Last Piece

Introducing a new interface for you, my beloved readers!!

Well folks oh, the steam engine that was running our old subscription list finally gave up the ghost.

So I've upgraded to the latest technology... and you're going to like it! You are now getting a much more interesting interface with cool voice features, text and the ability to show your appreciation via a tip. .

On my end, I now feel part of a community. This new interface allows you all to comment, like, and share my stories. I'll be posting new stories, old stories and selected stories from my latest book "Brain Food for the Starved Mind”. The posts drop on Sunday every week and if you get underwhelmed you can always unsubscribe.

So kick back, take your shoes off... No, wait, put them back on please and enjoy a brand new juicy story! Feel free to add some comments so I can see how this works! 

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Last Piece

by Tony LeHoven

“Sarzo!” The foreman called my name, his tone implying that I was in deep shit. 

He's probably pissed that I showed up late this morning, I thought to myself as I turned the massive wrench on the rusty bleeder valve. 

The wind picked up right then, frozen cold invading my collar and gripping my chest with icy fingers. I put the wrench down and walked over to the foreman. He was standing there with a satellite phone in his hand and a scowl on his face. 

"It's your mother,” he gruffed, then handed me the phone and walked away.

"Hi Mom," I said, my voice shooting up to the satellite then bouncing back down into her ear.

"It's your father,” she replied. 

The cold inside my shirt  spread alarmingly through my entire body. 

She continued, "He's mowing the lawn with no pants on.” 

"What the hell? Why?”

 "Well, we were doing our morning jigsaw puzzle, a big one, two thousand pieces. As we got close to the end, he realized that one of the last pieces was missing. That's when your dad snapped, bounded out the door and took off his pants. Now he's mowing the lawn and the neighbors are in the street watching him." 

I could tell my mom was puzzled. She wouldn't have called the emergency number if she wasn't. 

I weighed my options. The first was to pack my stuff, fly home and get things sorted out. The second was to do nothing and let nature take its course. I went for the first option. I told the foreman I had an unspecified emergency. Luckily the company policy was that they had to get you off the platform if you officially requested it and my ask was definitely official. The foreman indicated that departure was available in 30 minutes so I went to my cabin and gathered my things. 

I pondered the seriousness of the situation. The last time dad had gone pants-less was six months ago in the cereal aisle at the Thrift-O-Mat, our local supermarket. It was embarrassing to say the least and we never did find his pants. 

I packed my final stuff. The last thing to do was to find my keys. I had put them in a little pouch for safekeeping and now I had to remember where I put the darn thing. I started to panic. I tried all the places where I thought they would be but I couldn't find them. Frantically, I started emptying my drawers until finally I spotted the light blue pouch. As I picked it up, I felt a wave of relief when I fingered the familiar shape and weight of my keys. I glanced at my bedside clock. 

Shit! I was late. 

I hustled out the door and started jogging down the long hall. Just then a side door opened and the foreman stepped out. I shifted to my left to avoid contact with him and as I blew past him I heard him shout loudly at me, “Sarzo, put on some pants for God's sake!!”

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