Categories > Original > Humor > Five Minute Soap Dish
Week 36
Gia mashed up the remainders of her pudding with her spoon violent thrill, take out some sort of rage on the poor raisins.
“And then he has the nerve-the nerve, to turn it around and call me a bad person. Me! Is that fair? I ask you, is that fair?”
Mark shifted the remains of his dessert from one side of his plate to another, not listening.
“Mark? I’m asking you, am I a bad person?” Gia insisted.
“No, of course not,” Mark answered, “Why would you even think that you were?
“Because Steve suggested I was,” Gia explained slowly, confused that Mark wasn’t understanding.
“But why would you listen to anything Steve says? I mean, you hate him and know he’s not trustworthy-“
“I wasn’t giving him any credibility-I was asking you…I was asking you just to get a reaction,” Gia explained, “You haven’t been listening, have you?”
Mark shrugged and shook his head, “Look, sorry Gia. I’ve just had a lot happening at work recently, a lot weighing me down at the moment. I’m not going to have enough time for your troubles as I really should.”
“Oh,” Gia said, forgetting about her own problems in an instant, “So, do you want to talk about it?”
“Not really.”
“I mean, I don’t know much an insurance, but surely there’s nothing so great that we can’t sort it out together,” Gia insisted, reaching over to stroke his arm, “Is it layoffs? A bastard of a boss? A colleague?”
“No, nothing! Just leave it!” he said, pulling his arm away from her, then quickly relenting, “Sorry. Sorry, Gia. I’m taking it out at you. There’s just a lot of stress, and I’d prefer to deal with it on my own.”
“Okay,” she said, moving away from him, “If you’re sure.”
“I am-“
“But if you change your mind you know-“
“I know you’ll be willing to help. Thanks.”
Gia gave a small smile and started eating her dessert. She noticed, though that Mark still just shifted half a pudding around the bowl with his spoon, idly.
“Don’t you like it?” she asked, “I know I’m not the best cook but-“
“No, no. It’s fine, no it’s really good. Stress, stress makes me lose my appetite, basically. Plus, there was a lunch at work, I guess I ate much more than I probably should have,” he explained, pushing his chair out and getting up, “I should be going, anyway. I’ve got an early start tomorrow.”
“You don’t need to, you know.” Gia said, getting up to block his way, “I mean, how early a start is it going to be?”
Mark was temporarily uncertain, “Sevenish.”
“Well, your office is closer to here than your flat, isn’t it?” Gia explained, “It’s a fifteen minute drive from here,”
“But, I like to get to work early, otherwise parking’s impossible.”
“Only twenty minutes if you take the tram….”
“Yeah….but-“
Gia walked towards him, coquettishly turning his eyes away from his, “And, there was some other things I thought we really should try to do, do together, especially since it’s just you and me here tonight. No flatmates, just us.”
“The dishes? Well, I suppose I could clean up-“ Mark suggested looking around to the kitchen.
Gia grabbed his head and forced him to look at her.
“No, not the fucking dishes,” Gia said, kissing him, slightly more forcefully than he was used to, “I mean, it’s just you and me, and we’ve never actually been together overnight. And I’m fine with that-I like my privacy as much as anyone. But, Mark, my flatmates are both out, and who knows when we’ll have a chance like this again. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Mark nodded slowly, “Yeah, I think I do.”
“Good,” Gia smiled, and leaned in to kiss him again, but was stopped, by a finger to her lips.
“I don’t think we should. I don’t think we’re ready,” Mark said, extricating himself from her caress.
“What? What do you mean we’re not ready? We’ve been dating for almost nine months-how more ready do we need to be?” Gia said.
“No we haven’t. We’ve only been dating for a few weeks, a month and a half tops!” Mark said, getting his jacket.
“Well it feels longer. And I thought you felt it too.”
Mark rolled his eyes, “I’m sorry. I’m a bit conservative about sex, I thought you knew that. And I’m sorry I didn’t realise sex was so important to you.”
“It isn’t!” Gia shouted, “But I’d really like it for once if I didn’t have to work so hard to get the slightest bit of affection from you. It’s like seducing a stone buddha. Don’t you find me attractive or something, Mark?”
“No, of course not. You’re being silly.”
“Then what’s the friggin’ problem?”
“I don’t show affection as easily as you do. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“Why don’t you?” Gia asked.
“Because the last girl I was so easily affectionate to-she left as soon as we’d slept together. The next morning after. Any faster and it would have been during.”
Gia was startled by this, and stepped out of his way, “You never told me that.”
“I never thought you’d be trying to pressure me like she did,” Mark said, heading for the door, looking back at Gia before he left, “Look, I’ll call you tomorrow, and we’ll talk about this. Okay?”
