Todays Topic
Welcome friend to Create Art Podcast where we create more than we consume. I am Timothy Kimo Brien your thankful head instigator with over 20 years in arts and education helping you tame your inner critic and provide you with commentary, interviews, discussions, and projects that will inspire you to create art. This month I will be podcasting daily and writing a novel in 30 days. I am participating in NaPodPoMo and NaNoWriMo. You will be able to listen to what I wrote for the day and read it at the same time. I like to practice what I preach when it comes to art so I am challenging myself to write and having you come along for the ride. I hope this inspires you to accomplish your goals with your art and if you would like to share what you are doing email me at timothy@createartpodcast.com
The Story So Far
26 Nov 2020 1801 daily count 43836 cumulative count
Carl stepped out of the bedroom and straight to the front door.
“Did you say something Papa,” asked Myra?
“Just talking to myself like I sometimes do,” replied Carl.
They both climbed into his car and buckled in. Myra taking the passenger back seat so she could look at Carl. He turned on the radio, it was tuned to the local NPR station. The station was playing its jazz program and normally Carl would have listened, but the fear of hearing Grover Bechet drove him to put on a podcast that he was listening to.
“Papa can we listen to the radio, I don’t like this podcast it’s too scary,” said Myra. He knew that some song by Grover was going to play, so he turned on the oldies channel. He thought to himself, that the oldies channel used to mean music from the 50’s and 60’s, but know it was music he had grown up with which made him feel that much older. Myra seemed pleased with his selection, at least she was not asking for jazz. He thought about the irony of that thought, his ex-wife was not aa fan of jazz and now he was avoiding it because of the curse.
Traffic was fairly light as it was near lunch time. They pulled up to the buffet pizza place and saw that it had just opened about thirty minutes ago. They would be one of the first customers of the day so Carl knew that the food would at least be fresh. When they entered there was two booths occupied out of forty. Carl chose one where he could face the front entrance.
“Can I play some arcade games when we get done eating,” asked Myra?
“Oh most certainly, I used to be great at arcade games when I was a kid, maybe about your age. I would bug my folks all weekend long to take me to the mall arcade until they wilted and took me,” said Carl.
The each went to the buffet line and carefully grabbed the first slices off the pizzas displayed. Myra looked up at Carl when they reached the dessert pizza, pleading with her eyes for permission. He nodded and took two pieces for himself to show he was a kid at heart. They both devoured their food, ignoring the blaring TV showing modern day cartoons.
“If you are truly done, we can go to the arcade, but don’t tell me you are hungry in five minutes,” joked Carl.
“I am done, just going to go to the bathroom, “replied Myra. With that she got up from the booth and went towards the bathroom. Carl got up and refilled their sodas and sat back down I the booth watching what passed for cartoons these days. A few more tables and booths filled up as he waited from Myra to come back from the bathroom. It had been ten minutes when he started panicking. He stood up from the booth to look around the restaurant. The busser came by to take their plates away and left the soda glasses.
“Did you see the girl I came in with, she is nine years old, has brown hair to her shoulders, her name is Myra? She went to the bathroom about ten minutes ago and hasn’t come back,” said Carl excitedly.
“I didn’t see you come in with a girl sir,” said the busser. Carl started sweating and getting dizzy. He sat down and the lights in the restaurant seemed to dim. “I can have one of the female staff look in the girls bathroom for you, what’s her name again?”
“Myra, I would appreciate that, thank you. I am just going to sit here,” replied Carl. The lights were getting progressively dimmer and the noise from the TV was giving him a migraine. The busser went quickly to get his manager. A few minutes passed and the female manager came to the table.
“Sir are you feeling okay, do we need to call an ambulance,” asked the manager?
“I am okay, my girl, her name is Myra, she is nine years old. She went to the bathroom and hasn’t come back yet. I am just really worried about her. Can you check on her please,” Carl asked and was beginning to feel the familiar effect of one of his episodes. He could not look away from the TV he knew he would become unresponsive. The manager headed to the female bathroom and called out Myra’s name. When Carl did not hear Myra’s voice calling back, he felt the episode getting worse and soon he would slip away. This time it felt like it had in the past where he would be difficult to rouse. Just then he heard the manager yell out.
“Hey give me a hand, the girl is in the stall, I think she passed out. Sir can you help me please,” said the manager to Carl.
