Mustang Patty

“It's Time” by Mustang Patty

“I love you so much,” he said, pulling me into a warm hug. “I don’t know if I can get through this…” “Yes, you can,” he said. As he was Looking into my eyes, I could see every ounce of his love for me. Warmth flooded my body, and suddenly, I felt calm. Taking one deep breath as I exhaled, I relaxed all the muscles from the tension I’d carried in my neck and shoulders. I leaned into his hug. He’d kept me sane and safe for almost forty years. Despite all of the chaos we’d gone through – raising children, building his career, managing the fina...

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“Life is Full of Boxes” by Mustang Patty

Submitted to Contest #208

Living with a diagnosis like mine isn’t a pleasant thing. It wasn’t until the late eighties that the psychiatric field finally came up with a label for me, and they dubbed me ‘Bipolar.’ For years, I really doubted the whole thing. I mean, sure, I had depressions–deep depressions, but I wasn’t sure about the ‘highs.’ And then someone pointed out how my teens and early twenties were full of sexual escapades that were, well, let’s say they were excessive. And then there are my spending habits. I get out of control about something. There hav...

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“Just One Hundred Dollars” by Mustang Patty

Submitted to Contest #188

"So, what's the catch?" I asked. "There isn't one," he replied. "I'm feeling like there's something you aren't telling me." "No, no. I've told you everything. You give me one hundred dollars a month, and I invest it for you. At the end of the year, you will have thirteen-hundred dollars in your account with me." "Okay, that's what you're telling me. But what if you make more than one hundred dollars in interest?" "There isn't any guarantee that I'll make anything. I'm taking on all the risk, and you get all the assurances." "But ...

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“Simba's Reign” by Mustang Patty

Submitted to Contest #187

My name is Simba, and I’m very upset. For some reason, my humans chose to put me in this jail. It wouldn’t be so bad, except that these people aren’t my humans… they’re nice enough, but they only pay attention to me for a bit, and then they move on to some other poor kitty who’s stuck here. To think that my humans would send me away is something I believed would be unthinkable. They declawed all four of my paws and took me to the Vet when I got sick. I guess when the Vet told them something was wrong with my kidneys, they decided not to ta...

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“An Old Woman's Dilemma” by Mustang Patty

Submitted to Contest #185

Her head was spinning. How could her sons have done this? Was it because they thought she was dying? Willamena felt every bit of her sixty-nine-year-old body, but the little girl inside was hurting. Or was it rage? Memories of her recent journey to the hospital weren’t clear, but she did remember her Tuesday morning. But according to the nurse who came in to adjust her IV, it was now Friday. But though she remembered Tuesday, February 11th, it was now Friday, March 4th. The pictures on her phone made her cry. Not just a few tears fall...

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“Eddy and Tom's Thanksgiving” by Mustang Patty

Submitted to Contest #175

As Eddy drove home from work, his spirits were high. The radio played Christmas music because it was the season, and he absentmindedly hummed along until he knew the words. Then, he would break out in song and use his loudest voice to sing along. Thanksgiving went well. Tom came promptly at two-thirty, and the only thing he brought was flowers for the hostess. Eddy's mother was thrilled and flushed as she looked for a vase to put them in. Eddy was worried about his father's reaction to Tom's presence, but it was a moot point. The elder ...

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“Eddy and Tom at the Walmart Part V” by Mustang Patty

Submitted to Contest #173

Life was certainly different for Eddy. At his mother’s insistence, he’d taken a part-time job at the local Walmart. He was immediately trained on the register, so he spent at least four hours a day standing on his feet and forcing a smile. Does anyone else understand how difficult it is to say the same thing over and over to every person? Sometimes he’d switch it up. Instead of saying, “Hi, how are you today?” he might say, “What about this weather?” Neither question got a great response. Some people grunted and watched him take each item ...

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“Moving On (Eddy and Tom - Part IV)” by Mustang Patty

Submitted to Contest #168

…from the last chapter ‘Can life get any better? And that’s when Tom grabbed him by the shoulders and kissed him passionately. The audible gasp from someone in the room reached Eddy’s burning ears. Why did he do that? And at what price?’ ** [STRONG LANGUAGE and VIOLENCE]  Eddy felt his world crumbling under his feet. He didn’t want to look around the room. He especially didn’t want to look at his father’s face. It passed through his mind to slap Tom but then thought that would look even gayer than the kiss. He grabbed Tom’s upper arm –...

