Cherries and Chicken (1047 hits)
Category: NoneRating: 1.87 on 36 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by Spenny (View user info) at 2008-12-11 13:33:38 EST
I asked my Mom, "Mom, what does a cherry taste like?" She told me it tastes just like how the cough medicine tastes, and I told her the cough medicine didn't taste anything like the chap stick, and the chap stick didn't taste anything like the vitamins, and the vitamins didn't even seem remotely similar to the tube of slimy stuff I found in her desk drawer that said "cherry flavored lubricant." I asked her if they all taste like cherries, and they all taste different, then which one actually tasted like cherries? Then she hit me, and I shouted and she hit me again. I think she hit me because I got into her stuff, but maybe because I reminded her that we don't have enough money to buy anything but boxes of spaghetti and white bread.
So Sammy and I ran away. I wanted to get a cherry, and Sammy, Sammy wanted some chicken. Sammy's dog food tastes like chicken, and his treats taste like chicken, and his chew toys taste like chicken. But I've actually had chicken, and I never spit a piece of chicken out of my mouth like that. I thought Sammy was going to want some chicken, too, because dogs are just as curious as we are, and Mom doesn't seem to like it when he's curious any more than when I am. One day we had chicken, real chicken, and Sammy was sitting at the table, very quiet, not bothering anyone. I tried to give him a piece of chicken, but Mom slapped me. The chicken fell out of my hand, and Sammy tried to get it, but then Mom hit him, too, and he yelped, and she picked up the chicken and threw it away. He's just a little dog so he couldn't do nothing about it. He just whimpered and went into the corner, and Mom felt bad, so she gave him a chicken-flavored treat, and then she gave me some cherry-flavored cough syrup and sent me to bed.
I don't know how much cherries cost. They must be expensive, more expensive than chicken. We've had chicken, we've never once had cherries. So I grabbed all the money off the dresser and I put Sammy's leash on his collar and I stepped out the door. I'm not allowed out of the yard, but Sammy's allowed anywhere in the neighborhood, so I figured that if Sammy's allowed anywhere in the neighborhood, and I'm with Sammy, then I can go anywhere in the neighborhood, too.
He tugged me most of the way, cause he was real excited to be out with me I guess. I only had to redirect him sometimes. He didn't figure we were running away to the corner store a few streets down, probably thought we could go to the woods or something, but I wanted to get him a surprise. So we ran away to the county store where Mom gets macaroni and hot dogs. They don't kick you out so long as you have money, I know that. When I sneak down there every once in awhile, the lady at the cash register makes me hold out my hands, and if I don't have any money in them she makes me leave. If I do, she let's me look around for as long as I like, until I get a candy bar or something, then I sit in the window and I eat it, and when I'm done she makes me show my hands again and if I don't have any more money she makes me leave. This time I'll have money for awhile, though, so I'll just sit there in the window eating cherries and candy bars and if Mom tries to come get me they won't let her in cause I took all her money.
We got to the store and the lady at the register asked to see my hands. I grabbed a hunk of the bills from my pocket and showed them to her, and she got surprised.
"Where did you get that?"
"It's mine," I told her, and I was right.
"They ain't all crumpled up like they been in your pocket. They's folded, all nice."
I stared at her, and I put the money back in my pocket. "Do you have cherries?"
"What's that dog doing in my store?"
"He wants some chicken."
"You mean he's buying something?"
I thought for a minute, then I tucked one of the bills into his collar. "Yes, he is. He wants some chicken. Some cherries and some chicken, please."
"I got chicken patties I can heat up for a sandwich. Is that fine?"
"Is it real chicken?"
"Is it real chicken? You're getting it for that dog, ain't you?"
"Yeah but is it real chicken?"
"I suppose it's real chicken, yes."
"Then I'll take one of those, and a handful of cherries. How much is a handful?"
"My hand or your hand?"
"Both of my hands."
A few minutes later she came back, and she had a little bag full of bright red gummy bears. "These ain't cherries," I told her. "These are gummy bears, I've had them before. They don't taste nothing like any of the other cherries, either."
"Oh, you wanted fruit, huh?" she asked. I showed her the money in my hand. "Just a minute," she said, "that sandwich will be done by the time I get your cherries."
She came back again with a small bag of red cherries, and Sammy's sandwich all wrapped up in tinfoil. I gave her some of the money, and she gave some of it back. I paid for Sammy's sandwich so he wouldn't have to wait outside. We went over to the window and I unwrapped Sammy sandwich and laid it on the ground for him, and he gobbled it up. Chewed through it right then and there, wagging his tail, then he curled up and laid down at my feet.
I popped a cherry into my mouth and squished it between my teeth, and the juice ran over my tongue. I kind of hurt my teeth the first time. They felt so soft when I squeezed them, I never would've guess there'd be a hard pit inside. The cherries tasted a little bit like the cough syrup, the chap stick, the lubricant, and even a little like the gummy bears. I popped two more into my mouth, pulling the stems out between my teeth. I put a stem on Sammy's nose and he just laid there, like he didn't notice or didn't mind. I sat there for a few hours with Sammy. I got him a burger, made with real beef. I got a handful of grapes, just like the gum my friends let me have some times, and I picked those off with my fingers and popped them into my mouth as Sammy ate his burger, a little more slowly.
The lady came over to us and she said "You going home anytime soon?" I showed her my money, and she said "You want something else?"
