A Much Needed Laugh
Short Fiction
Brynn Boice took out her lunchbox from the fridge in the teacher’s lounge and plopped down onto one of the wooden chairs seated at the long table. The usuals were all there: Marco, Janell, and Sue.
“Thirteen more days,” Sue said, wiping her brow. “And we can’t even get a working AC in the lounge. It’s ridiculous.”
“Maybe you’ll melt away by then.” Marco snorted.
“If I’m lucky,” Sue replied.
“I don’t know if I’ll make it to the end,” Janell chimed in. She poured some Italian dressing onto her salad.
Brynn sighed. She unzipped her lunchbox blindly and reached for her Diet Coke. When she pulled out the silver can and popped the top, foam sprayed everywhere. Brynn’s glasses—as well as the front of her blouse—took a direct hit. Sue yelped.
Marco happened to be taking a long gulp of water at the same time and choked, spraying it all around like a loose nozzle on a gardening hose.
All four teachers started howling and gasping for breath. Janell dropped to the floor on one knee.
When Brynn removed her glasses and glanced at the can, the beer smell suddenly made sense.
A Coors Light sat before her. She must have tossed it in her bag this morning by accident.
Sue slapped the table and threw her head back, laughing maniacally. “We’ve officially lost it, haven’t we?” But the others couldn’t manage a single word.
Thank you so much for reading “A Much Needed Laugh”—I really appreciate it. And, more importantly, I hope the story made you smile.
Fifties by the Fire
Our next get-together will be this Friday, June 9, at 3:00 PM EST. It’s always so much fun seeing how other readers and writers respond to these prompts.
Prompt: Write a fifty-word story (fiction, poem, or work of CNF) that involves a make or model of a vehicle, as well as its color. For example, depending on how descriptive you’d like to be, you can write a story about a black Jeep, a black Wrangler, or a black Jeep Wrangler. Or, if you’re willing to sacrifice four words, you could even write about a 1992 tan Dodge Spirit. (Which happened to be my first car. . . she was a beauty!)
Take care and have a great week. See you Friday!
BEER FOR TEACHERS! SELL IT FROM A VENDING MACHINE IN THE TEACHERS' LOUNGE. RIGHT NEXT TO THE ESPRESSO MACHINE AND THE XANEX VENDING MACHINE... BLESS THEM ALL.
I think you should change the title to, "A Much Needed Beer." 😊 It's five o'clock somewhere, right?