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“Eddy and Tom - Part III (Dad's Retirement Party)” by Mustang Patty

Submitted to Contest #166

Eddy knew deep down this wasn’t the most fantastic idea. But his mother said it would be okay. She actually pushed him more than usual. And frankly, his mother could be quite annoying about these things. “You need to show Tom you want him to be a part of your life. What better way than to bring him tonight?” “Mom. Don’t you think it’s short notice, and… Dad isn’t exactly crazy about me dating a guy.” “Don’t you worry about your father. He will be so busy saying goodbye to his friends and drinking that he won’t even notice who you brou...

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“Back to the Grind” by Mustang Patty

Submitted to Contest #166

I’m not entirely sure I’m doing the right thing. Why on earth would I want to go back to work after being ‘retired’ for almost nine years? But I do have my reasons. It was a long process to get my social security disability, but it paid off in the end. I received a nice back paycheck when they finally started sending me checks every month, and I could help my boyfriend buy a house for us. But in the back of my mind, I felt ‘less than.’ I know I didn’t fake my symptoms, and someone who takes as much medication as I do for my mental hea...

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“Eddy and Tom - Part II” by Mustang Patty

Submitted to Contest #165

[This story includes gay romance.]The long black hand on the living room clock crawled, marking time as it marched past the minutes. Eddy didn’t think he’d ever seen it move this slow. Funny thing, though…hands on a clock in any of his classes seemed to race around when he took a test.He waited for the hand to set off chimes in the old grandfather clock, sitting sentry over the living room. Eddy knew it was safe to talk on the phone in here. Neither his mother nor father entered this room on any regular basis. The furniture here was formal, ...

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“Um, I just thought I would tell you...” by Mustang Patty

Submitted to Contest #163

[This story includes gay romance.] Eddy looked at each face around the dinner table. No one was talking, and it didn’t look like much eating was happening either. The silence was like a storm cloud hanging around the light fixture. Something was indeed brewing.  He cleared his throat and said the words he’d been practicing for over a week. “Um, I just thought I would tell you…I think I’m gay.” The silence was shattered by three voices speaking at once. “It’s about time you admitted it,” said his sister. “What? What makes you thi...

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“Dinner Theatre” by Mustang Patty

Submitted to Contest #162

“You’re going to love this. I can guarantee it. My grilled cheese sandwiches are world famous. Once you take one bite, you know deep down, you’ve tasted the best-grilled cheese sandwich in the world.” “Sure Dad. Sure.” You had to give it to him. My dad didn’t have any illusions about being anything less than the best. He told me that anything and everything he did was ‘the best.’ Since my mom died two years ago, it was just me and Dad against the world. We had to learn how to do the laundry, run the vacuum, and properly load the dishwasher....

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“Just a Dinner” by Mustang Patty

Submitted to Contest #162

When Richard mentioned going out for dinner on Friday, Leslie was more surprised than excited. Richard rarely made any plans for the two of them. She couldn’t remember the last time that he’d spontaneously suggested anything. Their marriage was in a place her mother warned about the night before the wedding. Mom said that marriage wasn’t a bed of roses, and there would be times when life was stale. But Leslie believed with all her heart that her marriage would be different. But that was fifteen years ago. Life threw them a lot of curve b...

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“A Hard Day's Work” by Mustang Patty

Submitted to Contest #161

(There are mentions of incestual abuse, as well as sexual situations)Her feet dragged as she climbed the stairs in her ugly waitress shoes. The uniform she wore was too baggy and long, but it satisfied what her boss wanted. Sighing, she stuck her key in the door.As the decrepit door swung into the dingy apartment, she wasn’t surprised to see toys all over the floor. Obviously, the talk she had with Pinky hadn’t been heard. But her bed was calling, along with the knowledge that an alarm would wake her at five-thirty the next morning.Oh wait –...

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