Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Three Word Wednesday #43

After a one-week hiatus, the blogosphere's twelfth most popular writing exercise is back!

Each week, I will post three (or more) random words. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to write something using all of those words. It can be a few lines, a story, a poem, anything. I'll also attempt to write something using the same three words.

Leave a comment if you participate. Many fun and interesting people might visit your blog.

This week's words are:
Private
Crossed
Rinse


It was a quarter to nine and the laundromat was completely empty, save for the cashier, a burly dark-skinned man with a ring of unkempt black hair around the perimeter of his head, who more times than not appeared to be asleep.

There was an island of washing machines in the middle of the room. The dryers were along the back wall. At the far end of the building opposite the cashier stood a snack machine, a drink machine, and a Galaga game. Jason and Lacey were at the last washing machine nearest the snack machine.

Jason had figured this would be the perfect place to confront her. No phones, no television, no distractions. She wouldn't be able to leave until the clothes were finished. He waited until she had finished putting the first load into the washer and closed the lid.

"So... who's Alex?" he asked as nonchalantly as possible, which wasn't very.

Lacey, who had been walking towards a chair, stopped and spun to face Jason, who was leaned against the washing machine.

"Where did you hear that name?" she asked, almost angrily.

"It doesn't matter where. Who is he?" Jason shot back quickly, not backing down.

"Where did you get that name from?!" Lacey demanded, her voice now raised to a level that could surely be heard by the cashier.

"From your phone," Jason admitted, calmly.

"From my phone?! What were you doing going thru my phone?!" She was getting more agitated by the minute.

"Come on, Lacey. Your phone is always ringing. You never tell me who it is. You never volunteer any information at all. You're so closed off and private." Even as he spoke, Jason felt as if he had suddenly crossed a line.

"Did it ever cross your tiny, self-centered brain that maybe there's a reason I'm that way. That maybe, just possibly, there are some things you don't need to know, and wouldn't want to know about me?"

"You're just avoiding the question, Lacey," Jason accused.

"And you're a jealous jerk who up until five minutes ago I thought trusted me!"

Tears had begun to stream down her face. But even as he watched them fall, Jason couldn't help wondering if they were real or merely tears of convenience. Lacey picked up her purse and marched towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Jason's question went unanswered.

When the door closed, Jason glanced up towards the counter where the burly cashier had apparently taken an interest in the scene that had just played out.

"Never seen one leave that fast before," the cashier spoke as if talking to himself, barely shaking his head. "Didn't even make it to the rinse cycle."

"No I would not sleep in this bed of lies, so toss me out and turn in. And there'll be no rest for these tired eyes. I'm marking it down to learning..."

39 comments:

  1. Well, is this early? Not here at India. It is 14:25 now...:D

    This is what I wrote:
    Celebrating Frivolity

    click that or cut/paste this:
    http://firmlyrooted.blogspot.com/2007/07/celebrating-frivolity-3ww.html

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  2. I did a little haiku
    click here or follow this link:
    http://clockworkchris2007.blogspot.com/2007/07/3ww-is-back.html

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  3. Hello y'all. Greetings from Rose. Here is my contribution today.

    "Hit Me"

    Rose

    xo

    http://dewyknickers.wordpress.com/2007/07/11/six-little-words/

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  4. oops, the link didn't work on the last comment so i'll try it with tiny url:

    http://tinyurl.com/39s7lm

    and i look forward to seeing what everyone else came up with.

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  5. As the private eye finished brushing his teeth and prepared to rinse, a thought crossed his mind. Of course he couldn't state what it was; he was still swishing fluoride. :o)

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  6. http://meeaugraphie.com/2007/07/3ww-rescue-or-interference.html

    I went on the morbid side again, a short poem. Fun will return soon.

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  7. Done!

    http://readingtoknow.blogspot.com/2007/07/3-word-wednesday.html

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  8. p.s. I missed this last week!

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  9. Hello! My short fiction is here.

    It's untitled. Rather, I titled it Untitled.

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  10. Forgot about this or would have included the words in my post today, maybe next week.

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  11. Another Norbert and Smedley is up... it was a challenge today, since the episode was already written, and I had to figure out how to tuck the words in. I succeeded, though. :D

    Here it is.

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  12. I had a really slow day at work today and was bored, so I wrote.

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  13. I so did not have time for this today but I read the word 'rinse' and immediately came up with a setting. Now I'm behind at work and will need to work late to make up for it. *sigh* Darn writing itch.

