Invidious Intruders. Insidious Impuders.

Written in response to: Write a story in which a jaded academic makes an unexpected, rash decision.... view prompt

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Creative Nonfiction Crime Speculative

Wow.

Does it ever end.?

Will is ever end?

When caution is thrown out the window, with the baby and the bath water, what IS left?


The Audacity of Hope?

Well. Audacity is a sufficient enough word.

Hope. Can be a four letter word.


Please do not confuse the “stand up” podium as an opportunity to show toughness in the fight, the rat race. The Professor pondered as the lecture progressed. The times were tough. Very tough. With nary a leader to be found. The circus carried on, and it would seem as though all at the mercy of the madness.


Bumptious contributes invidiously in and of the three ring circus show. Ridiculously bumptious. Bumptious contributes insidiously in and of the three ring circus show. Maybe, just maybe it IS all an act. That about describes where we are at. Does it HAVE to be where we are going?


Could be. Could it be.

When standing up for something, someone, it is an “opportunity”.

Depends on how you look at it?..As well as what you hope to gain…..


”Too clever by half.”

Perhaps.

Thinking that putting one over on another.

Even if and when, the conscious choice was to

Put one over on another.

In the interest of advancement.


Of your own “cause”.

Of your own determination.


The causes may vary:

Ice cream.

Chocolate.

Not taking out the trash.

Not lugging back in the bins.

Beer🍺.

Cold beer.

Warm beer.

Husband.

Wife.

Being pleased with yourself.

Excessively proud.

Uppish.

Downish.


There are no shortcuts.


Continuing:


Desiring unexpurgation.

Not desiring unexpurgation.

Uncondensed.

Undercooked.

Like the clappers.

Like nobody’s business.

Hotfooted.

Pell-mell.


Tumultuous.

Full-blown full of oneself?

The catered of the catering.

And. Ya just don’t know how to be one of the,


”regular folk.”


Until now. The ride has been, oh so fun. Nobody knew. Everyone was snowed and well,


Life was good.

Until the mirror cracked and seven years of bad luck came back with a vengeance to haunt,


You.


Didn’t know how to deal with the lack of like.

Up until. Wow. It used to be all so “me, me, me.”

Not enough, “you, you, you.”


In your world, there were many co horts. And they worked well in your corner.And you liked it that way.


Not at all like pulling teeth, huh

What goes around, comes around.

Yes.

Karma can be a fickle little bug.


The Professor inflected with intensity that seemed to rise up as his anger grew more apparent.


R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Find out what it means to me.

More importantly. What it means to you.

Then maybe there can be progress.


(Most people are not morons.) Grading papers can be a lesson in subjective futility. The stack upon the desk, awaiting grading, stared back at the Professor as he lectured. Tenure was a faraway thing. He grew weary just thinking about his next task.


His tasks coincided with his livelihood.


The check is in the mail?Hopefully. (Hey. I did mention once, or twice, hope can be a four letter word)


Resentment is the number one offender (lk)

Unjust.

Unfair

Likely to cause unhappiness or be unpleasant, especially because it is unfair. (cd)


This application applies to the toddler in all of us.🙂 The human condition tests us daily. About what we think is fair. Who gets what.

Who got what. Rolling over and over and over into a big joint of messiness.

Frightful.

Unpretty.

Objectionably so.

Unsupportable.


Now. We are getting somewhere.

(Without Botox. It would not be “fair”….Right?)…..


Invidiousness.

There is enough corruption to go around. Allocations notwithstanding.


The result: The babbling of all babbles.

The “I wasn’t even there.” Excuses pour out of the cups with a vengeance. Most of us were not born yesterday. However quickly, revert to our old ways if we think we are being,

Slighted.

In the interest of another. At the expense of another.


We become the demon.

The babbling demon.

Of their story.

Of our story.

Of anybody’s story.


The best way to make another man look bad is to,

Make another man look bad.


Don’t know ‘bout you, but that is an insidious, invidious game. Not in the best interest of the whole for a few. Or the few for the whole.


So. Back to square one.

Again.


Add a dash of prejudice and punitively we have ourselves quite a tossed salad.

No meat to speak of.

Thank Goodness.

Thank God most of all.


Have a back bone. Grow a pair. (nowadays about as inappropriately said as boy and girl)


Inveterably. Have the veterbrate to have a strong back. Strong shoulders. To carry one another. Until then.

BABBLE babble. SLUR slur. HUH huh.


Inveterably lack the will. The willingness or ability to change, or to stop doing something.


Wink. Wink.

Nudge. Nudge.

Bat eyes. Bat eyes.


Again. Most people are not morons.

However. Insidiously act like toddlers when another is having or getting what they want. Stomp. Stomp.


The result?

Inviable.

Not able to continue to exist as, or develop into, a living being.


Strange concept. That. We all get so caught up in the race. To the top.That we stomp and step all over one another. Keeping the big secret to ourself. The secret that may unlock the door for another.


To the crazy house you go.

To the big house you go.

To my castle house I go.


Ha. ha. ha.

I earned mine. And. Clearly you earned your—demise.

I am the king of my castle.

You are the king of the slammer.


Insidious.Really.

How we can kid ourselves. Into thinking that we show care, caring, when all we really need to do is get there, from here with you as the road, newly paved, to walk all over.


As said earlier, grading the papers may be a lesson in futility. While we all stand at the check out line hoping to be


”Checked out.”

Depending upon superficiality and its consequences. Advanced in some aspects. Deficit in others. We stand and look in the mirror at our own self destruction because we never really,


Stopped. Stood up. For the little guy.


Oh. yes. We quiz each other every day. In this way, and that.

Hoping to “snow” and move along. There are words for these self activities. None that can be said politely here.


So. I will defer.

To the ones who came before me.

Who actually worked their fingers to the bones.

And did not just talk about it.


Gossip is the death of another.


We all love a good scoop.

We would prefer another “go down” , before us, of course.

In the ground, down.

If aspirations compel us otherwise, to go up.


Be cautious.

Be careful.

Be safe.

In how you approach the next move.

The next step.


We are not all “BFF’s” in the making.

Unfortunately. That ship has sailed.

Perhaps. It was you who missed the boat.

Hoping to draw another “back.”


”Sorry.”

And,

My apologies.


With that, the Professor, face red with frustration, from all the “talk” walked over to the stack of papers. Stared at them a moment and then swung his hand deep into the pile. Knocked them all to the floor. While the students looked in horror as their hard work floated aimlessly in the air, to the ground.


Insidiously Invidious.

Or.

Invidiously Insidious.


Here comes the Judge.





November 07, 2023 22:24

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