Fiction Outtake: Inspiration (The Later Days)

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

When Kerri woke, Mitchell was still busy with his Midnight Blue ESP. She wasn’t sure what time he’d brought it up to their bedroom; she only remembered that it had been after three when she’d last looked at the clock, and the room had only held one guitar: the acoustic that was always there for middle-of-the-night inspirations.

In fact when Kerri had made that last time check, Mitchell had been as exhausted as she was, not bothering to pull the sheets back into place and barely noticing when she’d accidentally kneed him as she’d tried to get comfortable.

It was ten now, she saw when she lifted her head out of the pillows she’d had to use when he’d taken his shoulder back. Late for her, and she had a million things yet to do. Even though Michelle had started coming daily to clean, Kerri believed there was no reason to ask her to deal with the empty beer bottles in the TV room. Likewise, Kerri herself would strip the bed — once Mitchell got his ass off it.

“Have you slept at all?” she asked him, sitting up and kissing his right shoulder.

He shook his head no, his mouth counting beats or mouthing chord changes or lyrics; Kerri wasn’t sure which. Experience had taught her it was one of the three and until the notebook on his nightstand was full with a million scratch-outs and then a final, impossible-to-read song, he wasn’t moving, saying, or possibly even thinking.

Such was life with a musician.

Kerri planted another kiss on his shoulder and brushed at the ends of his hair, laying so temptingly right above her lips, and got up to face the day.

Hope you’re inspired by the Debut a Debut contest and are getting ready; we’ll open for entries next week, February 12!

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

4 Comments

  1. Lindsey

    February 5, 2007 7:49 pm

    I’m seeing a lot of similarities between writers and musicians lately. They’re both crazy.br /br /Nice to see an outtake again!

  2. Susan Helene Gottfried

    February 5, 2007 10:12 pm

    Yeah, I think there ARE a lot of similarities.br /br /Have you missed the outtakes? Do you want more?

  3. cheesygiraffe

    February 5, 2007 11:37 pm

    Nice outtake. I can see M sitting there with the guitar in his hands and a pencil in his mouth. 🙂

  4. karen!

    February 6, 2007 10:56 am

    I always love seeing an outtake. And, yes, I want more! Not that you asked me or anything :Pbr /br /I do like getting this glimpes into the later years especially since I haven’t “been” there yet.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


*