The Subject of Desire Chapter 1
By Paula Andrea Pyle MA, 12th Feb 2011 | Follow this author
| RSS Feed | Short URL http://nut.bz/1rmrig9p/
Posted in WikinutWritingShort Stories
Charlie McRoy has an obsession. He wants a genuine Red and White Sandblaster more than anything in the whole wide world. Tow problems prevent him from getting his wish. He's only 13 and he has no money. Life has a way of giving us what we truly want but at what cost?
Chapter 1 :Charlie's Daydream: Or Is It?
It was an ordinary day, just like any other Thursday Charlie would spend in school. Mrs. Mason, the English teacher, was talking about subjects and predicates. Big deal! Charlie didn't give a flip about subjects and predicates, today. The only thing on his mind was the official genuine Red and White Sandblaster Skateboard located in Mr. Fleming's Sport Shop.
"Not another one anywhere to be found for at least 450 miles." He assured himself.
Jeff Stallings, Charlie's very best friend had a Blue Road Buster, which was a great board, but nobody he had ever heard tell of, owned a genuine Red & White Sandblaster. The official genuine Red and White Sandblaster was more than just a regular skateboard. It was the finest land, sea, air contraption ever invented. Not only could it maneuver down the sidewalk at unbelievable speeds, but could easily transform itself into a flying machine much like a one-man automatic motorized kite, a wave busting Wave Runner that could readily scale waves of more than 25feet. It could even be folded up small enough to fit in a pocket when not in use.
"How in the world will I ever be able to get it?" Charlie's mind filled with thoughts of impeded passion troubled him.
Charlie simply couldn't let another guy get the board before he did. He would just die if that happened. He simply couldn't keep his mind off the idea of racing down the sidewalk on his new skateboard and then, suddenly shifting to the air mode while he cruised in the air like a gliding seagull. Though the Genuine Red & White Sandblaster had only been in Mr. Fleming’s Sport Shop for 30 days, he knew IF he didn't do something to make sure he got it, someone would surely take it home.
He had begged his parents every day, at least 5 times a day, for the past 30 days, but they always told him the same old words.
"No, Charlie, It is absolutely out of the question. We don't have that kind of money to throw away."
There never seemed to be enough money to buy the things Charlie wanted. He was tired of hearing no. He had to do something, but what could he do?
When he would lie in bed at night, he could hear thoughts of his mother repeating words of utter disdain.
"Maybe later, Charlie, right now we just don't have the money."
Later was not good enough. Jeff Stallings, Billy Saddleford or maybe, even lazy Maynard Williams would somehow end up with it and he wouldn't be able to breathe. He couldn't understand why John Howard had not bought the board. His parents had enough money to buy the city if they wanted to. He just had to buy it before John decided he wanted it.
His fretful anxious mind would not stop turning. Charlie's two younger sisters, Sara and Louise didn't care whether they had cool toys or not. But, to Charlie, the genuine Red and White Sandblaster meant everything. His whole life depended on his getting it for sheer unadulterated pleasure.
"Charlie, Charlie McRoy!" Mrs. Mason jarred him from his moment of daydreaming.
"Charlie what is the subject of this sentence?" She stared at him with those black piercing eyes, disapproving as always.
He didn't know; much less care. The only subject he was interested in was the genuine Red and White Sandblaster.
"Charlie McRoy, are you daydreaming again? How many times have I told you to pay attention? I think it is high time you spent some time down at the principal's office. Get going. I will meet you down there in fifteen minutes." She didn't smile a bit.
Charlie slid out his seat slowly, looked around at the other kids and wondered why they were so interested in what Mrs. Mason was saying.
"Who cares what the subject of any sentence is? Who will ever use this kind of stuff anyway?" He shuffled his feet, kicked the jagged broken yellow pencil that lay on the floor beside his desk, tossed his golden blonde hair out of his blue eyes as he proudly walked out of the room. So glad to get out of the hearing range of Mrs. Mason's voice, he chuckled to himself, "I needed a break anyhow."
Charlie glanced at the big black round clock on the hall corridor wall. Two forty-five p.m., in fifteen minutes, school would be out.
"I guess Mrs. Mason didn't realize that," Charlie smiled knowing perfectly well the rule was he could not be held after school without first letting his parents know. When he reached the office door, he pushed it open making his way through the 'ROOM OF DECISION'. Old fat Mrs.Tetterton sat behind her desk eating a Hostess Twinkie.
"Hello, Charlie, can I help you?" Some of the crumbles fell from her mouth as she spoke. Charlie looked at the half-eaten lipstick smeared Twinkie, then at her fat round face, wondered how anyone could eat enough to get that BIG!
"Yes, Ma'am. Mrs. Mason told me to come down here and wait for her."
"What did you do, Charlie?"
"Nothing, Mrs. Tetterton. That's just it, I don't ever do nothing." He halfway winked as he spoke. By now, it was two fifty-five p.m.; only five minutes to go; THEN HE WAS OUT OF HERE!
With one bite, Mrs. Tetterton swallowed the remaining half of cake followed by the entire contents of a bottle of Coke.
Charlie sat on the cold hard bench staring out of the gray picture glass window. A small red bird, perched on one knotty branch, scratched the surface of the window pane.
"I wonder what it would be like to fly," Charlie thought.
"That little red bird sure is lucky. Flying is freedom. He don't have nobody to tell him what to do, what he can buy, or where he can go. He is free to go whenever he wants to. But, most of all, birds don't have to know about dumb old subjects and predicates."
