Counterpoints

"Ok, so-"

I stood there for a long second which became a long moment, my hand raised in an explanation stance. I was silent long enough that she lost what little patience she had left.

"So? So what?"

I lowered my hand.

"No, there's no point. You've made up your mind, so I'm not going to waste either of our time."

I turned to leave, which really angered her. She grabbed me, spun me round, and spent the next half an hour yelling at me about everything I'd done wrong.

Which gave me long enough to think up some counterpoints.

The Baddest Woman And The Beast

She never called herself the Baddest Woman on the Planet, but she couldn't think of any woman badder. Thus, when the Beast came, she ended up having to deal with it.

She strode out of the base, heading towards the last known location, a laserpick on her back, a machine rifle in her hands.

She found it eating something, or someone, and she prepared to fire.

Before she fired, the Beast looked up, and she saw a look of comprehension in its face.

She opened fire, looking to take it out humanely.

Instead, it ended up just having seconds, instead.

Beaten For Love

She had commitment issues, although I didn't blame her for them. The way she was treated by her ex, the amount of cheating he'd done and the way he'd reacted to her finding out, it was to be expected, really.

So after a few dates, when she began to pull away, I should have let her go, but her friend, who was persuasive, convinced me to pretend to attacked by a mugger on our next date, who'd be a friend of hers, and by scaring him off, I'd win her heart.

Should have had a code to identify the fake.

Burning Down The House

The fire had been efficient, and rapid. The outline of the building was left in soot on the ground, a few mostly charred timber planks left in the center of the outline.

My great grandfather, he'd have gotten straight to work, cutting down trees, making planks, rebuilding it himself.

My grandfather, he'd have gone to the local church and gathered the community together and got them to pitch in, rebuilding it collectively.

My father, he'd have gone to the insurance company, demanded they honor their contract, rebuilding it commercially.

Me, I just wished I could set it alight once more.

Noodle

I sucked up some more noodles as I waited for him to finish his explanation for why he didn't have the drug shipment he was supposed to have for me.

Once he stammered to a stop, I drank the last of the broth and sighed.

"You realise that, in order to maintain the correct levels of respect, I have to punish you now, yes?"

"Yes Boss!"

"But, I need you to get me my drugs back."

"Yes Boss!"

"So, a compromise."

And that is how Johnny No-Noodle got his name and his obvious physical attribute.

He got the drugs back.

Confessional

The local constable and the vicar had an understanding. The vicar was quite clear that Confession was a sacrosanct, private affair between God and his children. It's why he didn't wear his glasses during them.

But the vicar also understood the need to stop crime, and thus would listen when the constable came calling, as the constable would talk about recent crimes, then mention potential suspects. And sometimes, purely randomly, the vicar would smile or shake his head. And the constable would then leave.

The local criminal organisation and the local impersonator of locals also had an understanding, somewhat related.

Still Testing Me

So I don't have Covid. That's good, obviously, I'm quite glad about that.

But of course, that means that all I'm current going through, all the headaches and nausea and lethargy and... The other stuff, all that, I've got due to a different bug. Which, you know, is good in one sense, but the fact is, I'm having to deal with not knowing exactly what is that I have.

But, I'm glad that I'm not going to have to deal with long covid and all that crap.

At least, I don't have to deal with it right now, that is.