This is a collaborative story with a friend while we were talking on the phone one night -the ending is purely his.I read it in my writing class, they seemed to like it :).

"A Short Story by Simpson Kirk Aug 2014

It was raining harder than I have ever seen it rain in Vegas. The streets were starting to flood and the storm drains were over flowing. We had a fight. Neither of us are screamers but it was loud. I cannot even remember what started it or what was the final straw. I stormed out of the house, swearing and telling myself I needed to get away. I had to think about where this relationship was going. I started driving with no destination in mind; I just wanted to be away, to be alone.

I decided to drive to Mt Charleston and our cabin. We had bought the cabin, a couple of years back. Not in great shape, it was a divorce settlement fast sale of assets., but a great investment for us. It was still expensive so we had to rent it for a couple of years. Then did some improvements after a disaster renter, and rented it for another year. That did not go well; another not so happy renter, and we made the decision to start using it as it was intended.- our vacation retreat. We really enjoyed going up for weekends and even brought some work up with us. We had satellite Internet connection and television. Cell phone reception was hit or miss. We are working on that. A couple rentals in high season to select clients were all we really needed to pay the taxes and maintenance. It was perfect.

 Tonight it was a safe refuge I needed in a storm of emotions. Once I had made the decision on my destination I just wanted to fly there, to drive as fast as I could and be in the cabin, surrounded by its peace. However, that was not possible I had to drive slow and take my time and not hydroplane into one of the drainage ditches. Puddles were now lakes of water that I had to breech. Mt Charleston usually took an hour and 30 minutes to drive from Vegas; I was now close to three hours on the road. The traffic and weather reports were urging everyone to stay home and off the roads. Reporting mudslides on Mt Charleston, the Highway Police were closing roads.

 As I turned onto our road to the cabin I noticed the little creek had now become a torrent and water was up to the bottom of the bridge. I rolled down all my windows and unfastened my seat belt. If this car goes off the bridge, I thought, I am getting out. I decided to go as fast as possible over the bridge; I would worry about getting back after it stopped raining. With only my headlights to show the way I pushed the gas and flew over the bridge. Safe, I rolled up the windows. Now the 2 miles up our road to the cabin, I did not look back, I kept the car steady, blessing the decision to buy a four wheel Honda CRV. I fishtailed up the final climb.

The cabin was dark. Electricity was out but the propane kitchen stove was ok. I lit a burner to defeat the darkness and got out the hurricane lamps and candles. I lit them all to dispel the gloom caused by the storm outside and inside of me. Always leaving wood in fireplace, ready to light, I started a small fire and slowly it started to take the dampness away. Then I started the wood stove that would heat the bedrooms and main house. That was one of the improvements we made after that crazy renter burned our furniture in the fireplace for heat. We had stocked the woodpile last time we were here and it was nice and dry on the porch. I went out and brought in enough wood for the night. Next I went to get some water from the bottles we kept at the cabin. The electricity was off so the well pump did not work –but I needed something hot to drink. I got the instant hot chocolate out of the freezer; it would work in an emergency and this was. Put the water in a pan on the stove to heat and looked around.

 Maybe I should go back. No the Mountain roads are dangerous in this weather and it is really late. I am fine and safe in our little cabin. I just have to relax. But I miss her and maybe I was wrong. I know the fight was over the top.

 The water boiled and I made some hot chocolate only filling the cup half way the other half with room temp water so I could drink it right away. I am feeling calmer, but lonely. I should have never stormed out with out my computer and my cell has no signal. Darn.

I must have dozed off because the fire in the fireplace was almost out but the stove was going strong and the cabin was toasty. Then I heard it, a knock at the door. ‘What the heck,  it is 3am. Are you kidding me?’ I went to the door, trying to see outside but it was so dark. I opened the door. A woman in a slicker was standing there soaked, all muddy and covered in bloody mountain brush. Her hands and chest were a mess all scraped and bleeding. The rain had mixed with her blood covering the porch.

‘The car went off the road where the bridge was supposed to be. The roads are a mess but I had to come. I am so sorry about everything. I crawled the last two miles.”

.

I looked at my wife. A piece of windshield glass was sticking out of her chest that is where all the blood was from. I knew she had no idea she was hurt so badly in the car accident. The glass may have pierced her heart.

