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- A Tale of Two Sexes
-
- by Swamp Rat
-
- >>> A CULT Publication......1988 <<<
- -cDc- CULT OF THE DEAD COW -cDc-
- _______________________________________________________________________________
-
-
- The sun was setting on the small American home. Its occupants were
- the typical nuclear family consisting of a married couple, their two kids, and
- a dog. Inside the household, a lone television sportscaster announced the
- college football scores for that Sunday afternoon in nasal tones. The TV sat
- crouched under countless outdated TV Guide s, which lay scattered across
- its dusty, simulated-woodgrain top. The ever-popular excuse for not throwing
- these away was that, "The crosswords are educational, you know?" Across
- several feet of worn, brown carpet stooped the head of the household, the
- father. Much like the television set, he had not moved significantly in years
- from the set patterns in his weekly cycle of life. There he sat, weekend after
- weekend, in the same position on an old burgundy-red couch. His favorite spot,
- the rightmost position on the sofa's pillows, sagged downward from years of his
- weight. Creaks groaned from the furniture's wood frame when he sat down or
- stood up, as did his middle-aged bones. Physically, he appeared to be older
- than he actually was. Years of smoking, "Maybe I should quit... but real men
- smoke," had cut his once-powerful voice to a harsh rasp. A bulge in his
- stomach sagged from beneath his beer-stained undershirt and spilled over the
- top of his belt, like a roll of dough. Years of heavy beer (and not much else)
- drinking had bloated his once-strong body with neglect. As he poked at the
- television's remote control every few seconds, searching for another game, he
- called to his son.
-
- "Roy... come here, boy. I got a surprise for you." The aging man
- cleared the seat on the couch next to his from its large chrome-plated ashtray,
- overflowing with cigarette butts. Several of the burnt cigarette remains fell
- from the container. These he brushed onto the floor with a pudgy hand.
-
- "What is it, Pa?" asked his young son, bounding into the room with the
- energy of youth. As the boy took a seat beside him, the man thought for a
- moment of his children. He and his wife, Elizabeth, had managed to squeeze out
- a couple of puppies, a boy and a girl. Looking into his son's eyes, he
- remembered that somehow, things were different those ten-odd years ago. The
- young couple had waited for children until they had a place of their own, a
- house. His mind raced back to their anniversary, the one they spent at that
- little cabin in the mountains. It was the last anniversary before the kids
- came. God, she was so beautiful... her soft skin, flowing blonde hair, and coy
- smile would send his pulse racing and his body would actually shiver. But,
- that was a long time ago. And, things were different now.
-
- Roy bumped into is father as he hopped into the seat beside the man,
- bringing him back from his memories.
-
- "Liz," he called, turning to his wife, "fetch me a beer, darlin'!"
- Elizabeth was in the corner of the drab living room, standing over an ironing
- board. She was visibly the opposite of her husband, though the same in their
- decline. Where Dennis had too much fat, Elizabeth had too little. Her hands
- had become thin, with sharply exposed blue veins due to countless hours spent
- scrubbing at the household's grime. Her once soft, supple skin had become dry
- and thinly stretched across her frail body. Growing bags of skin had formed
- beneath her eyes due to the many sleepless nights at the kitchen table, paying
- bills and trying to help the kids with their homework. Deep wrinkles had
- etched their way into her forehead, tell tale signs of her worry. There was so
- much to worry about... the money problems, the growing kids, and most of all,
- the loneliness. Dennis was a good man, she thought, but somehow being married
- to him wasn't as she thought it would be when she was younger. He just
- wouldn't talk to her anymore. She had tried so many times to talk to him...
- just to talk as they had before their marriage and during the earlier years.
- But now, it wasn't the same. Every attempt at a heartfelt talk was replied
- with a request for beer, or food, or the paper, or that damn remote control.
- He was so set in his ways, she sighed. Once, she had even dared to ask him for
- help with the housework. Well! That was quickly settled. "I work my ass off
- all day so you can live a fine life here, loafing around the house all day!
- You can sure as hell do your part, too!" He had yelled his reply furiously,
- and then slumped back down onto the sofa with a huff to watch the news on TV.
- She had considered getting a job, but knew she would be met with the same
- response. Divorce had also crossed her mind more than once, but at her age she
- doubted that the singles' bar meat racks were for her. And, there were the
- kids to consider. She cried often.
-
- "Liz! The fridge! Get me a beer!" Dennis yelled louder. Elizabeth
- sighed, set the iron on end on the board, and headed for the kitchen. She
- returned a few seconds later with a can of beer, wordlessly handed it to her
- husband, and returned to her ironing.
-
- "Here ya go, son. Your first beer, drink up!" urged the boy's father
- to his smiling son.
-
- "Dennis! But he's too young! You'll stunt his growth or something!"
- the woman squealed from her corner.
-
- "Bullshit! It'll put some hair on his chest. Now drink up! Yeah,
- that's it. Yep... you're gonna grow up to be just like your old man, aren't
- you, Roy? Would you like that? You listen to your daddy and you can grow up
- to be just like me."
-
- Elizabeth screamed.
-
- _______________________________________________________________________________
- Behavior Modification.....806/793-9462 The Dead Zone.............214/522-5321
- Demon Roach Underground...806/794-4362 Dragonfire Private........609/424-2606
- Question Authority........715/341-6516 Pure Nihilism.............517/337-7319
- Tequila Willy's...........209/526-3194 The Metal AE..............201/879-6668
- ===============================================================================
- (c)1988 cDc communications by Swamp Rat 11/24/88-87
- All Rights Worth Shit
-
- Downloaded From P-80 International Information Systems 304-744-2253
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