Texts
Eliot was standing in the farmer's market trying to decide between the eggplant and butternut squash. Neither was sparking his imagination when his cell phone started to ping in his pocket. It was the little warble for a text. No one texted him. He ignored it. But it didn't stop.
"Dude. You phone's blowing up." The teenage boy selling root vegetables laughed.
Eliot stepped away and hooking the canvas bag over his arm, he pulled out his phone.
He fumbled a bit on the message button and the first was a picture of Maggie dressed like Leave-it-to-Beaver mom in a nice dress, pearls and high heels. She was making a Vanna White pose and showing off her kitchen. Dark brown cupboards behind her. The next was the same pose showing off the harvest gold stove. Next the dark brown pantry.
He couldn't help but laugh.
The next was a picture of Maggie in coveralls and a baggie sweatshirt with a faded logo on the front wearing a ball cap, safety goggles and holding a sledge hammer, grinning from ear to ear.
Next: Hammer hitting counter.
It didn't seem to do much damage.
Next: Counter broken.
Doors off upper cupboards.
Pile of rubble on kitchen floor.
Doors off lower cupboards.
Bigger pile of rubble on floor.
Sink shooting water into air.
Close up of sink and geyser.
Plumber, crack and all, under sink.
Eliot was laughing so hard there were tears in his eyes.
Kitchen dismantled. Wires from sockets, rubble in a mound.
Rubble cleared, nothing but studs and plywood on the floors.
The next was a picture of Maggie sitting at a small table, again wearing the nice dress and pearls, sipping from a delicate tea cup the empty ruin of her kitchen behind her.
Next: workman behind her putting up sheet rock.
Putting up light fixtures.
Then the Vanna white pose again. White cupbards, butcher block countertop. Extra large bay window. Electric blue tea towels, a wooden bowel full of fruit. Onions and garlic hanging in the corner
Maggie : Grinning.
A word text: The destruction was the fun part. I paid for the rest
He laughed. He bought sea food. He'd make Mediterranean in honor of her new kitchen.
November 2012