Devonne Brown

The kalamata olives were supposed to be pitted, but the one Sam just bit on broke the tip off his left canine, and the jolt brought tears to his eyes. He looked at his reflection in his phone for confirmation of damage.

His tooth was rough and jagged. His matching short vampire teeth were now uneven. His movie star smile was crooked and rakish. It went downhill. He looked dangerous, not the respectable man he was. He didn’t completely dislike the look. 

“What do you think?” he asked his date. He smiled. He wondered if Sheila would notice. She’d had a lot to say about his haircut. She didn’t like it.

“Why did you cut off all your curls? You shouldn’t have had the top cut so short or wear so much product in your hair. You look like a middle aged business man wannabe,” Sheila had told him when he picked her up for dinner. He was crestfallen. Her comment went through him like a knife, he could actually feel the pain in his stomach. 

He was prone to anxiety, and her comment physically hurt him. He didn’t need longer hair, he needed a new girlfriend. She sounded just like his mother. He hated that.

She didn’t notice his tooth. He wondered what she really paid attention to in their relationship. He tried to think about the things that were important to him, and found no passions. Three months ago, he bought an expensive camera to develop his ardor for photography. His mother had always demanded her kids find a creative outlet. So he decided his would be photography. He hadn’t touched the camera in a month. It was on the backseat of his car. 

Sam tagged along with his Sheila. She rode horses, so he rode with her. He’d bought boots and a hat to please her. She tagged along with him to dinners. They tangled in the sheets. Sheila hadn’t noticed that he broke a tooth on an olive. She didn’t hear the crack of it break off. She didn’t notice him examining his face in his phone. Sheila hadn’t paid attention.

Sam looked at Sheila and wondered while she chatted about the trail ride they’d take tomorrow morning. He wondered if he’d ever have a passion so consuming in his life.The kalamata olives were supposed to be pitted, but the one Sam just bit on broke the tip off his left canine, and the jolt brought tears to his eyes. He looked at his reflection in his phone for confirmation of damage.

His tooth was rough and jagged. His matching short vampire teeth were now uneven. His movie star smile was crooked and rakish. It went downhill. He looked dangerous, not the respectable man he was. He didn’t completely dislike the look. 

“What do you think?” he asked his date. He smiled. He wondered if Sheila would notice. She’d had a lot to say about his haircut. She didn’t like it.

“Why did you cut off all your curls? You shouldn’t have had the top cut so short or wear so much product in your hair. You look like a middle aged business man wannabe,” Sheila had told him when he picked her up for dinner. He was crestfallen. Her comment went through him like a knife, he could actually feel the pain in his stomach. 

He was prone to anxiety, and her comment physically hurt him. He didn’t need longer hair, he needed a new girlfriend. She sounded just like his mother. He hated that.

She didn’t notice his tooth. He wondered what she really paid attention to in their relationship. He tried to think about the things that were important to him, and found no passions. Three months ago, he bought an expensive camera to develop his ardor for photography. His mother had always demanded her kids find a creative outlet. So he decided his would be photography. He hadn’t touched the camera in a month. It was on the backseat of his car. 

Sam tagged along with his Sheila. She rode horses, so he rode with her. He’d bought boots and a hat to please her. She tagged along with him to dinners. They tangled in the sheets. Sheila hadn’t noticed that he broke a tooth on an olive. She didn’t hear the crack of it break off. She didn’t notice him examining his face in his phone. Sheila hadn’t paid attention.

Sam looked at Sheila and wondered while she chatted about the trail ride they’d take tomorrow morning. He wondered if he’d ever have a passion so consuming in his life.