Monday, October 10, 2016

Punisher

Greetings, WYMOP readers!
I'm currently working on cleaning up a new novella so I can start shopping it around, and I'd love to tell you about it, but even while I'm working on that I still have this funny kid . . .
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“So! What do you think?”
I stood by the foot of my son’s bed in the classic Superman pose: feet spread wide, fists knuckling firmly into hips, chest outthrust, chin up with face turned slightly to the side and a grin; all that was missing was the stray ray of light to glint off my pearly whites with an audible ting. It’s a heroic pose, meant for heroic men. I’m a mailman/writer who’s pushing 48, though I could easily pass for 50. I did my best.
“What?”
“That’s what I want to know,” I said. “What you think. So?” I shifted slightly, spreading wider, knuckling firmer, and outthrusting, uh, thrustier. I think I even heard a faint ting. “Well?”
“Dad, what are you talking about?”
I deflated somewhat and cast a hand across my body, a self-absorbed Vanna White. Well, even more self-absorbed. “The shirt, man. What do you think?”
I wore a very thin, long-sleeved shirt done in black, gray and off-white, the colors forming a long-toothed skull that covered my torso. Anyone who knows a thing about comics or has even a passing knowledge of NetFlix at the moment knows the image means one thing, and I practically shouted it:
“Punisher, man!”
“Oh, yeah,” he said. “The shirt is cool, but, uh . . .”
“What?”
“Well, those.” He pointed a finger toward my waist.
“What?”
“That.” He pointed closer.
“Do you mean—”
The pointing finger actually stabbed me, sinking in past the nail.
“Ow! You mean—dude, I think the phrase you’re looking for is muffin top. You evil ass.”
“Well, yeah,” he said. “But it only shows ’cause you’re wearing a belt and have the shirt tucked in. Why do you have the shirt tucked in?”
“I’m going to put a short-sleeved shirt over it, and I don’t want it to hang out the bottom. But that one will cover.”
“Well . . . well . . .” He waved his arms the gesture encompassing me from head to foot. “If you’re going to wear another shirt over that one, why are you showing me that one?”
“Because dude!” I struck the pose again. Ting. “Punisher!”
He leaned back on his bed again. “Looks like the only punishment is being handed out by that belt.”
First reaction: Ow.
Second reaction: Well, at least I know he inherited my smart-assedness.
Third reaction: Ow!

Final reaction: “You know I want to be mad, but that’s too . . . I just . . . evil ass!”
***************

The moral of the story: I gotta buy some shirts that fit.
Ting.
Talk to you later!

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