Marc and Lizzie will tell you they are collectors. Lizzie likes to think she has a better eye than her husband, but “Marc has that dash of rash”, she’ll tell you, “He’s really a genius!”
They were obsessed with things and shopped continually. Saturday mornings they were first at every yard sale. They pet and pampered and fetishized their things. They have a storage unit here in town and when they visit they can’t help themselves and they are haggling over the abandoned objects available for purchase at the front
desk.
In reality they are hoarders. In reality they have supplanted the value of human beings with things, betting on imortality, perhaps. They are old and possibly they hope shopping and amassing will keep them from dying. After all, how could they die before they have had the time to inventory and archive and display all their precious possessions.
After a few months in Key West, to get to know his new environs, Marc went on some ride-alongs with the police. The cops whetted his expectations by hinting at the lewd scenes they’d be coming across and he was titilated. He also learned about the Baker Act, a Florida institution whereby the insane are
divvied up from regular garden-variety miscreants. Marc will tell you he found the ride-alongs, “Fascinating.”
Everyone who knew them remarked on how well they got along. “Soul mates”, people said, and it appeared Marc and Lizzie had a storybook romance.
What nobody saw was how they argued, at home alone in the evenings. Most often the topic was money. A familiar scene was where he was standing over her, screaming at her. “Woman you’re spending all my savings! At this rate you're going to leave me in a trailer.”
“You're crazy!” cried Lizzie, sipping her wine. “And you're going to make me crazy too!”
Marc hollered, bearing down on her, “You’re going to send me to the poorhouse! I'll kill you before I let that happen!” All Lizzie could see of him was his wide open jaw, like a howling wolf, and feel the flecks of his spittle.
Lizzie leapt on Marc and scratched at him. Her nails pealed strips of his skin and blood puckered before leaking into the lines of his face. He would have been able to hold her off if he hadn’t been filming her with his cell phone. Still screaming at each other he called the police.
In front of the officers Marc spoke softly and compassionately toward his evidently batty wife. Lizzie, feral with indignation, was unable to contain herself and continued mouthing off. The policemen rolled their eyes in sympathy with long-suffering Marc and they clasped Lizzie’s tiny wrists in handcuffs and placed her in the back of a cruiser, off for an overnight at the loony bin.
Marc had no intentions of pressing charges but it was now on record that his filly was one step removed from the nuthouse. And he had it all on film.
Diabolically clever ….. rings with the tones of “to be continued.” Are they hoarders? I can’t tell. You’re not really a hoarder til you can’t see the floor ….. Stay with this: lotsa good current social themes, like the
preoccupaton with objects at the expense of one’s relationships; the floating presence of fetishes, fixations and addictions …… Good stuff !
I don’t know if this story was fictitious or based on actual events but whatever the case,it was riveting. I loved it! But why?!!! I have to think about it. Why?!!! because like Marc Anthony “I need to know”. I need to understand why I enjoy your writing so much because here’s the thing.. as much as I read, and I can honestly say that I read a lot, I almost never ever ever read fiction or anything approaching it. I’m a big nerd, I have an information fetish.. I love learning new stuff. Right now I’m reading “Prisnoner of the Vatican: The Popes, the Kings, and Garibaldi’s Rebels in the Struggle to Rule Modern Italy”. My favorite two ficticious books are the only two ficticious books that I can remember finishing since college,.. and these were the Alchemist, which I’ve read 4 times.. I wish book could go on forever and “The Godfather” which I’ve read twice which of course was turned into what was to become my favorite movie ever.. I have watched that movie more times than… I have no idea Christina how many times I’ve seen it and Godfather 2.. Godfather 3 SUCKED and in Eric land it never happend.. for I have come up with my own story of what happens to the family after Godfather 2.. but I digress You You You, you brillaint little writer you.. I didn’t want this story to end.. and I knew that it was going to.. And.. I never know where you’re going there is no way that I, or anyone could have predicted at the beginning of the story that baby girl was gonna end up in handcuffs. No way, So in the manner of a few paragraphs you took me all over the place. You also gave me an idea.. I WONDER IF I CAN RIDE ALONG WITH A COP.. and chances are I’m going to ask Sheriff Wade if that’s possible.. if he says no perhaps the new Chief of Police of Richmond City.. his name just so happens to end in “vic”, like I mentioned before so maybe he I can name drop my way into a conversation by asking him if his family hails from regions where your family reigns.. why, because that seems like it would be so cool.. to ride along with a cop.. why haven’t I ever thought of such a thing to just now, but I digress.. I enjoy your writing so much and this story is one of my new favorites
And this is a long blog comment LOL!
But I had to figure out I am such a big fan of a story that isn’t filled with history, information, or facts.. for that is most unusual.
But I love the pleasant little journeys we take via your words, and I never know where the fuck we’re going.. never have a clue until we get there lol. Good Job Princess
Thank you Joseph, I will indeed continue with the theme… Stay tuned! Cx
Thank you Eric! I think your post is longer than my story. But I love it all, thank you. Cx
Just seeing this. You’re welcome