‘You realise no one is going to buy this place, right?’
Adam’s hand appeared above the back of the sofa, stray screwdriver retrieved. Sally took it off him, one knee wedged so firmly between the cushions that she stayed stuck when she tried to stand.
‘It’s a fixer-upper,’ she shrugged. ‘People like that sort of thing.’
‘No, they think they like it,’ said Adam. He’d stood up and Sally choked down a laugh at the dust wig haloing his bald head.
‘What?’ he asked.
‘Nothing, nothing,’ Sally spluttered. ‘Just maybe you’re right. It might be time to get a hoover.’
Carol J Forrester is a writer and a history geek. Her debut collection 'It's All In The Blood' came out November 2019.
She has a 2:1 BA degree in history from Bath Spa University, enjoys judo at least twice a week, and tries to attend poetry events around the Midlands when she can.
Her flash fiction story ‘Glorious Silence’ was named as River Ram Press’ short story of the month for August 2014 and her short story ‘A Visit From The Fortune Teller’ has been showcased on the literary site Ink Pantry. Her poems ‘Sunsets’ and ‘Clear Out‘ were featured on Eyes Plus Words, and two of her poems were included in the DVerse Poets Pub Publication ‘Chiaroscuro’ which is available for purchase on amazon.Her poem ‘Until The Light Gets In‘ was accepted and published at The Drabble and her poem ‘Newborn’ was published by Ink Sweat & Tears.
She has been lucky enough to write guest posts for sites such as Inky Tavern and Song of The Forlorn and has hosted a number of guest bloggers on her site Writing and Works.
View all posts by Carol J Forrester
That was an interesting and accurate description of getting trapped in the sofa – I’ve done that. In fact, that second paragraph was a very graphic scene-setter. Well done.
So I’m not the only one. If you catch yourself on the frame it hurts like anything! Thanks for stopping by and reading Sandra. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Thank you Susan. I used to watch a show that was all about going into houses that weren’t selling and adding a few simple tricks to make the house appear more appealing to buyers. It was fascinating to watch.
No more fixer-uppers for us if we ever manage to escape ours. I was very grateful to spot a 2 x 2 seater leather lounge with two matching recliners beside the road recently and brought them home. I was pretty stoked and it helped me let go of the chairs I’d been thinking of selling but probably couldn’t get much for them and so I’ve put all 5 of them out the front along with a bed head. Only one chair still waiting to go.
You had some lovely phrases in this piece, especially: “Sally choked down a laugh at the dust wig haloing his bald head”.
Well done.
Best wishes,
Rowena
What a lucky spot. Thanks for stopping by again. Bobbing back to your comment on the WeekendCoffeeShare post you did, I’ve now signed up to take part in an arts even in Feb. I’ll be reading one of the poems I’ve been working on recently.
That’s great, Carol. Trying to get somewhere with your writing is difficult but sounds like you’re at least hitting the playing field, which is more than I can say for myself lately. 2019 is going to be a breakthrough. I’m already off to a great start. My husband picked me up a red Alfa. It’s considered a family sedan but the Italians put a whole new meaning to the category. This is the red high heeled version. Watch out here I come!!
BTW Have you seen the movie: “Bohemian Rhapsody”? I think you’d love it and it goes from the formation of the band and getting up and running. It was so emotional and the music was amazing. I was teary at the end.
Best wishes,
Rowena
Terry’s been looking at them for a couple of years–not a fast decision-maker 🙂 We really like it. Of course, there’s a learning curve, and you need to empty it every time you use it, unless you get the newest model that empties itself. We do like it, a lot. Saves my poor back a lot of pain.
Thanks you Brenda, I’m glad I could make you chuckle. The house the husband and I have isn’t too bad as far as fixer-uppers go but every time one thing is sorted you hear something crashing off a wall in another room.
This cracked me up, Carol, because it’s so relatable! I think I’ve learned my lesson by now. Great story, details, and a fun relationship in so few words. 🙂
I think he may be right
He probably is, if she takes any notice is another matter.
