Jax_writes

Let’s play the biggest game of kick the can on the internet.

anyway i wanted a memento of my first pride, you know, and this one vendor was selling keyrings, and i liked it, so i bought one. do you remember those italian charm bracelets that were all the rage like 10-15 years ago? it was a keychain like that, and it had a rainbow rooster, a rainbow cat, and then just a rainbow, and so I bought it.

i run into my mom a couple of vendors over and she goes oh you bought something? what’d you get? so i showed her, and i was like, “I’m not sure why it’s a rooster and a cat. Seems kind of random. But I liked the rainbows.”

and my mom, who was some form of minister’s wife for most of my childhood and teenagerhood, stares at me like she thinks i’m joking.

“What?” i say.

…relic…

“You feel the bulge in his pants” - implies that you are feeling some guy’s penis, may be sexy depending on context

“Are you Shane Hollander?”

Shane freezes, being sure to school his expression of dread before turning around to face the small crowd of kids surrounding him. It was silly of him to expect to never get recognized, but at a shitty rest stop halfway to Niagara Falls was not ideal. Especially when the littlest one was wearing a Metros jersey.

And as if on cue, “Why did you move to Ottawa?”

“Well,” Shane starts, crouching down a bit so he could meet the boy’s gaze, “We just had some differences and so we decided to go our separate ways, but I wish them nothing but the best.” He winces at the look of confusion that passes over the child’s face at the PR answer, but before he could scramble for other words,

“Shane?” He looks up to Ilya standing at the end of the aisle, clutching an armful of snacks. “Ah, what do we have here?”

Another one of the kids, this time a little girl, lets out a gasp, and Shane watches Ilya preen at the attention.

“Oh my god,” she starts, “You’re Shane Hollander’s husband!” Shane can’t help but burst into laughter at the absolute shock on Ilya’s face.

Before they can say anything else, a teacher (who funnily enough doesn’t recognize either of them and looks mildly worried that her students are talking to strangers) corrals them to the door and in the direction of the school bus waiting outside.

Shane makes to walk towards the counter as Ilya trails behind him like a scolded puppy.

“Did Shane Hollander’s husband get everything he needed?” he asks, unable to help being a little shit.

Shane: listen I like you and I think you like me too

Ilya: ok SO WHAT. What are we gonna do. Hold hands?? Kiss on the ice?? Get married?? Have three kids and a vacation home in the Dolomites because I know you’d love the skiing there?? Whisper to each other each night how lucky we are to have found each other? Die hand in hand like the end of the Notebook? Don’t be RIDICULOUS Hollander how could you even think about these things

The first time:

He is surrounded by white (bravery) and is wearing yellow (cowardice)

The world is telling him to be brave, but he can’t, not yet, because he is a coward.

He has lost his identity and autonomy

The decision is already made (he must die)

He is all alone (he doesn’t have the bravery gene)

The second time:

He is surrounded by yellow (cowardice) and is wearing white (bravery)

He is in the middle of his namesake: a field of rye. The field is the yellow of cowardice; that is who he was, but he can’t be that, not anymore, because he is brave.

You know who you are. You’ll do great.

The decision is already made (Rocky must live)