Congrats if you read that whole title without thinking, "What is wrong with this person?" or straight up laughing. :P
This story has many sources of inspiration. Of course, The Most Dangerous Writing App had a hand in its creation, but Reginald Thaddeus got his name from a discussion with some people in my youth group about ridiculous things to name your toddler.
You're welcome. :)
The Prompt
"He'd had a bad day and just needed something to make him feel better." Add a ridiculous name somewhere while you're at it. ;P
The Story
Xavier'd had a bad day and just needed something to make him feel better. Grabbing his car keys, he headed to his beat-up pickup, determined to treat himself to his favorite cappuccino at the local coffee shop and go on a walk around the lake. Walks with coffee were good. They made him happy, no matter what had happened.
The pickup started with a rumbling cough. "Come on, Bessie, darlin'," Xavier murmured to the engine, turning it off and on again. More spluttering. "Come on, girl. You can do it. Come on."
As if in response to his coaxing, Bessie roared to life before settling into an easy purr.
Ignoring his seatbelt, Xavier turned out of his driveway and towards his favorite coffee shop, The Brew. It wasn't long before he had a steaming cup of cappuccino nestled between his legs and was rumbling down the highway towards the nearby park.
The fresh morning air smelled like rain when he stepped out of his truck. Even the dew on the grass seemed to herald a coming storm. Perfect, Xavier thought. Walks by the lake with coffee and thunder are even better.
He glanced at his jacket in the passenger seat, shrugged, and locked Bessie up, leaving his jacket behind. He could deal with a little bit of cold weather.
The lake was serene, emanating that special peace that comes just before a big storm. Xavier sipped his cappuccino, smiling to himself at the way it burned his tongue, and watched a pair of black swans on the lake's surface. I wonder what it's like to live such a peaceful life? He immediately turned his mind away. No. I'm not going to think about any of that. If I ignore it, it'll go away.
Except it wasn't going to. Right in front of him, headed his way, was the person Xavier least wanted to see in the world: Reginald Thaddeus Errol III, his High-and-Mightiness. The man was a stuck-up, nasally, weak, single-minded idiot who had made it his life goal to turn Xavier's life into a wreck - from sabotaging his homework in school to stealing his girl in college and ruining his job after college. He was even the reason Xavier's Bessie hadn't had a paint job in ten years and could barely start, much less haul anything.
Xavier considered turning away as if he hadn't seen Reginald, but decided against it, since that would seem cowardly. Besides, he thought, fingering his piping hot coffee, maybe this is just the time to set things straight. After all, I don’t have anything left to lose.
What do you do when you're having a bad day? Do you have a Reginald Thaddeus Errol III in your life? How do you deal with them? Do you like cappuccinos?
Until next time,
Take courage, pursue God, and smile while you still have teeth!! ^_^
Um. I really need more. I know I say that with most of your stories, but I REALLY need to see what happens next for this one!!! This was SO funny and well-written! The loving way Xavier addresses his car had me dying, and of course Reginald Thaddeus Errol III's name... 🤣 Great story!
I had a vision of one of the two (i could see it going either way) flinging the cappuccino on the other… XD
Such a fun story, Joelle!