Wednesday, February 20, 2008

3 Word Wednesday - unravel - punch - t-shirt - 2/20/08

This week's words were t-shirt, unravel, and punch. I thought I would try to tell a story by a series of questions.

HOW WAS HE TO KNOW?

How was he to know that the holiday office party of 2007 was not going to be the benign gathering of past years? How was he to know that one single event would totally unravel his life? How was he to know that what seemed to be harmless punch was actually chemically enhanced? How was he to know she was the CEO’s underage daughter? How was he to know security cameras with sound were in place in the executive washroom? How was he to know he would be replacing ten years of trading on Wall Street for a return to Jump Street?

How was he to know that he would soon be exchanging his Armani suits for a Wendy’s t-shirt?


How was he to know he was destined to be the only person in the city with an MBA from Harvard for whom the words "Biggie Size" were part of his lexicon? How was he to know instead of the opening bell of the exchange, the clang of the drive-thru would now ring in his ears? How was he to know that subway tokens would fill his pocket instead of the keys of his recently repo’d BMW? How was he to know his Manhattan loft would be exchanged for a pest-infested efficiency in Brooklyn?


How was he to know that credit cards can be canceled so quickly? How was he to know that the answer to the question, "what's in your wallet", could be nothing? How was he to know how powerful the CEO of the second largest investment firm in the country actually was? As he took his seat on the subway that he now occupied daily instead of a seat on the exchange, the corners of his mouth curled up in a smile. The first genuine smile he had formed in memory. How was he to know he would be happier than he had been in years?

15 comments:

a mouthy irish woman? ridiculous! said...

happiness indeed! that and busting your ass in dollar general is enough to make any smile:)

paisley said...

bravo!!!!! i wish more people who thought the world was a money filled oyster would undergo this transformation... maybe we would have more real people in the world.......

Anonymous said...

Oh, those office parties! A double-edged sword indeed...

Tumblewords: said...

This packs a fine punch! Really fine! I liked the story format and the outcome is perfect!!

Cedar Street Kid said...

Loved this. Something similar happened to me, and I have never been happier.Keep up the work!

Anonymous said...

I loved the way the final answer came as a surprise.

rel said...

A rare situation where the defiler brings moral satisfaction.
Great job, I really liked this piece, and as a lover of stories accompanied by pics, this was espescially enjoyable.
rel

Lucy said...

How was I to know? Give you ANY three words Mr. Rick and your brain puts SEX into the story! haha
This was a GREAT story, I never thought it could get much better and Then- that happy ending! EXCELLENT (dirty) mind!! :))

TC said...

How was he to know she was the CEO’s underage daughter?

Oops?

I loved the ending. Way to turn it around.

Little Wing said...

Absolutely brilliant!!!!
A great write!!!!!

Unknown said...

I loved to read this.
Nice turn in the end.

Anonymous said...

Loved the ending--and great job of getting there

Anonymous said...

Once again we have got to find a publisher! Guess we'd all better get on it Monday! or Tuesday!
Miss Rose

Bone said...

It definitely works. Very creative! Love the twist at the end. And also kinda like that Wendy's t-shirt :)

Anonymous said...

Your mind does seem to wonder and I love seeing where it goes with each post. I know you just need a few words to weave a great story.......I love a great story!