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Open Poetry #26
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Cleaning the Cooler
| Open Poetry #26 |
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Cleaning the Cooler |
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Duncan Member Ascendant
since 2001-08-07
Posts 5455 |
I filled a bucket with sudsy water and headed to the walk-in cooler, relieved to be away from the scalding heat of the dishwasher. So what if the guy had offered to help then told me to move over, what did I care? ‘You can have it Buddy’, I thought, ‘the dishes and all their glory’. The cooler was in the back of the kitchen next to the fryers, where the guy who’d winged me with the spatula was working. ‘Sorry ‘bout yer head kid’, he snickered, not sounding too broken up about it. I opened the door and as the cold air hit my sweat soaked skin, I realized old Buddy had done me a favor, though I doubted he’d meant to. I stood there enjoying the sudden whirl of cold air causing a domino wave of chills to run through me, as the door closed with a vacuum suck and a fan kicked on overhead. Closed my eyes, breathing slowly for the first time in hours and rolled my head, trying to loosen all the muscles stiff from bending over a sink all night. I didn’t remember the last time I’d been this tired and all I wanted to do was take a shower and then sleep, maybe for days. ‘Grab a rag and go clean the cooler’, I heard Buddy’s words again as I looked around at the job I’d been assigned. The place was a shelved chaos of freshly butchered meats that too closely resembled the living, breathing animals they’d been the day before. The thick smell of blood hung the air, mingled in a repulsive nasal cocktail with the odor of fish and sulfur breathing vegetables. I didn’t know where to start but I started anyway, thinking the sooner I did, the sooner I could drink that beer. The cool air gave me a second wind and I had that mess scrubbed down, shelves, walls, door, even stood on a crate and got the ceiling, in what must’ve been record time. I stopped and looked back at the walk-in as I opened the door into the kitchen. ‘Damn fine job’, I told myself and then noticed with surprise that the kitchen was dark and empty. I followed a crack of light dimly filtering between swinging doors towards the dining room and found Buddy, Joe and the rest already sitting around the bar. ‘I’m done Buddy’, I said, more because no one seemed to notice me standing there than because I felt any real need to report back to him. ‘Mike honey, we thought ya snuck out the back door’, Jean laughed and nudged Buddy’s attention away from his beer. ‘Where’d you disappear to kid?’, Buddy asked, looking amused and confused at the same time. ‘I was cleaning the cooler, like you told me’, I snapped not caring if my sudden irritation showed. ‘It took you that long to clean the beer cooler?’, he asked me incredulously. ‘The beer cooler?’, I questioned and he pointed behind the bar… at a small, roll top cooler that held cold six-packs to go. I knew when I was beat, I stuck out my hand and reintroduced myself, ‘Hi, my name’s Goob. Buy me a beer?’ |
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| © Copyright 2003 Duncan - All Rights Reserved | |||
Cpat Hair
since 2001-06-05
Posts 11793 |
Well Goob... ya shoulda asked. LMAO |
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Sunshine
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-25
Posts 63354Listening to every heart |
Goob is back and I'm going to be smiling, hey nah, hey, NAH, the Goob is back!  |
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Duncan Member Ascendant
since 2001-08-07
Posts 5455 |
Thanks Kari...it's nice to know some people appreciate my efforts to run with the big dogs!!! Who is that Hair guy keeps cluttering up my replies, anyway????  |
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Janet Marie Member Laureate
since 2000-01-22
Posts 18554 |
This is much too long for my mothy short attention span.... I skimmed it but couldnt find the words Tigerboy in it and lost interest..... hehehehehehehehehehe roflmao........... paybacks are hell aint they   oooooooouuuuu eeeeeeeeeeee oooouuuuu ah ah Ting Tang Walla Walla Bing Bang......  |
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rosepetals25
since 2000-05-31
Posts 3076PA |
LOL Sounds like something I would do *chuckles* Ya got me to laugh out loud on this one.. I liked it Tara |
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Startime55 Member Elite
since 2003-04-05
Posts 2148Alberta, Canada |
*giggling* this was just too good to pass up....I am printing it off to read to some friends of mine...Well done.... |
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regards2you Member Elite
since 2002-10-01
