California Grass (516 hits)
Category: NoneRating: 1.55 on 19 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by mayh3m (View user info) at 2007-11-14 03:34:19 EST
I was out driving in my truck tonight- windows down, letting the cool wind hit my hair. I drove around until I got lost, not knowing my way too much. Finally, I went down a road the seemed familiar, but it was a dark, deserted looking street. In the distance, I saw a shimmering light, almost as if it was calling me to come closer. As my sight grew fuzzy and my head went heavy, I decided it'd be best to turn back home. I didn't know where home was, so I stopped at the house where from the light was beckoning. I contemplated just sitting there in my truck until morning showed it's sight. I rolled up my windows and lowered my eyelids. All of a sudden, there was a loud tap. I awoke startled by the noise, and soon became spooked by the shadow standing at my car's doorway. I couldn't make out the face, but the body was clearly one of a female. I lowered my window and the woman spoke in a low voice.
"Why are you parked in front of my house."
"I had to stop for the night"
She lifted up her face and signaled in to follow her. I was a bit suspicious at first, wondering if this woman was an angel or a demon. As she showed me the way, I thought I could hear voices coming from the rooms inside the house. The woman looked familiar, for some odd reason, but very old. She had a lovely place, and a very lovely body. The voices crept up again, except accompanied by a shadow of an older man and a younger boy. This time I clearly heard them welcome me to their home. I was shocked at their generosity, and still pondering exactly how safe I was here. The older man also seemed familiar, and the younger boy didn't particularly stand out, but his voice did. I couldn't figure out why.
"There's plenty of room here, my friend," said the woman as she took the younger boy and disappeared, leaving me alone with the older man. After 10 minutes, the awkward silence between us was broken. He spoke.
"She's the worst thing that ever happened to me." His conviction of such a statement amazed me. I asked him why he would say such a thing about his wife (I concluded that much about her by now).
"Her mind is twisted, and she's got a lot of boys she calls 'friends'. She continually spends the money I earn hard everyday on stuff we do not need, and over indulges on every behavior, good or bad. She has raised our son to be deceitful, hateful, and spiteful. She knows no love, and she knows not of responsibility. She runs away every time we have problems, and that's when I waste time and money looking for her, only to hold onto whatever little love I believe we share for each other. I have made the ultimate mistake of always being there for her, when she left me a long time ago. So, what do I do? I go dancing to forget. I indulge in other women, behind her back, and do whatever it takes to not let her find out. I think about how much I hurt her every time I'm with another woman, and it makes me feel alive. Yet, when I come back here, I look at my son and see how we've ruined his life forever, and she knows its. I know it. All three of us know it."
I didn't know how to respond. The older man smiled and walked away, leaving me alone in this big house. I settled on the couch and stared at the walls, full of pictures with smiling faces. I understood how the man felt, and I understood every word he told me. I suddenly missed my home, and my life. However, I wasn't about to throw away their kind gesture. Instead, I arose from the couch and called up for a drink, requesting a root beer. The woman sped down the stairs until she was at eye level with me, and looked deep into my soul.
"Dear man, we haven't that drink since 2009"
"2009? How can that be? It's still 2007. You must have that drink, or something similar?"
"Yes, we have Pepsi."
A five-letter word, while so meaningless to many, felt like 5 little daggers for my fragile heart. I had not sipped that beverage since she left. It's so pathetic how the brain associates feelings with inanimate objects, making it almost impossible for you just to enjoy something as simple as a soft drink without getting some sort of emotional feedback.
"No, no thank you. I'll just lay back down."
She ran back up the stairs, and the door slammed. I walked back to the couch and tried to sleep, but I could hear voices, as if they were calling me. They woke me up at all hours of the night. I somehow was able to fall asleep, and when I woke up it was still night outside. I walked around until I found the kitchen, where the family was sitting at the table. The wife had a bruise on her face, the husband was scratched up, and the son had a sad look on his face. They all faked a smile as soon as I entered.
"Please, join us for a meal," begged the son. I obliged and sat down. I asked the son a few questions about himself. It was refreshing to find out that the boy had some interests that were similar to mine as a child. Our conversation was interrupted by the ding of the oven, and as the husband walked away the wife and the son leaned in towards me.
"We are both prisoners here, of his intentions and wishes," she whispered.
When the husband returned, she took a huge butcher knife and stabbed the husband in the heart. She began yelling.
"MEMORIES ON THE WALLS, AND CHAMBERED FOR THIS FALSE MASTER"
The son then spoke "Go on mother, kill the beast!"
