lives in Versailles, KY, with his wife and daughters. Other work can be found in the pages of Chiron Review.
Editor: Most of the submissions are definitely not “asinine drivel”, but I enjoyed the joke behind the story. Cheers, Marcus!
I wore my purchase out of the second-hand store. My hand slid into the jacket pocket to find a scrap of paper. I pulled out a note written by the previous owner.
“I never want to be without you, my love.”
Apparently it was not written to the jacket itself.
Marcus Benjamin Ray Bradley wrote this story.
The pink ball curled into the gutter again, as if it had ached with sorrow from their time apart. The group watched with pity as she turned around, revealing a smile.
Her walk back was the swagger of one who had bowled their twelfth strike. “I didn’t fall!” she said.
Marcus Benjamin Ray Bradley works at the University of Kentucky. He grew up in Perryville and now lives in Versailles, KY, with his wife and daughters. Other work is forthcoming in the pages of Chiron Review.