The Millennium Issue:
Present
Deena L. Trouten
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Now or Never
We thrust. We parry. We play mind games.
I’m presently on defense.
"Do you have an opinion?" She looks intently into my face. I pat my tight-lipped smile with the corner of a blue linen napkin and toss the cloth casually atop my leftover Paprikash. Her jade eyes challenge me. She crosses an arm across her slender middle, opposite elbow resting on closed fist. A glass of wine dangles between thumb and middle finger as she swirls the dark nectar in hypnotic circles. She peers through me. I stop breathing. Eternity passes.
"Well," she demands. "Do you have an opinion?"
The question echoes in my head. I exhale slowly and with my last bit of breath snort out a small chuckle as my head gives a slight jerk.
She laughs -- more of a sigh, really -- as if my response holds some sort of divine comment on the futile struggle of humanity. She looks down, sips Merlot.
I settle back into my chair.
Touché.
~Deena L. Trouten
Deena lives in eastern North Carolina with her husband and two children. She enjoys reading and writing short fiction. Email her.
© 2000 by Deena L. Trouten. All Rights Reserved.
© 2000-2002 by Cayuse Press. All Rights Reserved.
This page updated April 23, 2002.