From "Show,Don't Tell" : A Project to share

[greatwater]

I found a comment in
http://thewritepractice.com/how-to-show ... her-moods/ as one of the replies as an experiment for showing not telling in writing. This comment writes about something we all know well and truly enjoy.

..............................


I chewed on the hang-nail until it stung and bled. Anything to take my mind off the incessant droning of the speaker and the building pressure in my lower abdomen.

"Why, oh why did I drink all that iced tea?" I shouted inside my brain.

Beads of sweat and ripples of chills came over me like a stadium full of fans doing the wave. Everything around me seemed to grow larger and more ominous as my bladder filled to the tipping point.

I practiced meditation and prayer, anything to transport me from this hell, but envisioning seasides and streams of living water, did more harm than good.

"Excuse me... pardon me... I'm so sorry."

My body can no longer retain the fluid, as tears pool in my quivering eyes. I push my way to the men's room, delirious and giddy as I anticipate relief.

My hands shake and my back sweats as I finally catch a glimpse of my porcelain god. I make my way on shaky legs to humbly bring my offering.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh-men

......................................

Can we make it too? I haven't had time yet, but will soon try writing some. Will you join me?

[Brian]

You're challenging us all to contribute other short pieces of writing on our theme like the above which vaguely suggest situations without spelling them out, right? Interesting idea to try for anyone who feels like it. I guess we're more constrained than the visitors to that site if we stick to our subject matter, but that shouldn't be a barrier to trying. We can still place our interest into situations which we don't exactly describe but merely suggest.

[Brian]

This can't really be happening. Surely not. It doesn't happen to adult guys like me. So it can't be happening now.

That spreading warm feeling down there can't be real.

The programme was almost finished. The performers are doing the last number. We're all heading off out of the auditorium in a few minutes. It can't be true that I couldn't last out for just a few more minutes, can it? A big tough guy like me... of course that isn't happening.

I could have got up and fought my way out from this confined seating amongst all these people. If I thought I wouldn't make it, I would have swallowed the embarrassment, ignored any annoyed reactions from people having to let me past, muttered something like "sorry, I've got an emergency", and it would have been fine. Why didn't I do that? Perhaps because I was just too afraid to even move when the pressure was so intense? No, no, no. It was because it wasn't necessary to leave. It isn't necessary. A man like me can last out.

Oh, it does feel warm. What's happening down there? I daren't look.

I can't stop it. I don't want to stop it either. It hurts too much to try. No...

No, it isn't happening. It can't be. That noise... that splattering like a running tap... it can't be coming from me. It must be from someone else.

My mate sitting next to me can't be looking at me. He must be looking at something else. There isn't any reason for him to be staring at me like that, so he isn't staring.

Did I just glance back at him? Does my face show embarrassment? Don't look at him! Don't look down either! Nothing is happening down there.

The stranger on my other side isn't looking at me either. That's only my imagination.

Oh, the relief!

[greatwater]

Hot, Brian! Finally, it felt good and you should let go. Lol.

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Interviewer: "I'm so happy to be here, to meet ones of the idols of the LGBT people. Mr. Nathan and Mr. Oscar Mills. We've seen your beautiful marriage ceremonies. May I ask, how did you meet each other for the first time?"

Nathan: Well, it was ... (laughs and looks at Oscar, who laughs as well.) let's say we met at a meeting of our companies. Well, his grey eyes were so beautiful, and he spoke beautifully and wittily. So I just fell in love with him.

Oscar: Nathan looked (Nathan laughs) I mean you looked very agitated that day, but somehow you did find him cute. He was some kind of nerdy type. He was intelligent. He was sexy. That's the reason why, after the meeting, (they both chuckle) we went straight to a restaurant for our first date. Such a relief (Nathan laughs) after a tedious meeting.

They kept talking on and on about their life together. When the interviewer finished interviewing, they laughed again when thinking of the day they first met.

It was a tedious meeting. Oscar's boss was speaking very slowly and sometimes kept correcting word usage in the documents they were reading and discussing. Oscar, along with Nathan, had to keep themselves from falling asleep in the meeting room. When they found themselves completely wakened up by some beverages, they continued discussing with their bosses and gave some useful comments. An hour passed, and they hadn't reached half of the documents. Two hours had passed. Nathan looked clearly agitated. Oscar was quite antsy as well. They both wanted the meeting to end. They looked around and found others squirming. Oscar smiled. Nathan looked worried. Some of them looked at the door of the meeting room. They both knew that their bosses wouldn't let them get out of the room until the meeting ended. Their bosses were debating with one another about the launch of the new products. Nathan sighed and looked at Oscar, then Oscar sighed too.

The meeting ended at the third hour. Their bosses told both Oscar and Nathan to stay in the room, while others were rushing out in the same direction. The bosses asked them more about the projects. Oscar explained it with the use of only his left hand, while Nathan nodded again and again. When Nathan spoke, he found Oscar looking at his shaking legs. When the bosses walked out of the meeting room. Oscar and Nathan headed to their dream destination to find the door locked. Oscar, who knew the office well, looked at the sweating Nathan and took him downstairs. Nathan moaned, and Oscar took him to the lower floor and found their destination, a peaceful and empty place for them both to be alone and relax some muscle. The sound of liquid splattering sounded like somebody pouring champagne for celebration, but this seemed to be a large bottle of champagne. The chorus of happiness from their mouths proved the place more like a ground for wedding ceremony, except no one shared their sheer joy.

They walked out of the room as if they were married.