    BTW, I'm really enjoying your blog, Bone. *smile*

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  14. I used a writing exercise from a writer's forum I belong to an tried to fit in the words :)

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  15. Where is your story? I was wanting to read it before I went on vacation.

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  16. Mine's up!
    http://oldbookbag.blogspot.com

    This is great fun!

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  17. oh good I thought you would have already posted! Thanks for not making me last or tempting me with your 3WW until tomorrows normal reading of them. :)...unless that is you took the week off, which would be a well deserved break. :)

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  18. I wrote about you today on my thursday thirteen post.. how you doin'? Your blog seems quieter lately. You must be a busy guy.

    take care and happy day :)

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  19. Glad to see most everyone returned after our one-week hiatus :)

    It'll probably be this afternoon or evening before I get by to read all your entries.

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  20. Ok so I didn't use the three words, but I did add a pic of my new red hair that you requested. Two post below the new one shows my natural hair color.

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  21. Jason had figured this would be the perfect place to confront her. No phones, no television, no distractions. She wouldn't be able to leave until the clothes were finished. He waited until she had finished putting the first load into the washer and closed the lid.
    I love that. Would have never thought of a laundramat as a great confrontational place, and it is.

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  22. Very good story Bone. My first thought was that Alex is a girl.

    Rose

    xo

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  23. Your first two paragraphs were really descriptive: great job!

    I think my favorite part of this whole story was that you leave it open to interpretation whether or not we should feel like Jason is a jealous snoop or if Lacey was really turning things around on him, attempting to make him feel guilty for something that is really her fault.

    Part of me wants to believe that he was just being a jealous jerk like she said... but part of me isn't convinced that Lacey is as innocent in this situation as he wants Jason to think she is.

    It takes talent to make you sympathize with both of the characters when they are so obviously on opposite sides of the spectrum: this story definitely does that.

    Now, if only I could get you to write stories nightly so I'd have something interesting to read while working out in the morning...? Better yet, how about a book? That would go to the gym with me much easier than my laptop :-)

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  24. Alex is her son? Or a friend that is a girl?

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  25. I love how you manage to weave such a tangled web in very few words. You leave us with so many questions and so few answers.

    Relationships, for whatever reason, are probably the most challenging things in life. We struggle to find where we should draw lines.

    A few months ago a friend was beyond angry that he'd found his girlfriend looking through his phone. I wasn't that appalled, but still felt he had a right to be upset. Our other friend thought he had no right to be mad, at all. When you're in a relationship, she said, all things should be open and honest. He shouldn't be mad that she was looking through his phone.

    I find myself sympathizing with Alex for feeling untrusted, but also with Jason . . . I've been on both sides of the fence and just hope I learn to straddle it in the future.

    Wonderful story, Bone. It left me wanting more. All stories should do that.

    Tears had begun to stream down her face. But even as he watched them fall, Jason couldn't help wondering if they were real or merely tears of convenience.

    This made me very sad.

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  26. Shelby: I'm doing well. Leaving for the beach tomorrow!

    I feel like I've been around :) Sorry if I've not been blogging or commenting quite as much.

    Melanie: I didn't know you were back blogging again :)

    Pia: Thanks. I've never thought of a laundromat as a good place for confrontation, either. I'm not sure where that came from :)

    Rose: Thank you. I almost changed the name to Eric, but I liked that Alex left open that slight possibility.

    TC: It takes talent to make you sympathize with both of the characters when they are so obviously on opposite sides of the spectrum...

    Thank you, TC. Obviously, it's one or the other. I was thinking to myself, was he wrong to snoop in the first place? Or is he only wrong if she's innocent?

    HotPink: Hmm. Maybe, maybe not ;-)

    Avery Laine: Thank you. The tears of convenience line was my personal favorite.

    It is an interesting topic. And sometimes it leads to finding out things we really didn't want to know.

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  27. TC--I empathaized with Lacey but then I thought...I don't know

    Which is exactly how I want a story to be

    And Bone, Jason? Dare I ask where that name came from

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  28. Oh, yeah, by the way, I posted my entry!

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  29. a burly dark-skinned man with a ring of unkempt black hair around the perimeter of his...

    head is TOTALLY not where I thought you were going with that!! lol. Sorry.

    Anyway, great post as always.

