The Pickup

“Jeezus, Ernest, are we sure about this?”
“Well, we’ve been taking Vinny to school, and to the diner, and fishing; we get involved with him and his mother at holidays; we’ve met with Social Services and been approved to be foster parents— yeah, we’re sure. Aren’t we?”
“Yes, of course we are, Ernest, because Vinny needs us; it’s just I never dreamed that with all the interventions and scrutiny, his mother wouldn’t get her shit together for that boy.”
“Guess she couldn’t manage that, Marge, so we’re up, and yeah, I’m scared. A live-in teenager— huge change for us.”
***
“When Ilene was barking orders for both of us to come get Vinny, did she happen to mention how the three of us were going to fit into your truck, Ernest?”
“We’ll fit, won’t we Vinny, like three peas in a pod. Let me just lift the console up and we’ll give peas a chance.”
Marge and Ernest couldn’t see Vinny’s slight smile in the dim dashboard glow of the truck cab and were startled from their own musings when he said he had a peas full feeling now that they had come for him.
“My mother is not capable of changing, you know,” he continued, “but this time I didn’t do anything, didn’t leave, didn’t defend myself, just stood there and let her whale on me with whatever came to hand, and this time they couldn’t help her make excuses. No pain, no gain,” he sighed, and awkwardly but firmly Marge took his hand in hers as Ernest drove them home.
While our Six Sentence Story host, Denise, claims the rule is six sentences exactly, I have two sets of six here. The first is also 99 words exactly and uses the now expired December 10 challenge prompt from Carrot Ranch, “never dreamed”. I wrote two 99 word scenes that precede these but never posted them, though I did leave them in the comments at the Ranch. The second of those is also six sentences and includes “change“. Six Sentence readers will recognize Vinny as a student that Ilene Higginbottom looks out for at the school she works at as administrative assistant.

This gives me a peas ful feeling, too. I like that they all tried to help mom make it work. Sometimes that bottom some people have to hit needs to be on their own. Vinny deserves some peas.
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Thanks for coming by, Ms. Mills. I don’t know why I didn’t post the first two that led to these, felt like they weren’t “there” or something, but I suppose peas and carrots and writing can be served raw too.
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Both are great sixes. Glad you went for it.
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Thanks.
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Killer ‘mix’ on yer Six: poignant and funny*
*well, they are puns, so, make that ‘wryly amusing’
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Thank you. Peas out.
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damn!*
Shamed as I might feel before my peers, I resist resentment and wish for all Sixers, peas on mirth
* Full Disclosure: totally went looking for a peas pun, struck out
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You done good, gave me a belly laugh; a bit of a mirth quake.
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lol
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Wonderful. She will come to her senses or not, at least the boy has a chance.
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He’s with good people, for sure.
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Heartwarming story Ernest, Marge and Vinny. They are well suited for each other. And kudos for Ilene for keeping an eye out for him at school 🙂
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Glad there are people like Ernest and Marge to help rescue the Vinnys in the world and are willing to overcome the fear of doing so. I love how you have inserted humor in what otherwise could be such a bleak situation.
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If we lose our humor all is lost. It’s been my experience that people find/make humor in the grimmest of situations. I only hope it is effective in making my characters come across as authentic.
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These stories just roll together so nicely, like peas sliding out of a pod into the delicious bowl of sweetness, kinda like the vehicle full of sweetness that night.
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Thanks. I like these characters, always glad when they show up.
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They wanted some attention!
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