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Sue Spitulnik

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Venison for Dinner

Deer hunting season always affected the veterans at the No Thanks. Some thought of fresh and canned venison and others dreaded they might hear the shooting.

Tyrell told about the first time his sister had harvested a young buck. “Rhodessa tended to aim with the wrong eye and shook with excitement. Result was, she broke the poor thing’s back legs with one shot, then killed it with the second. She was high up on the hill above our parked trucks, so shoved it right down to ’em. That deer had the most tender meat. Still haven’t had any better.”

Written in response to Charli Mills March 20, 2023, prompt at Carrot Ranch Literary: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about shots fired. Where is this story taking place? Is there urgency or surprise? Who is there? What happens next? Go where the prompt leads!

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Flaunting Her Femininity

From behind the bar, Katie watched the female veteran come into the No Thanks and once again go to the shadowy back corner booth where Kurt was waiting. She said, “Grandpa, every time Gloria comes in here, she’s more gussied up. Have her talks with Kurt turned from discussing PTSD to more intimate ideas?”

 “PTSD is pretty intimate if you ask me,” he responded.

She smacked his elbow. “You know what I mean. Maybe boyfriend and girlfriend?”

“You keep an eye out. You’ll soon get your answer.”

“Kurt kissed her hello! That’s cool. They can share understanding and happiness.”

Written in response to Charli Mills March 6, 2023, prompt at Carrot Ranch Literary: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about Gloria. You can name a character that comes to you as Gloria or you can interpret the Laura Branigan song into a story. What image comes to you? Go where the prompt leads!

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Michael Treats the Dishwashers

In the special occasion restaurant, one server said to the other, “Any idea who the party is on table ten? Every time I take something to the table, one of the older ladies comments how many dishes she had to wash to enjoy it; and everybody laughs.”

The dishwasher, being a veteran, overheard and went to look. The next time he saw the servers, he said, “The younger man on ten is the band leader at the No Thanks. He treats his bandmates’ parents to Valentine’s dinner for doing the dishes during the bar’s annual veterans-only Thanksgiving eve meal.”

Written in response to Charli Mills January 30, 2023, prompt at Carrot Ranch Literary: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about the dishes. It can be the every-single-day activity, a precious collection, or any other interpretation of dishes as objects or activities. Who is stuck with the dishes and why? Go where the prompt leads!

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The No Thanks Needed’s Mission

At 3:00 am Thanksgiving morning, Mac, Thad, and Michael wiped the table where they had been sitting with the lady vets. They learned two of them were combat survivors. Mac sighed audibly and said, “Ladies in a war zone. I’m glad they’re not my monkeys and not my circus.”

Michael laughed. “They are your monkeys, and this is your circus, especially on Thanksgiving eve. And now they know it’s safe to congregate here and talk freely. We may see more of them.”

Mac smiled. “Providing a safe place to talk proudly about being a service member is our mission.”

Note: The No Thanks Needed is a bar owned by Vietnam Veteran Colm McCarthy. Thad is his son, and Michael leader of the house band. They, too are vets. On Thanksgiving eve, they hold a veterans-only turkey dinner with the food provided by the band members’ families.

Written in response to Charli Mills November 28, 2022, prompt at Carrot Ranch Literary: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story using the saying, “not my monkeys, not my circus”. What is the situation that would spawn that aphorism? Have fun with setting and characters! Go where the prompt leads!

2

The Ladies Come To Dinner

Mac was accustomed to having veterans he had never met show up for the night before Thanksgiving buffet, but he wasn’t used to having female veterans attend. Thad heard him say, “Oh my,” when a group of seven women came in.

Michael welcomed the new guests, told them to enjoy the meal and camaraderie, then went to Mac. “I verified they’re vets. Do we need to change anything?”

Mac replied, “No, you and I will sit with them so we can get to know them. I need to accept lady soldiers more than anyone.”

Thad said, “Count me in.”

Mac is a Vietnam vet who owns the “No Thanks” bar. Thad is his veteran son and Michael is a veteran friend. The bar hosts a veterans-only free dinner the evening before Thanksgiving every year.

2

Emma’s Got The Beat

After the Veterans’ Day luncheon at the No Thanks, the Band of Brothers found their favorite places,  behind their instruments. They played different genres of patriotic songs while the crowd sang along. Little Emma was dancing by herself until she noticed a register near the end of the bar. She soon figured out she could make it squeak by stepping on a specific corner. Just about the time Lexi was going to make her stop Michael grinned and pointed to the toddler then changed the words in the song. “Listen, my granddaughter is squeaking in time to the music.”

Written in response to Charli Mills’ November 7, 2022, prompt at Carrot Ranch Literary: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story that includes something squeaky. What is squeaky and why? How does it move the story or disrupt a character? Listen, write, and go where the prompt leads!

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