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I looked at the computer screen. I felt better about myself. I was eligible for a military pension. It meant that even though I was still old and alone I was not going to be as poor. If I could only write something new. I went down to the lobby to check on my mail.
I stood in the lobby in front of all the mail boxes and read a post card that urged me to buy auto insurance and wondered why I kept getting mail that urged me to buy auto insurance when I had no car. A pudgy, middle-age man approached me. I knew he was a tenant.
“Excuse me,” he said. “Could I ask you, do you have cock roaches in your place?”
“No.”
“They’re over running my place.”
“Did you tell management?”
“We had a big argument. They know. I pay my rent on time every month. All I ask is that I have a decent place to live.”
“That’s too bad.”
“Well, I phoned the city. They’ll be out here on the sixteenth and this place is going to be in big trouble. I mean big trouble.”
We talked a few minutes more. He said goodbye and I wished him luck. I left the lobby and walked out onto the landing into a beautiful summer afternoon. Now I had two things to feel good about.
Filed under: Flash Fiction Stories by Guy Hogan | Tagged: auto insurance, flash fiction, Guy Hogan, lobby, mail, military pension, neighbor, old, poor, write | 1 Comment »
Karaoke: Wind Of Change by The Scorpions
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The Old Soldier has settled on “Wind Of Change” by The Scorpions to sing at karaoke later this month. Flash fiction and rock and roll. It’s the perfect combination.
It’s nice to be able to still write good flash fiction and to be able to hit all the notes with power. Both make me feel young. It’s the gout in my right foot that makes me feel old.
*****
Hello hello hello. This warm, overcast day has turned into a warm, sunny day. The Old Soldier has just finished off a hot bowl of rigatoni with pieces of green pepper in it smothered with chunky mushroom spaghetti sauce and with plenty of grated parmesan cheese on top. I had to drink ice water. Beer is no good for the gout and this looks like the second day I’ll be stuck in my apartment. But now I’m ready to get back to blogging.
*****
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Filed under: Commentaries | Tagged: apartment, beer, blogging, flash fiction, free email subscription, gout, green pepper, Karaoke, mushroom spaghetti sauce, old, parmesan cheese, Pittsburgh Flash Fiction Gazette, rigatoni, rock and roll, The Scorpions, Wind Of Change, young | Leave a Comment »