Photo prompt: © Anshu Bhojnagarwala
“It’s an effing eyesore.”
“I don’t care.”
Martin balled his fists but Susan just gazed at him.
She said nothing but he knew: Raise a finger on me and off to jail you go. The judge was clear: Anger-Management or prison. Martin took the former but could swear Susan’s infuriating behavior intended to get him the latter.
He inhaled slowly before turning away. “When Sanitation fines us,” he growled, “it’s all yours to pay.”
“Fine,” she shrugged. “Though I think they won’t.”
He glared. “Why? Got connections?”
“Nope,” she patted the rotting piano. “I’ve registered it as street art.”
For Rochelle’s Friday Fictioneers
Na'ama Yehuda 
I love it! It makes perfect street art.
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Doesn’t it?!
🙂
Thanks, Alice!
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Clever – it is sort of arty! I hope she doesn’t push him too far though.
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Yeah, well, if he gets pushed to violence by an old piano or an argument … or someone else’s stubbornness … then … perhaps he needs more help …
🙂 Thank you for the comment!
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So long as all the paperwork is in order, you can get away with anything! 🙂
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hmm … perhaps …
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Susan is a clever woman. It would be nice if she showed a little more consideration towards Martin, though. You captured the dynamic of the relationship very adroitly.
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Yeah, not the healthiest relationship, though it seems there might be some ‘history’ there … to complicate things …
Thanks for reading and commenting, Penny!
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well done! I love how the title fits with the story!
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🙂 Thank you, Jennifer, I was having fun with it. 🙂
Thanks for reading and commenting!
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ממש חמוד. רעיון נהדר. מתה עליך בתי.
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Hopefully he’ll work at his anger management. And hopefully she won’t provoke him either. Enjoyed this.
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I hope he WILL work at his Anger Management stuff … To be fair, it seems he is, at least, trying hard. As for her … there’s history between them that he might need to endure, testing from her to ensure she’s safe … AND, one wonders what his threshold of “provoking” is …
Is an “I don’t care” sufficient to drive him into violence? Is he able to tolerate disagreement or sees it as an ego-wounding? Can she have her own views without it being perceived as ‘provocation’?
In truth, there is little provocation that ever EVER justifies violence. So if her conduct brings out the worse in him, perhaps they’ll need to part ways. In the meanwhile, this little piano is blooming.
🙂
Na’ama
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What a lively relationship! As for the piano, I’ve seen worse things in modern art galleries!
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LOL, Keith! “Lively” is one way to describe it … 😉
And … yes, I’d seen such odd things in galleries, that an upcycled piano seems practically mainstream …
🙂
Na’ama
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Na’ama Y’karah,
Checkmate! Street art. I like that. It’s not bad with flowers planted in it, is it. The last line made me laugh out loud. Well done as always.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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🙂 Yay! Laughter means this little bit reached its potential. … 😉
And, it doesn’t look too bad, all flowered up, now, does it?
🙂
Na’ama
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Why do they keep together I wonder. He’s making an effort, she has good reasons… but it’s not really working, I think. Very clever with the street art, made me laugh.
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Like you, I don’t know whether this relationship will survive … or where it goes … and there certainly seems to be a whole lot of history there …
Glad the ‘street art’ bit made you laugh! 🙂
Thank you for reading and commenting!
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She is so goading him… Wonder if it’s because she hopes he will do what he will to land his butt in jail… instead of just leaving him…
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She is not particularly subtle, is she? Then again, if they have a ‘history’ together, she may be ‘testing’… to see if he really will change his ways and if his ‘anger management’ is working. Not exactly super supportive, but there’s a backstory there we can only wonder about ….
To be fair, if someone saying “I don’t care” gets one to fight to not do actual violence, then one is far too easily provoked …
Eggshells ain’t fun to walk on for a living …
Maybe they’ll get some couple’s therapy. Maybe they’ll part way. Either way, I hope he keeps his hands to himself … Well, at least as far as violence is concerned …
XOXO
N.
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Testing is definitely a sign of lack of trust. They are doomed, to be sure.
I dunno how much couple’s counseling works – unless they both want to make things work.
Indeed. Lots of back story possibilities.
I’ll be positive and with them the best of luck, how’s that?
😉 xoxo
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That’s more than I’d give them … I don’t really think their relationship will last … 😉
On a serious note, domestic violence damages the basic trust of any relationship. While some manage — with much mutual work and commitment and remorse and rebuilding and compassion toward each other’s challenges — to grow beyond the violence, most do not. At least not into any kind of healthy relating.
Violence shatters. And sometimes no amount of glue can put it back.
XOXO
Na’ama
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This is true. A crack may be fixed, but it remains forever.
Dale
xoxo
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As the ancient Dale-Sayism goes … 🙂
(sorry, couldn’t resist)
😉
But … yes, this is so very true!
xoxo
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You calling me ancient? Them’s fighting words! 👊
😎😉
I would like to be wrong…
xoxo
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Um …. only as ancient as me is, me dear.
Young at heart, wise at soul.
This is Dale’ism that spans beyond this physical life, drawn the old well of soul-quotes and wisdom of the ages … 😉
😉
(ducking just to be on the safe side)
N.
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Somehow I doubt it…
Very young at heart and attitude.
Ahhh… well now, Dale’ism – can’t say I’ve ever had one assigned to me before!
Don’t duck, you’re safe.f
🙂
❤
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I’m no duck.
I’m a duckess.
🙂
xoxo
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Buahaha! You are a nut is what you are.
xoxo
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A nutty duckess … 😉
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🌰🥜🦆
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The lady is smart I must say.. 😁
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Yeah, me think so, too …
🙂
Thanks Anshu!
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Now, that is one smart woman 🙂
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🙂 Thanks for reading and commenting, Linda.
I think she is, too … 🙂
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Na’ama, I like your bringing up the domestic violence situation here. It shows the thought process of a batterer. In cases like this, if there is no “internal” motivation to stop the violence, then sometimes “external” is needed, i.e. the threat of prison. If he is smart he will realize life is so much better without battering someone he loves. Also, I will have to remember that “licensing as street art” for possible future circumstances 🙂
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Great comment, and yes … I thought it would help elucidate the immediacy of his response as well as the exaggerated rage for something that may well be irritating, but certainly no cause for violence (no irritation really ever IS justification for violence). That he feels that she is the problem (i.e. testing him) rather than his own reactions needing to be regulated regardless of his habit to lash out, says a lot, too.
To his credit, he refrained from using violence and he managed to “use his words” and even do so without abusive language.
Susan may not have been super gracious about the whole thing, but to many people an “I don’t care” won’t be seen as provocation to violence but as … well … disagreement at the most and an opinion at best.
It wasn’t about the piano at all, now, was it? 😉
Na’ama
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