No Mess Please

“The phone’s for you,” shouted Joyce as she held out the receiver.

`”Tell them I’m not here.” Ray pushed back his recliner. He sunk even further into its pleather recesses. Mittens, the cat, glanced up for a second, then she sunk further into Ray’s denim pant recesses.

“But you are here; I won’t lie. Take the call.” Joyce shook the phone’s receiver at him.

“Arggh. Blessed all that be holy. Give me a sec.” Ray pushed forward his recliner. Mittens jumped off Ray's denim recesses. Ray rose from the pleather recesses.

He grabbed the phone as Joyce stalked back to the kitchen.

“Yeah? What? Oh fine. I’ll be there. Give me about thirty.” The phone receiver went back into its cradle. Ray shuffled to the coats.

“I’ll be back soon,” he hollered to Joyce.

His wife flew to the front hall. “You’d better not bring back any mess like last time! I had a devil of a time cleaning all that up.”

Ray sighed, a long hard one. ‘Geesh Joyce.” Then out the door he went.

====

Joyce awoke with a start at the noise. The clock showed midnight.

“Ray?”

“Yeah, I’m home,” he shouted from the kitchen.

“Will I find a mess in the morning?” Joyce had her blankets up around her throat.

“No, Joyce, trust me. You won’t find any mess.” He checked his shotgun.

W/C 226