Posts 3940California |
I feel like I know these people.... that says it all re: your writing ability. Just wonderful. Enjoyed the ending, and you putting me there with the fine imagery. Hugs, Pat  ..without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.. |
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Janet Marie Member Laureate
since 2000-01-22
Posts 18554 |
Goob???? Is that a poetic term for dumb blonde tennis player? heh |
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Martie
Moderator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-09-21
Posts 28049California |
Duncan...A job well done...wish you worked for me!! Very cool write! (note play on words) |
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Bill Charles Member Patricius
since 2000-07-11
Posts 10619highways, & byways, for now |
Duncan - this is excellent, I like it much. And Goob, I'll buy that beer... BC |
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Janet Marie Member Laureate
since 2000-01-22
Posts 18554 |
I didn’t remember the last time I’d been this tired and all I wanted to do was take a shower and then sleep, maybe for days. ======================= Aw ya slacker lmao |
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Duncan Member Ascendant
since 2001-08-07
Posts 5455 |
BTW Kari...Must you constantly reinforce that nickname?!?!? Tara...Nice to see you again. Thanks for reading and getting it! ST55...Thanks for keeping up with these, sporadic as they are. I do appreciate it. Glad you're back! Pat...Mostly it says that I know these people too!!! They are all a pinch of fact and a dash of fiction. Thanks for following me around the kitchen! Martie...Good to know someone sees the value of my labor! Thanks for the cool response...  Thanks Bill, I got the next round! JM...There are no words to accurately describe how much your support and friendship mean to me right now. I understand how difficult it must be having those kittylitterations running through your mothy head, day and night and will certainly forgive tonights outburst (as you so graciously asked in your email earlier) and try to remember the stress you've been under ever since they stopped publishing Tigerboybeat. |
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Janet Marie Member Laureate
since 2000-01-22
Posts 18554 |
 you need to share whats in that pipe  LMAO |
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garysgirl
since 2002-09-29
Posts 19237Florida, USA |
Hey Goobey, I mean Duncky I really like this part.... ‘Where’d you disappear to kid?’, Buddy asked, looking amused and confused at the same time. ‘I was cleaning the cooler, like you told me’, I snapped not caring if my sudden irritation showed. ‘It took you that long to clean the beer cooler?’, he asked me incredulously. ‘The beer cooler?’, I questioned and he pointed behind the bar… at a small, roll top cooler that held cold six-packs to go. I knew when I was beat, I stuck out my hand and reintroduced myself, ‘Hi, my name’s Goob. Buy me a beer?’ . . I really like following you around the kitchen with your pinch of fact and a dash of fiction Hugs, Ethel  [This message has been edited by garysgirl (05-08-2003 01:45 AM).] |
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passing shadows Member Empyrean
since 1999-08-26
Posts 45577displaced |
hehehehe |
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Janet Marie Member Laureate
since 2000-01-22
Posts 18554 |
How come a tennis playing stud like you never posts over in MC??? Ron...whats your therory on that???? heh [This message has been edited by Janet Marie (05-08-2003 07:25 AM).] |
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Earth Angel Member Empyrean
since 2002-08-27
Posts 40215Realms of Light |
Even a reader with a very short attention span would have had no difficulty reading this beauty to the end!  A cool drink with a twist of lemon! Extra warm hugs (I think you need them!) EA |
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Cpat Hair
since 2001-06-05
Posts 11793 |
JM.. my theory is that porch puppies get scared when they might have to venture out into the yard... the other dogs out there might be able to mark higher on the tree and the porch puppy wouldn't know what to do... lol... wouldn't surprise me to find out this porch pup could write it but was afraid to share it. |
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Sunshine
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-25
Posts 63354Listening to every heart |
Reinforce what name, Goob? You got another name? Porch Puppy?  |
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Janet Marie Member Laureate
since 2000-01-22
Posts 18554 |
Dont forget "Duncan-tanned tennis pro Stud" ROFL |
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