Left arm wrapped around his head, fingers pressed to his right temple, Vito stretched the skin of his face as tight as he could and ran an electric razor over it. He caught sight of the odd configuration in the mirror and paused, then lowered his head and laughed, then mugged.
Jesus, what would a wife think of that? Penny. Probably has her quirks too. Everybody does. How else you gonna get this Sicilian growth in check? Like tryin’ to shave sandpaper. And no matter how close you get it still leaves a tint. Face only a mother could love. Not love, tolerate. Doesn’t matter much anymore. Not as traumatic. That good or bad? Indifference or mature acceptance of a "defect" that really shouldn’t matter? Appearances.... Face’s burnin’. Maybe go back to a beard. Nah, too many grays. Give away your age. Scare off younger babes right off the bat. No, you’re not too governed by appearances. Who you foolin’? Please don’t let ‘em run wild on my head. No more than I can pluck. Gimme a few more years. Least ‘til I find somebody. Let me go on foolin’ everybody, even myself. Who're you talkin’ to - God? You - who never ask Him for anything? Why somethin’ so simple? Why not - "Please let me get published"? ‘cause that means too much. Have to do that on your own or it’d be meaningless. Besides, if He had such control over things it wouldn’t be worth livin’. What about the ‘stache? No time. Get goin’. That gray.
He combed through the thick black mustache with his fingertips, trying to get the rebellious hair to stand up for plucking.
Ow! Don’t be a baby. Does sting, though. What about that one? Too short to catch. You gonna stand here all day? You’ll be late.
The Greeks called him Odysseus, the Romans Ulysses. Here's a pic of a 1909 painting by Herbert James Draper of the hero, who asked his men to tie him the mast so that he would hear the siren's beautiful song that lured sailors to their deaths. He had the others put cotton in their ears. It hangs in the Ferens Art Gallery in Kingston upon Hull, England.
In the gorgeous calm before the storm of the polar vortex, the floating book shop set up in the glorious sunshine on Bay Parkway. My thanks to the young man who bought Tribute by Nora Roberts, A Meeting in the Ladies' Room by Anita Doreen Diggs, and I Don't Know How She Does It by Allison Pearson; and to the woman who selected The Men's Guide to the Women's Bathroom by Jo Barrett. Recently, she'd purchased The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus, which she dubs "hysterical." Love hearing stuff like that.
My Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Vic-Fortezza/e/B002M4NLJE
Read Vic's Stories, free: http://fictionaut.com/users/vic-fortezza
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