A collection of stories to thrill, entertain, and enlighten . Thought provoking tales of fantasy, mystery, murder, love, sci-fi, and war. Within the mind and around the globe and universe, journey with the heroes and fools, the victims and the villa...
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Billy Presser was not an imposing figure. Though over six foot tall with the physique of a runner, his posture was that of a man who had been abused by life. With his shoulders hunched forward encompassing his weary horned-rim bespectacled face, he seemed like a man bored with the idea of life itself. He was, however, contrary to appearance, a man who could find enough happiness to convince himself to continue forward.
Through the long and narrow path of his forty-year life, Billy had acquired a wife, previously married to his former boss, and inherited a now fifteen-year old son who resented him. He had worked for the same accounting firm in Ocala, Florida for eighteen years and lived in the same house for nearly as long. His vices were few and what occasional joy he felt came from his hobby, botanical drawing.
He began drawing when he was in college. Billy could remember the first sketch he ever drew. It was of a Nun Orchid, phaius tancarvilleae, which his roommate kept on the sill of their window in the dormitory. The drawing was detailed and accurate. Billy still smiled to himself when he remembered the praise he received from the friends who viewed it. He never pursued a career in art, but continued drawing flowers, especially orchids. He even entered his work into competitions, winning several over the course of his life. It was the promise of these few scattered moments of joy that kept him waking up in the mornings and kept him going on through the days.
One day, an unusual smile graced his face. Billy was exuberant, which in his case manifested itself in humming, a habit that annoyed his wife, Mia. She snapped at him to shut up, but on this rare occasion, he ignored her. He held the source of his joy tightly in his hand, a letter from the Botanical Artist Society, informing him that he had been awarded second place in its annual competition and inviting him to the awards ceremonies in Miami.
The weeks leading up to the awards became increasingly stressful. In his heart, Billy wanted to go alone, without the constant denigration and distain that Mia seemed to relish delivering and without the subtle contempt that her son, Morgan, was such a master at. Billy tried to make the convention sound as boring and unattractive as possible in the hope that his family would simply send him off alone, but this was not to be. It was almost as though his wife knew that letting him go alone would be a kindness of sorts, and kindness was an unacceptable option. Not only did she demand to accompany him with her son, but she also insisted on choosing the route of their journey.
Mia informed him that they would travel to Miami by way of Naples, an extremely wealthy community on Florida's western coast. When Billy asked why, she did not even give him the courtesy of an answer, replying only with that patronizing mantra, "Because I said so".
When the day set for departure finally arrived, Billy resigned himself to the situation. He had managed to convince himself that the weekend would be just as enjoyable in the company of his family as it would be alone. This delusion was quickly refuted. Any notion of a calm or even remotely satisfying weekend died within the first half hour of the drive. What he had imagined as a rewarding celebration of his dedication and talent as an artist became a denunciation of his character and a paean of his inadequacies, as soon as Mia opened her mouth.
