Brr! Wow, that fall weather got nippy quickly. Hope everyone is enjoying the weather where they are. Oh, yeah it is Friday again. You all know what that means. (Wickedly rubs hands together like an evil villain.) Time to torture you all with a new set of prompts!

Prompt 268 – Creative
Tag – The Change
College is expensive and when you seen the ad, asking for volunteers to undergo a “totally safe” but “unique” trial of a drug you considered it. You were told if you were selected there would be a huge sum of money with enough zeroes on it to pay for college and more for a few years, so it was a done deal In your head. However, you were so quick to sign you didn’t read the whole contract and now you find that the little trial has some serious side effects. One of which was something no one expected. You are going through the change, but the question is, to what?

Prompt 269 – Creative
Tag – List of Words
Use the following words in a story – pumpkin, lamp, giraffe, caution tape, and a large spider.

Last week we had three very different takes on prompt 266. The original prompt asked you to use the following as the first line - “I don’t care! I still believe in you.” Three authors took this line and went in three totally different directions. As we really don't have space for all I really had a hard time picking one. I really encourage everyone to give them all a read and comment however.

For your enjoyment I present JoAnn's take on this prompt.

No Matter What

 

"I don't care! I still believe in you." Landon reached for Dan as he said the words, putting all the sincerity he was feeling into them. He knew Dan's job search for the last year had finally taken it's toll.

 

Dan turned to look at Landon, shaking off his boyfriend's hand. "I feel like a kept woman, and I'm not doing it anymore. You work two jobs to make sure that I can have my own transportation, in case my sorry ass does land a job. But, I just got turned down as a landscaper's assistant, and I have a degree horticulture. That's pretty lame, don't you think? My dad was right. A fag like me won't amount to anything, especially with a sissy degree like that. Guess I should've stayed on the farm, and be happily driving a tractor, on the path to being straight. He always said good manual labor would make any fag think twice about being a real man, instead of a faggot fairy."

 

Landon flinched at Dan's words, holding back tears. As much as Dan's dad had hurt him, Dan still loved his dad unconditionally. He'd raised Dan alone after his wife died three years after giving birth to their only child. Dan's dad hated fags, but loved his son in a twisted, sort of way that kept Dan going back for more of the verbal abuse, at least once a month, and now it had finally taken it's toll. It looked as if his boyfriend of five years had shattered under the pressure of his father's words, and his state of unemployment.

 

Dan slammed out the front door, making one of the photos on the wall next to it fall to the floor.

 

Landon bent down and picked up the frame that held the photo of them at their college graduation two years ago. Landon had landed a job as a teacher, and was an assistant swimming coach at the local school. Dan had opened his own nursery, but after nine months of struggling, and creeping more and more into debt, he'd given up, and shut down the plant nursery, and sold the building and land to pay off his debt. Landon hadn't considered the assistant coaching job a second job until Dan started throwing it in his face. Dan had no idea that Landon didn't have to work at all if he chose not to. At twenty-one, he'd inherited his grandfather's estate, which consisted of over five million dollars, and the two story townhouse they lived in now. He'd not kept this from Dan on purpose, but wanted to surprise him when he proposed to him on their sixth anniversary next month. Now, he wondered if there would be an anniversary. Landon's gut feeling told him that Dan was headed out to his father's farm, seeking employment. If that were the case, there would probably be no more them. Tears finally escaped, when he had that final thought. Hanging the picture back on the wall, he walked over to the bar, and poured himself a drink, glad it was Friday, and he had a couple of days to try and sort out this mess. He'd loved Dan Sikes as long as he could remember, but finally admitted it when they were seniors in high school, after his best friend Leah had told him that she was positive that Dan was gay. Now, Landon was scared, but determined that the last six years were the beginning of a lifetime together for him and Dan. He sat down on a bar stool, and sipped his drink, in deep thought.

***

Dan drove through the light snow that had started to fall. He muttered to himself. "What the hell else?" He found a place to pull the Dodge Charger to the side of the road, and leaned back in the seat, running a hand over his face, not surprised at the wetness there. His mind was going in circles, but in the middle was one beautiful face. Landon. Dan felt guilty for his outburst. Landon didn't deserve any of it, because he'd been more supportive than most boyfriends would have thought about being. Not once had Dan said anything negative about Landon not working. Instead, he'd bragged about how clean and neat Dan kept the house, and lawn. Every night after Landon had eaten whatever Dan prepared for dinner, he'd get up from his chair, and kiss Dan on the lips, thanking him for a great meal, and they would do the dishes together, talking about the antics of Landon's students that day. Then they'd grab a drink, and go out onto the back patio, and enjoy each other's company for an hour or two. Their television was never turned on, unless they wanted to watch a game together, or they rented a dvd to watch together. Dan knew that Landon was happy with it being just the two of them. When they did go to a friend's home for a party or dinner, Landon never left his side, and was ready to go whenever Dan got ready to leave.

 

Pulling back onto the road, Dan went to the next drive he came to, and turned around. He needed to go home and make things right. He could start the job hunting over on Monday. He'd find something, if he had to wait tables.

What do you think? I hate to see lover's in distress. Want to know how it ends? Of course you do, so go read it already.

Prompt 266 can be found here - http://www.gayauthors.org/forums/topic/37753-prompt-266-creative/

Prompt 267 can be found here - http://www.gayauthors.org/forums/topic/37754-prompt-267-creative/

A special thank you to JamesSavik who took a shot at both prompts. Yeah, as the creator this little things I love to see what someone can do with my crazy ideas and Mr. Savik took up both them this week.

So what about you? Seen a prompt you like? Why not give it a try and post it in the prompt threads.

Until next week remember to read, review, and write. Till next time. - Wayne