Initiator: Dave Manousos – Unnoticed (SOLD)
$450.00
Initiator Artist: Dave Manousos
Artwork Title: Unnoticed
Size: 24 x 24″
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Price: $450
Responder Author: Margie Witt
Writing Title: Snapped
Price: NFS
Myrtle’s heavy tote bag bulges with enough organic vegetables from Sunnyside Farmers Market to last all week. She takes a seat in the middle of the bus stop bench to wait for the free bus back to the senior center. A disheveled elderly man sits next to her. “So you picked up dinner at Farmer’s market?” he asks.
Just her luck, Myrtle thinks. An old geezer spoiling this beautiful sunny day. Myrtle inches away and pulls a Kindle out of her bag. Not that she knows what to do with it. Her grandson had given it to her for her birthday and told her she could now carry her entire library wherever she went. She ignores the man’s advances and pretends to read.
“Is there enough for two?” the old man quizzes.
Myrtle inches her way to the opposite edge of the bench. “Just enough for one,” she mumbles.
“Well then, what can I contribute?” he asks.
Myrtle’s knuckles whiten as she clutches the Kindle tighter. She should never have responded.
“Come on, let me bring something. How about a nice bottle of Chardonnay?” he continues.
She considers this for a moment. It’s been a long time since she sipped her favorite wine.
“One drink won’t hurt,” he suggests.
His voice has a familiar ring. It’s a voice she hears every Tuesday morning at the meeting in the hallows of St. Marks basement. Myrtle shifts her knees away.
“Okay then, how about I stop by Fantasia and pick up some of their special heart-shaped cookies? I know you would like those.”
She had heard about Fantasia bakery. It was the one that sculpted cakes and cookies into suggestive delicacies. That bus better get here fast. She looks at her watch.
“I see it’s already 5:30. How about if I show up at 7:00?”
If only Myrtle was holding a hardcover book, she would aim it directly in front of his pompous nose and snap it shut.
The bus arrives, and the old man signals Myrtle to go ahead. She takes the seat behind the driver. As the old man passes, snapping his flip phone in front of her face, he whispers to Myrtle,
“You might want to push that little button on the bottom of your Kindle next time you want to read.”
© 2023 Margie Witt
Out of stock