He instantly snapped back into reality and ran to the bathroom. He found Myra, sitting on the toilet, pants down and her head leaning against the side of the stall. Her eyes were open, and her jaw was slack. He pushed the manager aside and cleaned up Myra. As he helped get her back together, he thought that this is probably what he used to look like to others, no wonder his brother and Cheryl hounded him about going to the doctor and following orders. He whispered into her ears “I am sorry baby girl, I am sorry, we will get you back home soon. Shhhhh Shhhh, we will get you all taken care of.” He turned to the manager, “she just had an episode, like an epileptic seizure just not as bad as that. She will be okay, I’m taking her home right now.” Slowly Myra woke up from the episode like Carl had so many times in the past. Her eyes blinked and her face became red from embarrassment. Her hands went straight to her legs to make sure she had on clothes and she began to lightly whimper into Carl’s shoulder.
“I’m okay Papa, I am okay, this happens sometimes. I didn’t want you to worry. Can we still get frozen yogurt,” Myra asked?
“We can grab some on the way home, you bet girl. Let’s go ahead and get you home. I thought I lost you there for a minute,” said Carl.
“Are you two okay, I mean you don’t look to good yourself sir,” asked the manager?
“We are going to be fine, thank you for looking into the bathroom for her, she just had an episode, we just need some rest. Thank you,” said Carl as he picked up Myra and started to take her to the exit.
“I can walk Papa, really I am fine,” said Myra.
“Let me get you outside and we can walk around,” replied Carl.
The manager walked them through the restaurant and opened the door for them to go outside. She ran back and brought some wet towels to put on the back of Myra’s neck.
“Are you sure you two are fine, because we can call an ambulance and get either you or her to the hospital,” asked the manager?
“No really we are fine now, thank you. We have had an exciting couple of days and I think we need to just grab some frozen yogurt and get this girl watching some cartoons or national geographic or something,” said Carl reassuringly.
Carl handed the towels back to the manager and she walked them both to his car. He pulled out of the parking lot more cautiously than usual and headed for their next stop, the frozen yogurt shop.
“So what kind of yogurt are you looking to get, which one is your favorite,” asked Carl?
“Peach is my favorite, thank you,” replied Myra. Carl noticed that she spoke in a more docile manner like she did when he was first introduced to her. She seemed much livelier when she woke up this morning and everything turned on its head. Maybe things were turning around, and she would be more of herself, whoever she really was.
He knew his doctor would have a fit if he found out that Carl was driving after almost having his own episode much less a nine year old girl having one, but there was no one to drive either of them back home. He was feeling better as he turned on the air conditioning and let it blow on himself and Myra. He looked back at her and she seemed to get perkier as they got closer to the yogurt shop. Once there he parked the car close to the entrance.
“Are you feeling up to going in or should I just grab and go for the both of us. I really don’t want to leave you in a running car, but if you are not up to it,” asked Carl?
“No I can go in, I will be fine. Besides I want to put the sprinkles on it and the peach jam,” replied Myra.
“Okay babe, you tell me if you are not feeling it and we will get out of there fast, besides we are going to take these home with us and watch more cartoons, maybe head over to the park,” said Carl.
They both walked in a bit uneasy but manageable. Myra grabbed a big bucket for Carl and a medium sized bucket for herself, She went straight to the blue raspberry dispenser and started pouring in about half way full of that flavor and then switched over to a coffee chocolate blend for the rest of the cup. She handed it to Carl and filled her own bucket with peach frozen yogurt. When she had filled it she was at the topping buffet and put only on spoonful of sprinkles and a good sized drizzle of peach jam over her bucket. Carl went straight for the chunky chocolate candy pieces and drenched the whole bucket in chocolate hardening syrup. When they stepped up the counter to get their yogurt weighted and paid, Myra grabbed lids, spoons and napkins for both of them.
“Looks like you got a great helper there sir,” said the cashier.
“She is the best, thank you. Just having a lazy day today,” replied Carl.
Myra opened the door to the exit and opened up the car doors so Carl could put down the treats on the driver side back seat. They both climbed in his car and went back to the apartment. Once there and still quiet they walked up to his apartment and went straight to the kitchen table. Carl turned on the TV which was still on the music channel, when Grover Bechet came on.
Reaching Out
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