Alice Audrey

“I hate her.” Gene slammed the phone into the receiver, the plastic thud of it echoing through downstairs hall.

“Who?” Mrs. H said from the kitchen.

“My mother.”

Continue reading Suzie’s House 174: His Call

“Pobresito,” Maria muttered under her breath as she took Drew’s hand. Had it not been for her and Todd, this fine man would not now be addicted to some strange new designer drug. He could have been back in that place he’d come out from, wherever it was, doing simple internet investigations.

“What?” Toby moved closer, making Maria tense, and release Drew’s hand.

“Poor man, I said.”

“Is that all?”

Continue reading Suzie’s House 173: Pobresito

Drew rolled over.

The ceiling tiles were white with holes. Part of his mind knew they were supposed to be a steady, industrial white with regular, randomly spaced holes. The holes weren’t supposed to expand and contract with his heartbeat, and the white of the tiles wasn’t supposed to glisten with rainbows half-seen and half felt.

Maria’s face hove into view, whisps of hair falling from her bun to spear toward him like sharp words.

Continue reading Suzie’s House 172: Deep Blue Sea

“Huh. That Tracy.” Ben said as he and Gene walked home. He couldn’t believe she had kissed both Gene and himself right there in Lisa’s living room with Lisa watching and everything.” She’s really something,”

“Yeah. She is.” Gene grinned like he knew something more.

Continue reading Suzie’s House 171: And Then What?

Tracy hadn’t really looked at either of the guys while she was hanging upside down. She’d learned a long time ago it was better to pretend everything was normal when it was anything but. She might not even get grounded, since Mom was a few hundred miles away and Aunt Stephanie seemed to think these things weren’t her fault. For sure she’d get away with it if Lisa didn’t say anything. And Lisa wouldn’t if she got busy with something else.

“So. Um… Wanna watch Ed, Edd, and Eddy or something?” Tracy grinned hopefully at everyone.

Continue reading Suzie’s House 169: A Tricky Quartet

She looked like a parrot with her hair streaked four different colors on top of blonde, including hot pink. It fluffed out all over the place because she was hanging upside down. Her foot had to be hurting from the rope tied around it. No wait. Was that a rope? Or a garden hose?

The scary part was the way she didn’t seem to notice how bad she had it, just hung there with her arms folded across her chest and a pissed look on her face.

“Need some help?” Ben went down the steps off the back porch before she answered. Gene kind of wished he’d done it first.

Continue reading Suzie’s House 168: A Rare Bird

“Tracy, bring in the bird feeder will you? It must be about out by now.”

Like most of the calamities in Tracy’s life, it started out that simply.

When her aunt asked a favor, Tracy didn’t grumble. She simply rolled off the couch onto the floor then inched her way to her feet. It wasn’t like she really needed to see yet another re-run of Ed, Edd, n Eddy

“TV is the bane of my existence. It’s the opacate of the masses. It’s like cigarettes for the mind,” she said to an empty room. She clicked off the TV and headed for the back porch.

Continue reading Suzie’s House 167: How to Catch a Bird

Owen watch Gene cross the grass in the park with a sense of pride and frustration. His boy was getting big. In a few more years, he’d be taller than his old man. He walked with too much confidence, though. That was all right. Once he got the boy home where he belonged, he’d make that confidence go back under ground where it belonged.

Still several feet from the park bench where Owen sat, Gene stopped stock still. His head whipped from side to side looking. Owen knew what he was looking for, but he wasn’t going to help the boy out. He’d have to ask. Maybe more than once.

Continue reading Suzie’s House 166: Reaching Out Across the Grass

Rats, she was coming, and Ben was right behind her, too. Gene swung the backpack into his room where it could hide by being on the floor against the wall. If Mrs. Hammacker would read him the riot act about it, Lisa would be much worse.

“Gene! Hey, Gene, do you know my cousin, Tracy?”

“Tracy?” Gene shook his head. He didn’t know anyone named that. He didn’t really want Lisa introducing him to some guy either, cousin or no.

Continue reading Suzie’s House 165: How I Look To You