“Oh honey, I am so sorry.” I cried, reaching out and catching her, as she collapsed..

Holding her in my arms, I kissed her one last time, as she died.

The end."

Pennywise , Pride foolish

or

Sometimes saving money on a fixed Income is just not worth it.

A 62 and 364 day old woman attempts to save money by dyeing her own hairs. Ok so it is I, I am talking about.  Saw a ‘real good deal’ in Face Book called e-salon where for an introductory low cost they would custom match your current hair to the new color you picked. The catch was you would automatically be signed up to receive the same color every 30 days. I did not think about that part or that it would cost twice the amount of the first order. I uploaded my picture and put it on my credit card.

 They did not like the type of dye I ordered and called me. ‘You need to order a permanent not a temporary dye color’, said the girl. I had thought if I did not like the color it would wash out. No, they changed that.  Now I thought ‘well maybe this is ok they seem to care about the product.’

Within a week I got a large oblong box. It included the dye, the mix solution, two pairs of plastic gloves, shampoo, conditioner, stain guard to apply to your skin around your face so the color can not get to your skin, a brush, a cape, a timer, a stain remover for your face, and instructions. Whew. I was over whelmed and put it aside for 30 days. I got another box, my credit card was automatically charged. I quickly canceled all future orders.

Two days before my birthday I decided to try it out. I had made an emergency appointment with my regular hairdresser for a cut and color –just in case. I had let my hair go natural which meant all gray and dark. I had just attended a High School reunion and saw myself captured in time in the pictures. At first, I could not find me then I shuddered, time to dye my hair. I hated the natural look.

First I read the instructions again. Gathered the old towel, and paper towels., changed into a strapless sun dress that I did not have to pull over my head. All set, I thought. Note to others –go to the bathroom before you put on the plastic gloves.  I put on the cape over the paper towels around my neck.

I applied the stain guard around my face and neck. I am now ready to take the dye and the solution bottle and mix them together. Both unscrew. But the solution bottle also has a cap? I cannot get it off. I have to get out my pliers and pull it off. Now I am still in my gloves and ready to mix them together. I mix them together, re-screw both bottles and cannot get the cap off again. I still have my gloves on and the fingers are sticky from the Stain Guard. The Pliers and extra paper towels, work.

I shake the color to mix together. It takes a long, long , long shake. I think ‘ this is to light a color, oh well, I will just use it.’ Next, I have to apply the color to my hair, but not rubbing it into my scalp. I remember my old hairdresser using a comb to comb thru my hair with the color on it. No throw away comb in the box or mentioned in the instructions,. I only have my regular comb, so I use it. That was a Big Messy Mistake. Note to others, use a throw away comb. I now have dye all over my good comb. I try to wipe it off with the paper towels, but it is a special layered comb, and I have to wash it. I ended up scrubbing it with a nailbrush, in my plastic gloves in the water.

 I work the color into my hair and set the timer for 30 minutes. But it is a stopwatch timer and so I also set my kitchen timer. Before I do this I put a shower cap over on my hair because I a touching my hair and getting it over everything. Did I mention I wear glasses? Paper towels and water again. One last thing before I take off the darn gloves put the cap back on the bottle and run my colored filled gloves over my eyebrows. 

I work on my computer and the phone rings. I have to answer on speaker, since I have now put the phone on my ears and gotten color over it. I talk a long time, hands free. The timer goes off in the kitchen. I re-read the instructions. ‘Get into the shower it is about to get messy.’ Are you kidding me? I put on the second set of gloves. It has been 59 minutes.

Turn on my shower, take off the gloves to test the temperature, put them back on, undress, get the shampoo and conditioner they sent, fill up the color bottle with water to mix with the color, shake again, notice the color NOW looks like I thought it should all along, get into the shower, start to rinse it off my hair while applying the water and color, (this seems weird). Wash off the color from my eyebrows,, now my eyes are burning, trying not to get anything on my skin, put down the color bottle, eyes closed can not see if it rinses clear but take off gloves, use the shampoo and my hair feels like straw, use the conditioner, feels better. Scrub me and finish in the shower.

I cannot see yet because I forgot to put on the fan and the mirror is fogged, but no color comes off on my towel.

Color seems ok, I guess, but not worth the mess.

My eyes still burn. Going back to the hairdresser.

When did my hair get so thin?