Priorities (1st Place)

“Now, the way I saw it Bill held his temper pretty well,” Charlie said and took a sip of his beer.

“If you call putting someone in traction holding his temper,” Mitch quipped.

A roar of laughter from the group of six burst throughout the bar room.

“Now hold on there. Bill just sat at his usual table. He wasn’t doing anything, when TJ came up and asked him a strange question: How long have you been a coward? You know Bill and his temper. Bill just looked at TJ and went back to sipping his beer. I was stunned. Nobody had ever called Bill a coward. TJ was just trying to pick a fight.”

“Come on, Charlie. You expect us to believe that?”

“No mistake about it. It happened.”

“Then why isn’t TJ in traction too?”

“You heard the Colonel. One more bar room brawl and Bill went to the stockade. That’s why.”

“How did Greg end up in the hospital then?”

“I’m getting there. TJ just stood there smiling and walked away. Bill just shook his head. Once word got around, every hothead in the corps had a go. Knowing that Bill had to just sit there and take it. I would have come to his rescue and took him out of there, but I had to admit I was enjoying seeing Bill eat a little guff.”

“Yeah. I bet that was a show.”

The men laughed and slapped each others’ backs as they swilled down a few suds.

“That’s when Greg came up – the biggest hothead of them all.” Several nodded. “He called Bill a lowlife. Called his mother a whore. Tried just about everything in the book to get him to take a swing at him. Then he knocked over his beer. Bill had his limits.”

300 Words
Flash Story Must contain: Mistake, Rescue, Strange