At that very moment, Mrs. Mason blazed through the door with eyes of vengeance.
"Is Mr. Johnson in? I need to see him about Charlie," she spoke with a tone of voice that indicated she should be in the Army, not a seventh grade teacher.
"No," Mrs. Tetterton replied, "He had to leave early today. But, we can make an appointment for tomorrow afternoon if that will be OK." She finally wiped the scraps of Twinkie left around her rose-colored lips.
"I guess it will HAVE to be all right." Mrs. Mason turned with a gallant sweep, eye brows raised; bit the side of her tight jaw, as she always did, when she was upset. She swiftly left the office. Charlie didn't say a word.
"You can go now, Charlie. I'll see you back in here tomorrow afternoon. Be sure to tell your parents, OK?"
"Yes, ma'am. I'll tell them." Out the door he skidded, jumped over the three steps onto the sidewalk pavement. He had started down Buckle Lane when Fred Hopkins hollered after him.
"Hey, Charlie gonna get a paddling? You ought to know better than to keep on making Mrs. Mason mad at you."
"Oh, shut up, Fred the Head; you four-eyed nerd. What do you know about anything? You ain't nothing but an old sissy. You're so afraid of your mommy, you wouldn't dare do nothing but what a good little teacher's pet supposed to do."
Fred looked at Charlie stupidly; flipped up his freckled nose, then, stomped off in disgust.
"Four-eyed jerk, why can't he mind his own business?" Charlie asked himself.
Charlie had always felt different from the other kids his age, but was certainly glad he wasn't like Fred at all. If he could be anybody else, he would love to be like John Howard. He was the neatest and richest kid in seventh grade. He lived in a gigantic two story white brick house overlooking the golf course.
"That's the wealthiest part of town. There's nothing he wanted, he didn't get; except for the genuine Red and White Sandblaster." Charlie mumbled to himself.
Charlie was so engrossed in obsessive Genuine Red & White Sandblaster thought; he almost walked right past the shiny gold gemmed bracelet lying on the sidewalk.
"My gosh!" Charlie exclaimed aloud. "Just look at this sucker! It must be worth a fortune with all these diamonds, rubies, emeralds and stuff. Where in the world did it come from?"
An odd shaped bracelet, beaded with gems set in octagon links strung on a solid band of what appeared to be gold. Inside the band a perfect triangle was formed with the letters inscribed: 'The Subject of Desire'.
"What a strange thing to have put on a bracelet," he thought.
"What do you suppose it means? Who cares?" He suddenly realized the mysterious shiny bracelet had appeared from out of nowhere; as if by MAGIC.
"Maybe it is MAGIC!" he exclaimed. He rubbed the top of the uneven jewels with his right index finger, halfway expecting something magical to happen. Nothing did.
"Oh, well," he thought "even if it's not magic, surely it must be worth thousands of dollars with all of these diamonds, rubies, emeralds and stuff. What about if someone lost it? They'll probably offer a reward. But that would take too long to find out. I don't need thousands of dollars; I just need enough money to buy me a genuine Red and White Sandblaster. The one thing I want more than anything else in the whole wide world."
He carefully placed the shiny bracelet inside the left pocket of his faded jeans. Without another moment's hesitation, he decided to take it to Landau's Jewelry Store to see what it was worth.
"God has answered my prayers!" he squealed aloud.
He didn't even care he would have to explain to his Mom and Dad how and where he got the money to get the board. All he cared about was that he was on his way to sell a mysterious bracelet so that he could buy a wave riding, air soaring, sidewalk busting, Genuine Red and White Sandblaster.
Chapter 2
Comments
23rd Feb 2011 (#)
Good first chapter.
Reply to this comment
25th Feb 2011 (#)
I am so pleased you liked it. Thanks.
Reply to this comment
7th Mar 2011 (#)
Paula Andrea Pyle MA,
You're just a great writer with all the L-passions.
Reply to this comment
8th Mar 2011 (#)
To all of my very talented writer friends, I appreciate your following Charlie's journey.
Reply to this comment
20th Mar 2011 (#)
Nice character build, Paula...and good first chapter.. Looking forward to more.....
Reply to this comment
21st Mar 2011 (#)
Okay, here we are at the beginning. I am so glad to meet you and have you aboard the trip on Charlie's inexplicable journey.
Reply to this comment
24th Mar 2011 (#)
Can't wait to read chapter two..
Reply to this comment
2nd Apr 2011 (#)
i need to read all of this chapter one by one to make me understand it better..great write up!
Reply to this comment
2nd Apr 2011 (#)
Hello, my cherished new friend. I am so happy you have decided to join Charlie on his amazing journey. Best to you...
Reply to this comment
5th Apr 2011 (#)
A gigantic 'thank you' for all of you who jump on Charlie McRoy's bandwagon's adventures. I appreciate y'all so much.
Reply to this comment
7th May 2011 (#)
A very interesting article my sister Paula. Thank you.
Reply to this comment
8th May 2011 (#)
I'm happy you enjoyed the first chapter of my story.
Reply to this comment
4th Mar 2012 (#)
Permit me to point out the following. You started the story sedately with a cliche. I wish you had started it with, "There never seemed to be enough money to buy the things Charlie wanted. He was tired of hearing no. He had to do something, but what could he do?
Secondly the character's thinking, also called interior monologue is best put in italics and kept short and infrequent.
Reply to this comment