Damaged Goods has a secret admirer...
Bryce Main
Multi-genre author, mostly Crime fiction. Scottish. Been writing longer than I’ve been wearing big boy’s trousers.
Pretty soon we'll turn a corner and there will be a New Year, staring us in the face. Expecting an answer to all the questions we have.?
If only every New Year could be a new beginning. A fresh start. A change for the better.?
An opportunity to wipe the slate clean and start from scratch. A chance to dig a hole somewhere nice and remote and fill it with all the crap that life has thrown at us over the previous year.?
Instead, for some of us, it’s a day for being reminded that life doesn’t come with a manufacturer’s guarantee of satisfaction or your money back.?
What you see is what you get. What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger. Not happier.?
Damaged Goods is in the coffee shop.?
She stands behind me as I queue for my Americano. Emanating vibes that speak of a broken life. Covering up bruises that scream of broken bones. Broken heart. Broken soul. Cracked all the way through and held together with spit and willpower.?
And yet…and yet…she wears her name with pride.?
Two words. Her two words. Damaged Goods. On an oversized button badge pinned over her heart.?
Red letters on a black background.?
A heads up for all interested parties. I come with pain and baggage. Approach at your own risk. All except for one.?
Little Italy liked her the first moment she saw her. She liked the way she didn’t feel sorry for herself or apologise for the wall she put up. Double thickness, double height.?
But most of all, she liked her badge of courage.?
Damaged Goods is a stone cold survivor with a warm liquid centre. Buried deep.?
And she has an admirer who watches her from a distance.?
The Fan knows nothing about her but wants to know everything.?
From the taste of her lips first thing in the morning…to the look in her eyes last thing at night.?
From the words in her heart…to the pain on her face. From the dreams she used to have…to the nightmares she carries with her.?
Everything.?
If only he had the courage to walk up to her and say hello. Introduce himself. Tell her his name. Smash down her wall. Give them both a chance.?
But not yet. Too soon. Too soon.?
Until then he’ll watch as her ‘if onlys’ fade away and his ‘what ifs’ mount up.?
From behind the bar, Little Italy sees it all. She looks at the box on the wall and the box knows the score. Time for a little 31.?
The curtains open. The stage is set. Time for a little James Taylor. It’s Mud Slide Slim…and You’ve Got A Friend.?
Damaged Goods looks up. Feels a pair of interested eyes on her. Can’t figure out who the Hell they belong to. Doesn’t matter.?
Sometimes the best friends you can have are the ones you haven’t met yet..?
*************************************
You've just read an extract from my weirdly romantic book Love & Coffee.
All my books are available separately and unblocked from those nice people at Amazon…right here.
Ad Interruptus (NEW):?https://amzn.to/3AmkfjQ
Ad Infinitum:?https://amzn.to/3pof7Uq
Ad Lib: https://amzn.to/2kd4LKf.
Ad Hoc:?https://amzn.to/2Nx8GL8
Love & Coffee:?https://amzn.to/28IWaHq
Heaven Help Us:?https://amzn.to/2nkQ1Jk
Or…you can pop along to brycemain.co.uk and have a sneaky peek at them all together in the one place.
See you there…
Manager Graphics Design and Production
2 年Ha, I love the read this morning. There's something here. It takes me back to my high school years. I don't know why but maybe somethings just needs to be left alone. Thanks for a charming read Bryce.