But I was full, and Sammy was full, so I said "No, but I got money, so I'm staying for awhile." She looked at me kind of funny then, and she went behind the counter and she got on the phone, and all the while she looked at me. You get to know when parents are teaming up against you, and even Sammy knew Mom would be on the other side of the phone. I showed her all the money in my pockets, put it out on the counter. I even pulled the bill out of Sammy's collar and laid it there, even though it was all crumpled and stuck out. She just stared at it. Mom was at the store only a moment later, in her car, and they let her in even though I had all her money. When we got home she hit me for awhile, but she didn't hit Sammy. She asked me what I did and I said "I got some cherries, and I got some grapes, and Sammy had real chicken and beef and he liked it. We both liked it."
Then she hit me again, and she put Sammy in the bathroom and closed the door, and I could hear him scratching all night while I was trying to sleep. When it was real dark, I got up. Mom was sleeping, probably, I figured. I went into the bathroom with Sammy, and I climbed up on the bathroom counter. I opened the mirror and found the cough syrup, and I opened the cap. I fished into my pocket and found a cherry I'd been saving. I dropped it inside. I had to mush it a little so it would fit, but I got it in, and I put the bottle back where I'd found it, closed the mirror, and got quietly back into bed.
User Reviews
Submitted by TheUniter (user info) at 2008-12-13 17:55:46 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
Submitted by Crystle (user info) at 2008-12-13 14:32:49 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
awwwwwwwwwww
Submitted by polyamorousaj (user info) at 2008-12-13 13:12:29 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by SilvrWolf (user info) at 2008-12-13 12:44:06 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
THIS is why I come here.
Please continue posting, Spoon.
Submitted by Replen (user info) at 2008-12-12 15:05:22 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by TheStitch (user info) at 2008-12-12 13:52:48 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
So simple but so good
Submitted by SPECIALk (user info) at 2008-12-12 13:16:07 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by Offspring (user info) at 2008-12-12 12:55:08 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
But what did Sammy do with the cherry pit?
Submitted by monkeyswithguns (user info) at 2008-12-12 08:11:58 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
That was exceptional. I like your writing style.
Submitted by mystiamoon (user info) at 2008-12-12 06:03:17 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
ATTN: GHEY MENZ
Submitted by F.J.Bell (user info) at 2008-12-12 05:49:35 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Sensational.
I love when I read something and it puts me in the mood to write.
Submitted by Dervel (user info) at 2008-12-12 05:00:22 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I really liked this.
Submitted by Chroniclysm (user info) at 2008-12-12 00:49:59 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
comment
Submitted by Doodles (user info) at 2008-12-11 23:49:56 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
you're my favorite queer.
just thought you should know.
Submitted by experima (user info) at 2008-12-11 22:06:54 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by seanfogy (user info) at 2008-12-11 21:33:36 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
good story
Submitted by Bubba2341 (user info) at 2008-12-11 20:01:38 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by shadow (user info) at 2008-12-11 19:59:41 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Very interestingly worded; as a child's memoir. Very nice.
Submitted by Snark (user info) at 2008-12-11 18:52:56 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Very cool story!
Submitted by Spooner (user info) at 2008-12-11 18:51:55 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Aw thanks man you're too nice. =)
Submitted by therealgeddylee (user info) at 2008-12-11 18:48:29 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
This is one of my favorite posts I've ever read here. Well done.
Submitted by Spooner (user info) at 2008-12-11 18:37:36 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Okay guys, thanks!
Submitted by Brdn_Nkd (user info) at 2008-12-11 15:35:28 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
please DO post more... maybe i'll get inspired to write a story again.
Submitted by scourge (user info) at 2008-12-11 15:28:07 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
dooby do wop
Submitted by vexx (user info) at 2008-12-11 14:48:01 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Very good. You nailed the innocent and simple narration.
I didn't realize it was you until Sacrilicious said something..
I'll still +2 it though.
Submitted by skrapmetal (user info) at 2008-12-11 14:33:45 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
The other day I happened to read about how marachino cherries are made. I thought they were just pitted, sweetened and colored. I was wrong. They are plucked from the trees, brined, preserved, pitted, sedated, raped, publicly humiliated, stricken from the List of the Children of Allah, painted gaudily, raped again, and finally bottled for your consumption on ice cream or in a whiskey in that crappy restaurant bar down the street where a rum & Coke is called a "Cuba Libre" and the waitresses are all over 40. Fuck a marachino, I say.
Submitted by RestrictionsApply (user info) at 2008-12-11 14:30:38 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by c1ndy (user info) at 2008-12-11 14:29:43 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I haven't really been here for a couple of years. It's good to still be able to click on a well written story.
Submitted by Sacrilicious (user info) at 2008-12-11 14:25:25 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Please do- almost no one else does anymore and i need something to read besides books.
Submitted by Spooner (user info) at 2008-12-11 14:23:01 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
I'm probably gonna start posting fiction here, again, if you guys don't mind.
Submitted by snagglepuss (user info) at 2008-12-11 14:05:25 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
....Subtle and vaguely haunting. Nice.
Submitted by MichaelJackson (user info) at 2008-12-11 13:55:30 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Awesome, especialy the parts about the beatings
Submitted by Sacrilicious (user info) at 2008-12-11 13:51:33 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
SPOONER
I do not enjoy artificial cherry flavor, but I like cherries.
Submitted by rob_berg (user info) at 2008-12-11 13:49:12 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I thought this was great.
Submitted by Sidivan (user info) at 2008-12-11 13:41:46 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
WTF was that? I read the whole thing because 1/2 way I thought it was a joke post.
Submitted by EmissionImpossible (user info) at 2008-12-11 13:37:00 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
didnt you realise its shakira law day!