My eyesight was no longer fuzzy. As I made my realization of who these people were, I made my way to the door as fast as I could. The son trailed me, but I didn't care- I had to get back to the place I was before. I got to the door, but it was too late. He stood there, with a knife of his own, and spoke.
"Relax, we did this for a greater good. We were destined for this. You can stay with us as long as you want, but you can never leave."
"Is it because I know who you are, son?"
The boy dropped his knife, and looked me deep in the eyes. He kicked away the weapon and signaled for me to kneel down. I got down and he whispered a request in my ear.
"Don't come back."
He opened the door just as the mother ran up to me. She was bloody, and still had the knife in her hand. I glanced at her for a few moments.
"You were right, it was for the best," I told her as I walked out.
I jumped into my truck, and sped away. The farther away I got, the brighter things became. With the sunlight I was able to recall street names. When I got home, I looked into my son's eyes, and I cried. I knew that had his mother never left us, we'd be living it up right now, seemingly on the outside. Inside, we'd be resenting one another until one day they did the unthinkable. The life I once saw as hell now seemed like a vacation. The home I once called a jail cell seemed like freedom now.
You should always appreciate the grass you've been given, because the other side may not be greener.
It could just be a different shade of green.
User Reviews
Submitted by onplaNetdope (user info) at 2007-11-19 10:08:48 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I thought this was going to be about the 'erb' we all know and love.
Submitted by TigerLilly (user info) at 2007-11-15 10:12:49 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by monkeyswithguns (user info) at 2007-11-14 20:15:51 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by experima (user info) at 2007-11-14 17:01:36 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by i_can_get_you_a_toe (user info) at 2007-11-14 16:46:30 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
this confused me. maybe i'll come back and read it when i'm not hungover, or maybe not. which will it be?
*shrugs and wanders off*
Submitted by Brdn_Nkd (user info) at 2007-11-14 12:40:37 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
what's with all the uber elders posting today? It kicks ass. as did this, it strangely resonates with me.
Submitted by orph (user info) at 2007-11-14 11:48:13 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
i thought this was pretty good.
Submitted by triangle_man (user info) at 2007-11-14 11:47:23 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
now we know
Submitted by Ballare (user info) at 2007-11-14 10:37:05 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair
Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air
Up ahead in the distance, I saw shimmering light
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim
I had to stop for the night
There she stood in the doorway;
I heard the mission bell
And I was thinking to myself,
'This could be Heaven or this could be Hell'
Then she lit up a candle and she showed me the way
There were voices down the corridor,
I thought I heard them say...
Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place (Such a lovely place)
Such a lovely face
Plenty of room at the Hotel California
Any time of year (Any time of year)
You can find it here
Her mind is Tiffany-twisted, she got the Mercedes Benz
She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys she calls friends
How they dance in the courtyard, sweet summer sweat.
Some dance to remember, some dance to forget
So I called up the Captain,
'Please bring me my wine'
He said, 'We haven't had that spirit here since nineteen sixty nine'
And still those voices are calling from far away,
Wake you up in the middle of the night
Just to hear them say...
Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place (Such a lovely place)
Such a lovely face
They livin' it up at the Hotel California
What a nice surprise (what a nice surprise)
Bring your alibis
Mirrors on the ceiling,
The pink champagne on ice
And she said 'We are all just prisoners here, of our own device'
And in the master's chambers,
They gathered for the feast
They stab it with their steely knives,
But they just can't kill the beast
Last thing I remember, I was
Running for the door
I had to find the passage back
To the place I was before
'Relax,' said the night man,
'We are programmed to receive.
You can check-out any time you like,
But you can never leave!'
Submitted by TheDoctor (user info) at 2007-11-14 09:28:48 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
No Comment
Submitted by EmissionImpossible (user info) at 2007-11-14 08:45:24 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Sacrilicious
Submitted by freebie (user info) at 2007-11-14 08:36:04 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by moneyshotforyou (user info) at 2007-11-14 07:36:35 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Kept me interested.
Submitted by Berty (user info) at 2007-11-14 06:22:51 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
s' good.
Submitted by Progr3ss (user info) at 2007-11-14 05:59:15 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
Don't be stealing my 3's.
Submitted by sexualchocolate1984 (user info) at 2007-11-14 05:31:23 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Welcome to Hotel California +2
Submitted by orphelia (user info) at 2007-11-14 04:42:49 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Nicely weaved into this story. Your posts never get as many reviews as they deserve. I hope this one does.
Submitted by orphelia (user info) at 2007-11-14 04:41:05 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Hotel California. Cool song.
Submitted by HateMudkips (user info) at 2007-11-14 04:02:20 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
it could be ..