Saturday Sample: 280 x 70 by Gill James, black coffee

 

Suited 

 

If he just carried on sitting there and grinning it would be all right, wouldn’t it? They would think he was fine, wouldn’t they?  They would assume he’d understood everything, right? He would just purse his lips and nod agreement.

Roberto Alexandro, the current vice-chairman had a thick accent. He spoke very softly, though, and it always made Thomas want to go to sleep.  

He nodded gently and closed his eyes. He wondered whether he looked important enough in his petrol blue suit, with matching polka dot tie and paler shirt. Sure, he looked smart.     

He didn’t like wearing suits. He always felt cramped. Thank goodness the office had the policy that you could dress casually if you weren't customer-facing. The tie was strangling him. He loosened it a little. 

Something changed in the speaker's tone.  He sat up and started listening. They would be replacing the chairman the next day. There had been a vote of no confidence

There was a general murmuring.

"Ladies and gentlemen," said Alexandro, "I know this has come as a shock to you, but if I could have your attention. We shall vote tomorrow.  For the next twenty-four hours I will take over the duties of the chair."     

“Why wait?” a voice said. “Thomas is here. Won’t he do?”

Thomas went hot and the cold.  He could hear his heartbeat thudding in his ears. Why would they want him? 

There was massive assent. He opened his eyes and found he was not the only one grinning. New chairman, eh? Fancy that.

There was one problem, though.  He would now have to wear his suit to the office every day.

He straightened up his tie.  

 

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About the author

Gill James is published by The Red Telephone, Butterfly and Chapeltown.  

She edits CafeLit and writes for the online community news magazine: Talking About My Generation.

She teaches Creative Writing and has an MA in Writing for Children and PhD in Creative and Critical Writing.    

http://www.gilljameswriter.com  

https://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B001KMQRKE

https://www.facebook.com/gilljameswriter

  

Sunday Serial: 280 x 70 , 68 Warfare, by Gill James, fine wine

 

Introduction

This collection is a collection of seventy stories, each 280 words. They were inspired by the first picture seen on my Twitter feed on a given day. 

   So we strut and parade, waving our flags and singing anthems. We all wear the colours of the emblems that belong to us. The pictures mean something. Take for example our own, made of three others brought together but where are the dragons? Ah. "We'll beat you in the football, we'll beat you in the tennis and we'll even run faster."

We're all so good, every one of us. We have our culture and our history. You have your fine wines. They have the sunshine. Others are good at draining the seas, reclaiming the land and moving around by water.

"We're not going to be bossed around by you," they say, the quitters. "We'll do what we want to do and not what you tell us to do. Our ways are better than yours." Never mind that you took on board what we suggested and even came up with some of your own ideas that were at least as good as ours or perhaps even better.

Now the borders are shut. We can't visit, even if we want to. We can't emigrate for work. Even if we were allowed to in the future now we can't. Is this a taste of what it's could be like in the worst case scenario? I watch films of places in the sun and long for that glorious opportunity.  It's raining here.

Can't we work together to stop this pestilence? Can't we exchange ideas? Can we learn from each other?

There are new ways now. Are we learning something? Do we have some of what you want and can we have some of your abundance? The bird that crosses the mountains pays no taxes.          

About the author 

Gill James is published by The Red Telephone, Butterfly and Chapeltown.  

She edits CafeLit and writes for the online community news magazine: Talking About My Generation.

She teaches Creative Writing and has an MA in Writing for Children and PhD in Creative and Critical Writing.    

http://www.gilljameswriter.com  

https://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B001KMQRKE

https://www.facebook.com/gilljameswriter

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