I Shrugged
Mexican viagra. Just in case.- “GOOD BYE,” she whispered.
- the sound of many feet
- finally decided to cooperate
- even the ugliest moments in life can still contain poetry
Tune in next time part 354 Click Here for Earlier Installments
I shrugged. Of course it was probably twins, and helping to deliver them was preferable by far to being in Harry’s presence at the moment.
Svetlana unrolled from within Heinrich’s shirt and started pacing with her hands on her back. Her rounded abdomen was very impressive, as was the scorching hostility in her eyes. I was about to apologize for putting her in this predicament when Heinrich tapped me on the shoulder. He handed me a small vial.
“Mexican viagra. Just in case.”
“Um, no thanks,” I said. But he thrust the little bottle in my face, so I took it and tucked it into my jacket pocket.
“How do you want me to help?” I asked Svetlana. She waddled over to me and whispered in my ear. I could tell that she really wanted to scream, could feel the warm rush of her fierce exhalation. “TAKE THE BLOODY PILLS,” she whispered.
I glanced at Heinrich, who folded his arms and glared back. So, with another shrug, I palmed two of the blue pills. His glare intensified, so I took the pills for real. I knew I wouldn’t fool him. (Pharmacological subterfuge was an elective at the Academy and my schedule had been full.)
Svetlana swung around to my other ear and did the bizarre yell-whisper again. “GOOD BYE,” she whispered.
And I felt dizzy. Dammit, that wasn’t just viagra, which I should have realized. (Maybe that pharmacological subterfuge course is available via continuing education?)
I came to in a bright place, my eyes painfully overloaded and my ears filled with the sound of many feet splashing in shallow water. I blinked and turned my head away from the sun, and my retinas finally decided to cooperate and grant me a sense of my surroundings.
I was reclining against the rocky side of a tide pool, across from Svetlana, who had evidently opted for a water birth. A beach volleyball tournament was taking place just a few yards away, each incoming wave washing the competitors’ ankles. The zeppelin tethered to the spire loomed on the opposite side of the lagoon.
“Why did you drug me?” I complained, shading my eyes with my hand while Svetlana panted. “I would have come along gladly!” My skull throbbed and my mouth was dry and sour, the hangover from the “Mexican viagra” they’d forced on me. This was feeling like a rather ugly moment.
And then, rather than answering me, Svetlana gave a cry and reached into the still, clear water to lift out a baby. She barely had time to catch her breath before she did it again.
Even the ugliest moments in life can still contain poetry.
bonus points for using them in order