That was an interesting and accurate description of getting trapped in the sofa – I’ve done that. In fact, that second paragraph was a very graphic scene-setter. Well done.
So I’m not the only one. If you catch yourself on the frame it hurts like anything! Thanks for stopping by and reading Sandra. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Yes, he’s right. If they want to sell, they need to present a clean home. Nice take.
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
Thank you Susan. I used to watch a show that was all about going into houses that weren’t selling and adding a few simple tricks to make the house appear more appealing to buyers. It was fascinating to watch.
I agree with Sandra. I have been there, done that! And, methinks they may have bitten off more than they can chew!
It can all get on top of you if you let it. You need to find a way to work it down to manageable bite sized pieces.
No more fixer-uppers for us if we ever manage to escape ours. I was very grateful to spot a 2 x 2 seater leather lounge with two matching recliners beside the road recently and brought them home. I was pretty stoked and it helped me let go of the chairs I’d been thinking of selling but probably couldn’t get much for them and so I’ve put all 5 of them out the front along with a bed head. Only one chair still waiting to go.
You had some lovely phrases in this piece, especially: “Sally choked down a laugh at the dust wig haloing his bald head”.
Well done.
Best wishes,
Rowena
What a lucky spot. Thanks for stopping by again. Bobbing back to your comment on the WeekendCoffeeShare post you did, I’ve now signed up to take part in an arts even in Feb. I’ll be reading one of the poems I’ve been working on recently.
That’s great, Carol. Trying to get somewhere with your writing is difficult but sounds like you’re at least hitting the playing field, which is more than I can say for myself lately. 2019 is going to be a breakthrough. I’m already off to a great start. My husband picked me up a red Alfa. It’s considered a family sedan but the Italians put a whole new meaning to the category. This is the red high heeled version. Watch out here I come!!
BTW Have you seen the movie: “Bohemian Rhapsody”? I think you’d love it and it goes from the formation of the band and getting up and running. It was so emotional and the music was amazing. I was teary at the end.
Best wishes,
Rowena
Made me laugh, thinking of my bald husband rooting around under the bed for something and coming out all dusty.
He bought me an iRoomba since that incident 🙂
Haha, oh dear. Is it any good? I’ve played with the idea of getting one but never fully committed.
Terry’s been looking at them for a couple of years–not a fast decision-maker 🙂 We really like it. Of course, there’s a learning curve, and you need to empty it every time you use it, unless you get the newest model that empties itself. We do like it, a lot. Saves my poor back a lot of pain.
I bet there are a few who thought a fixer-upper was a good idea and came to regret it! Nice story.
Thank you Iain. When they’re done they can be beautiful, but the process of doing them is something I don’t envy.
Excellent take on the photo – and we found the same title! 😀
So it seems, must be masking tape that automatically makes home owners think of renovation work. Thanks for stopping by.
Adam’s right, people think they want a fixer-upper until they have one. “What were we thinking?” Nice storytelling, it made me chuckle! =)
Thanks you Brenda, I’m glad I could make you chuckle. The house the husband and I have isn’t too bad as far as fixer-uppers go but every time one thing is sorted you hear something crashing off a wall in another room.
I enjoyed the imagery you painted for your readers
Thank you very much Michael.
So well done, Carol! Love the ending!
Thank you Sascha. I’m loving getting back into writing more flash fiction.
A hoover may do miracle when one has to retrieve items from difficult places.
It can be a very handy tool
This was funny and original. Very well done.
Thank you very much Varad.
Most amusing! Love it.
Click to read my FriFic tale!
Thank you. 😀
I loved the dust halo. Great descriptive writing.
Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed.
This cracked me up, Carol, because it’s so relatable! I think I’ve learned my lesson by now. Great story, details, and a fun relationship in so few words. 🙂
Thank you Diane. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
A sweet take… and truth in both their claims … (it’s a yes for the hoover, though!)
Nice, descriptive little vignette