Wednesday, July 10, 2019

Burst: A Six Sentence Story



It was as summer as summer could be that Saturday morning, with the temperature hovering near 100 degrees already and it wasn't even noon, but there were errands to be run, and Mitch's wife needed sleep after she was up with the baby for much of the night, so with five year old Alex in tow, Mitch stepped into the hot, steamy west Texas morning and headed to the car.

They stopped at the pharmacy, picked up clothes from the dry cleaners, dropped of packages for shipping, and returned books to the library, and Alex was such a good sport throughout all stops and being unbuckled and rebuckled into his booster seat over and over, that Mitch let him pick out a can of soda from the gas station that he could have all to himself when they got home for lunch, and Alex placed his prize securely in a cupholder in the front seat before climbing back to his booster seat, keeping a watchful eye on the shiny can as they finished their errands.

Their last stop was at their neighbor Sam's house to drop off a baking dish; Sam's wife took the dish into the house after inquiring about the new baby, but Sam remained on the front step, he and Mitch talking about baseball and fishing and the best way to smoke a brisket while Alex amused himself with a pile of rocks next to the driveway, his cheeks red and his head sweaty. While the two men discussed the pros and cons of hickory versus applewood, Alex, hot and bored, got up and peered longingly through the car window at his can of soda, wishing he could drink it up now, when he called excitedly, "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, my soda is SO BIG!"

"I'll be right there, buddy," began Mitch, but Alex, jumping up and down, cried, "Hurry, Daddy, it's getting round!" 

The two men exchanged a puzzled glance, then moved towards the driveway and the parked car just in time to witness the burst of hot soda spraying out of the heat-swollen can, spattering the windows and dripping from the ceiling as Alex's face fell and he burst into tears.


18 comments:

  1. Oh, no! Poor Alex and what a mess that would be to clean up! That is all the tired parents of a newborn needed right then.

    Well written Six!

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    1. Thanks! Can you imagine the header of the car covered with soda? Ugh!

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  2. Good Six! Little Alex is one disappointed little boy. But what a fun story to tell when he's older :D

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    1. Thanks! I'll bet his dad won't enjoy the story as much!

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  3. whew!*

    *good six, but for a while there I thought...well, that heat, and the kid and the interior of a car on a day like that

    fun Six yo

    all about the kids this week, here in Sixville

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  4. This happened to a friend of mine in Florida with a Pepsi. She didn't know that things go better with coke.

    Great six.

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    1. It happened to a former boss of mine in her brand new BMW when she couldn't get her car to unlock at a gas station.

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  5. Oh. Poor Alex. Let's hope his dad gets him another can.

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    1. Thanks! Yeah, it happened to a former boss of mine in a brand new BMW!

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  7. Oh, wow! I haven't seen this happen, but I think we narrowly averted disaster. One time when we were driving from CA to UT (in a car with no a/c), we opened a can of root beer we had brought with us. It was so hot; it was terrible! I don't think we'll ever forget what hot root beer tastes like--and now, I'm just thankful it didn't explode!

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    1. I've had it happen in the trunk, but it was because it froze and thawed. Not nearly as spectacular. Ugh - crossing the desert with no a/c? It's a wonder YOU didn't explode!

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  8. Aww I hope they got him a new soda.

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  9. Alex can get another soda, but I fear the interior of that car has seen better days! Nice six!!

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