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  30. I can really see the laundromat attendant, and Jason and Lacey. LOVE that Alex's name is so ambiguous, because it adds another layer to the story...

    Is Jason a jerk? I know several Alex's that are girls. Does she have a right just to be upset that he's snooping? Does she have a past that she doesn't want to share, shouldn't have to share? I've been married 25+ years, have never come close to cheating, but would be offended beyond belief if my hubby read my e-mails or checked my phone without asking. Now, if he asked, I would share anything with him he wanted to know. But to look without? It would be like having my Mom snoop through my diary... I'd feel violated.

    Trust, once lost, can take a lifetime to rebuild, ya know? My Mom told me that when I was a kid, and it's one of those lessons I actually paid attention to (as opposed to the "why buy the cow if you can get the milk for free..." which didn't seem to be the case, since I did live with hubby for a year first).

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  31. was he wrong to snoop in the first place? Or is he only wrong if she's innocent?

    A friend of mine's girlfriend reads his text messages. She snoops through his phone and reads all of them. A mutual friend of ours will frequently send him messages that say "hey sexy" or something along those lines: she's a natural flirt and has a boyfriend. Neither she nor he mean anything by it. But his girlfriend got all upset... and started answering his messages if he didn't get to his phone first. And I'm sure you can guess that they ALWAYS include a "No, I don't want to hang out" message these days.

    I think that if Jason was at the point of looking in her phone, he already didn't trust Lacey. That's more the issue than anything else. No matter what... I think it was wrong of him to look, because ultimately, even if she is cheating on him, two wrongs don't make a right. (Wow, cliches at 8 am!) Regardless... snooping may very well lead HIM to the ending and closure that he needs. He might have to bend the rules a little to get the answers he needs.

    Also... you can take the argument that Lacey doesn't trust him. Because if she did, he'd have already known about Alex... whoever or whatever Alex may be to her.

    Pia: I actually went the other way. I felt sorry for Jason: my immediate reaction was "she's cheating on him." It wasn't until later that I got to thinking of other possible scenarios.

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  32. Sorry to be late. What I felt reading has already been said. The starting is good and I like open ended stories. We get to draw our own conclusions. Keep those coming.

    PS: My poetry out there is a terza rima, which follows a rhyming scheme of aba bcb cdc ded and so on..the last two are ff or such like. It is kind of dancing around words..:D

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  33. I agree that the relationship was in trouble.

    Honestly I can't imagine snooping, which is probably why I have so many failed relationships

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  34. I know I'm a little late. Hope it's okay. This is my first time. Thanks.

    http://storiesfromtheattics.blogspot.com/2007/07/memory-mammary.html

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  35. lol ok so Im finally making the rounds...this was great!! It was so down to earth and real!!! Loved it!

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  36. I agree with the others that Jason wouldn't have been snooping unless he had doubts or issues due to his past.
    And I think that if Lacey was innocent she would have protested that first instead of jumping on the invasion of privacy thing. something like "Alex is a girl AND what were you doing looking at my phone?!?!"
    Will this be continued? Or will we always wonder who is Alex? Perhaps Lacey went straight to Alex?

    Like everyone else said...you did an awesome job of setting up the scene. I can really picture the laundromat and the attendant. Do you write for a living?

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  37. Or maybe you just write descriptions for the J Peterman catalog. ;)

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  38. Pia: Well, I think you have some idea. I like Jason as a male character name a lot. Maybe it could be sort of like the Nick Adams stories :)

    Avery Laine: Thanks for participating.

    Blondie: Only you, Blondie. Only you :)

    Gay: Thank you. Those are some of the questions I hoped people would draw from this story.

    Yes, a thousand truths can be wiped out by a single lie.

    TC: He might have to bend the rules a little to get the answers he needs.

    Ooo, I really like that statement. It speaks to the fact that things are always black and white. There's a lot of gray. And it seems the privacy or secrecy would naturally lead someone to be at least curious, if not jealous.

    Gautami: Thanks for the info. I like patterns :)

    Pia: Yes, one way or another, it appears the relationship is in trouble. And I'd be offended if someone snooped.

    Annie: Welcome to 3WW! Thanks for participating.

    Tag: Thanks, Tagster. Glad I'm included on your "rounds." :-)

    Renee: Haha. No if I wrote for JP, the story would've started something like this:

    Lacey wore a chambray nightshirt, perfect for cuddling on cold, rainy nights. Women's sizes 4-16.

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