“Yeah, fine,” Gia said, absent. Mark nodded and left.
Gia mashed up the remainders of her pudding with her spoon violent thrill, take out some sort of rage on the poor raisins.
“And then he has the nerve-the nerve, to turn it around and call me a bad person. Me! Is that fair? I ask you, is that fair?”
Mark shifted the remains of his dessert from one side of his plate to another, not listening.
“Mark? I’m asking you, am I a bad person?” Gia insisted.
“No, of course not,” Mark answered, “Why would you even think that you were?
“Because Steve suggested I was,” Gia explained slowly, confused that Mark wasn’t understanding.
“But why would you listen to anything Steve says? I mean, you hate him and know he’s not trustworthy-“
“I wasn’t giving him any credibility-I was asking you…I was asking you just to get a reaction,” Gia explained, “You haven’t been listening, have you?”
Mark shrugged and shook his head, “Look, sorry Gia. I’ve just had a lot happening at work recently, a lot weighing me down at the moment. I’m not going to have enough time for your troubles as I really should.”
“Oh,” Gia said, forgetting about her own problems in an instant, “So, do you want to talk about it?”
“Not really.”
“I mean, I don’t know much an insurance, but surely there’s nothing so great that we can’t sort it out together,” Gia insisted, reaching over to stroke his arm, “Is it layoffs? A bastard of a boss? A colleague?”
“No, nothing! Just leave it!” he said, pulling his arm away from her, then quickly relenting, “Sorry. Sorry, Gia. I’m taking it out at you. There’s just a lot of stress, and I’d prefer to deal with it on my own.”
“Okay,” she said, moving away from him, “If you’re sure.”
“I am-“
“But if you change your mind you know-“
“I know you’ll be willing to help. Thanks.”
Gia gave a small smile and started eating her dessert. She noticed, though that Mark still just shifted half a pudding around the bowl with his spoon, idly.
“Don’t you like it?” she asked, “I know I’m not the best cook but-“
“No, no. It’s fine, no it’s really good. Stress, stress makes me lose my appetite, basically. Plus, there was a lunch at work, I guess I ate much more than I probably should have,” he explained, pushing his chair out and getting up, “I should be going, anyway. I’ve got an early start tomorrow.”
“You don’t need to, you know.” Gia said, getting up to block his way, “I mean, how early a start is it going to be?”
Mark was temporarily uncertain, “Sevenish.”
“Well, your office is closer to here than your flat, isn’t it?” Gia explained, “It’s a fifteen minute drive from here,”
“But, I like to get to work early, otherwise parking’s impossible.”
“Only twenty minutes if you take the tram….”
“Yeah….but-“
Gia walked towards him, coquettishly turning his eyes away from his, “And, there was some other things I thought we really should try to do, do together, especially since it’s just you and me here tonight. No flatmates, just us.”
“The dishes? Well, I suppose I could clean up-“ Mark suggested looking around to the kitchen.
Gia grabbed his head and forced him to look at her.
“No, not the fucking dishes,” Gia said, kissing him, slightly more forcefully than he was used to, “I mean, it’s just you and me, and we’ve never actually been together overnight. And I’m fine with that-I like my privacy as much as anyone. But, Mark, my flatmates are both out, and who knows when we’ll have a chance like this again. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Mark nodded slowly, “Yeah, I think I do.”
“Good,” Gia smiled, and leaned in to kiss him again, but was stopped, by a finger to her lips.
“I don’t think we should. I don’t think we’re ready,” Mark said, extricating himself from her caress.
“What? What do you mean we’re not ready? We’ve been dating for almost nine months-how more ready do we need to be?” Gia said.
“No we haven’t. We’ve only been dating for a few weeks, a month and a half tops!” Mark said, getting his jacket.
“Well it feels longer. And I thought you felt it too.”
Mark rolled his eyes, “I’m sorry. I’m a bit conservative about sex, I thought you knew that. And I’m sorry I didn’t realise sex was so important to you.”
“It isn’t!” Gia shouted, “But I’d really like it for once if I didn’t have to work so hard to get the slightest bit of affection from you. It’s like seducing a stone buddha. Don’t you find me attractive or something, Mark?”
“No, of course not. You’re being silly.”
“Then what’s the friggin’ problem?”
“I don’t show affection as easily as you do. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“Why don’t you?” Gia asked.
“Because the last girl I was so easily affectionate to-she left as soon as we’d slept together. The next morning after. Any faster and it would have been during.”
Gia was startled by this, and stepped out of his way, “You never told me that.”
“I never thought you’d be trying to pressure me like she did,” Mark said, heading for the door, looking back at Gia before he left, “Look, I’ll call you tomorrow, and we’ll talk about this. Okay?”
“Yeah, fine,” Gia said, absent. Mark nodded and left.
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