Monday, February 12, 2007

Manic Monday #1



spike (verb)
a: to add an alcoholic beverage to (a drink) [spiked the punch]
b: to add a foreign substance to [spike the coffee with tranquilizers]
c: to add something highly reactive [as a radioactive tracer] to
d: to add vitality, zest, or spice to [spike the broth with peppers]
e: to liven [spiked the speech with humor]

High

She sits alone in a café, whiling away hours that need to be whiled away. Though her feet (tired from walking for hours) are planted firmly on the ground her mind is soaring way up high, here and there, buoyed by the sights around her, the sounds she can't help but overhear, the bite of the spicy noodles lingering on her tongue despite cup after cup of fragrant tea.

She bends her head over her notebook, trying to record her impressions of this new city but for some reason she is finding it hard to write. The opening bars of a song from a musical keeps playing in her head, distracting her, almost making her giggle at times. A woman at the next table signals to the waitress that she wants another beer. She toys with the idea of having a beer herself but finally decides against it; after all, she still has miles to go before she sleeps.

She notices the sunlight becoming more mellow, turning into a softer shade of gold that she knows will soon become even balmier. Instead of the usual lethargy that she feels with the coming of dusk she finds herself feeling more energetic, more on edge (but in a good way, similar to the excitement that she feels when she's surrounded by books in the library or bookstore--multiplied a hundredfold). Her spirit, she realizes, is not at all like the motes of dust she notices floating lazily in the fading light. Her senses are sharper; every second that passes is savored, every sensation is burned into her memory.

Her dancing eyes fall upon her tea. Did the kitchen staff spike it with happy pills? she wonders. She tries (and fails) to stifle the smile that rises to her lips at the thought as she puts away her notebook and signals for the bill, which is brought to her immediately.

A man carrying what seems to be a suitcase comes up to her. He opens it and she sees a whole array of (presumably fake) Zippo lighters. He smiles at her. She smiles back.

"You buy lighter?" he asks in a singsong voice. She shakes her head no, graciously, taking a sip of her tea.

Without missing a beat and in the same tone of voice he segues into his next offer. "Marijuana?"

She nearly spits out her tea. "No, thank you," she sputters. But still smiling, still gracious. He nods his head, closes his case, turns and walks away. She feels a mad desire to shout after him, "I don't need it! I'm already high!" This time she makes no effort to suppress her grin.

She stands up, turning to thank the waitress and to bid her adieu. She wonders if the mirth in her eyes and her inability to stop her mouth from turning up at the corners seem strange to the other woman. No matter. She is happy and it shows.

The waitress's final view of this strange guest is of her walking out into the burgeoning twilight, a spring in every step, her face upturned--as if to receive the kiss of the early-morning sun...or that of a lover's.

**********
What is Manic Monday?
A multi-blogger meme, in the spirit of Wordless Wednesday, Thursday 13, Friday Feast, and Photo Hunters Saturday.

How to participate?
Visit Morgen's It's A Blog Eat Blog World any time after 4pm EST on Fridays to discover Monday's theme word. This will be a word with multiple definitions.

Use one of the definitions to inspire your Manic Monday Post = perhaps a photograph, a story, a joke, or a stream of consciousness paragraph inspired by the word. Be creative, and have fun with it.

27 comments:

H said...

lovely!

I have to visit this same restaurant and sip on the same tea with you. could do with some of that spiking!

Liz, very evocative piece. :-)

Odat said...

Ya sure made me smile from that one...thanks!
Peace

houseband00 said...

Six o'clock already
I was just in the middle of a dream


=)

Alam ko saan yaaan! =) Sa tabi ng...

echo said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Lizza said...

Lexa: Thank you. And thanks for dropping by. :-)

H: Thanks, soul sis. Let's go have that tea together someday. :-D

Odat: Haha! Glad to make you smile on a Monday. Have a great week.

HB: But I wasn't kissing Valentino by a crystal blue Italian stream. Haha!

Ashley said...

That was amazing! You are so talented! Thank you for dropping by my blog...

Sebastiane said...

Brilliant!

(:

Barb said...

You are a terrific writer!

Crazy Working Mom said...

Awesome story. You have a great talent! :)
Great use of the theme word.

Unknown said...

Welcome to Monday Manic =)
Wonderfully written, Lizza!

mist1 said...

I thought this was going to be about high heels.

Lizza said...

Ashley: Thanks! Hope you're doing ok. I'll visit again in a bit.

Kyels: Thank you. This was fun to do. Gets the imagination going. ;-)

Skittles: Thank you very much! Your praise warms me. :-)

Crazy Working Mom: Thank you so much! But my hat's off to you. You're amazing!

Sanni: Thank you, my dear friend. Glad to join such esteemed company! I had fun with your Spike post, too.

Mist1: Shoe whore! :-D
But I did mention beer. That should count for something.

Dean aka Sgt Dub said...

good story and glad you're back. I took the leader test on your sidebar and scored Abe Lincoln.

Mo and The Purries said...

Lizza - excellent first Manic post!
I always love reading your creative writing!
Oh, and I want some of her tea now...

Thanks for participating & and promoting Manic Monday
I appreciate it!
love ya,
Manic Mo

Natalia said...

Such a cool idea! Loving it!

CS said...

Fun story. And I'm still giggling from the last post about you being creeped out by frogs.

Steven said...

I like it, I like it!

Steve~

thethinker said...

Beautifully written.

Anonymous said...

Very nice Lizza!

San ka ba napadpad at I can't believe na hinindian mo yung mamang may zippo lighter! haha!

Don't forget me when u & H arrange to have that *preferably spiked* tea!!!

Sige na nga, isama na rin si HB!


Psst...na-miss kita ah!

Anonymous said...

Lovely piece, Lizza. So literary. I wonder what made you think of it?

Lizza said...

Sgt Dub: Abe Lincoln is a great result for you. Well, except for the assassination part, of course. :-D

Mo: I enjoyed my Manic Monday maiden voyage. Thanks for coming up with the idea. Here's some tea for you. ;-)

Natalia: I hope we'll be seeing a Manic Monday post from you soon. :-)

CSL: Thanks! But frogs, eeewww. :-) And you posted a pic of one recently, didn't you? Ewww. Haha!

Steven: Thank you, thank you. :-)

Thinker: Thank you. :-)

Spiked chaa lover: Diyan lang sa tabi-tabi. Di naman ako lumayo. Karamihan diyan galing lang sa imagination ko no. :-) Missed you too!

Sige, chaa tayo. Pero magdala ka ng damo. Haha! Joke.

Gem: Thank you very much. I just do this for fun, I could never come up to the caliber of the likes of you or Stewart.

It was inspired by Robert Frost, actually. :-) Plus bits and pieces of experiences that I stitched together...plus a whole lot of imagination.

Emma said...

Cool! Manic Mondays sound fun. :)

ShadowFalcon said...

You back :-)

umm tea with happy stuff - where can I buy some?

Lizza said...

Emma: Hi there! Yep, it's fun. You should try it. :-)

Shadowfalcon: Haha! I'll send you some if I find some in real life. ;-)

Anndi said...

Fabulous!

Nurture that talent of yours.. I'll be back.

Liz Hill said...

Truly wonderful sweetie--you put a smile on my face. you captured the moment so well.

Anonymous said...

Anndi: Thanks! Well, I try. :-)

Turnbaby: Thank you, that means a lot.