How do you do

Warm and lazy talk ebbed around the room, close on the heels of the blue cigarette smoke. The windows were opaque with a mixture of condensed breath and nicotine, keeping out the frosty night from temporary emigres seeking salvation and oblivion in equal parts.
We had been discussing anthopolgy and the way certain 'primitive' tribes had what to us were complex and convoluted relationships and kinship structures.
My wifes' lovers best friend and I were drunkenly trying to sort out the difference between matrilineal and matriarchal when he suddendly stiffened. He was facing the door that lead from the snug bar to the barren streets outside, a look of total horror passed across his face as a blast of frigid air signaled the arrival of yet refugee from lifes' stresses.
" Oh my God it's HER! Said my wifes' lovers best friend with a mounting note of panic in his normally quietly modulated voice.
"Who?" I inquired disinterestedly. I was far more interested in the ancient and encrusted stains on my beer glass and whether they added a certain piquancy to the warm flat beer or merely indicated a new life form had spontainiously erutpted.
"You now -HER."
Now I looked up.
My wifes' lovers best friend was visibly shaking. The copious spillage from his shaking hand added to the interesting stains on his own glass.
"You don't mean....."
"Yes," interjected my W.L.B.F> "It's your wifes' lovers former lover, with whom I, myself once had a short affair. My God she's seen us and she's heading this way."
"This sounds too good to miss, I take it you don't want me to retire gracefully from the scene?"
"If you leave me know I'll never darken your theshold again. The womans' a bloody parasite," he replied.
Whilst he was speaking and introducing us my brain was aching with the strain of trying to sort out these tangled realtionships.
Now it may have been that I was more than usually sparkling, perhaps it was my new suit - more likely it was the brand new Jag. that came with the job , the keys of which I carelessly dangled from the fingers of one hand.
Whatever, before the night was over we finished up in bed together, my then wifes' former lovers' former lover and I.
We all knew the relationships we had with each other but life did get difficult if we went out for a drink.
From my viewpoint, ther was myself, my then wife, my wifes' lover, my wifes'lovers' best friend and my lover who is also the fromer lover of my wifes' lover and my lovers' best friend.
It's not often I wished we lived in a more 'primitive' society or that we belongged to soem Australian Aborigone tribe but they at least would have a word to cover the multi-farious from of relationships that we can concieve of.
The only prayer we have is that the ladies involved do not turn lesbian or that my then wife and my then wifes' lovers' best firend do not become lovers.
How would we introduce each other at parties?

I was briefly speechless myself!
I have no idea what we would call these special friends of yours.
Interesting story, though. Nothing surprises me anymore.... LOL

Evie

as long as they aren't called uncle pa or aunt mom, i guess your shag life is your own lol!

Thank God it's FICTION....!!!! (faints)

Who ever said it was fiction?
At one time I lived a very complex life and very fulfilling but things change, this was the late 70s, we were all adults and no-one was forced into anything.
Do I regret it - no, does my ex wife - no, but I wouldn't discuss it with my children. More stories from the pub later.

WOW, good one, u almost got me confused there for the fraction of a nano-second.

I love writing short stories, to me it is the pinnacle of writing. To try to get your ideas across ( hopefully with a touch of humour) and with a twist or at least a curve at the end is so hard.
Anyone can bang reams of descriptive rubbish (no criticism intended to anyone) but to edit those pearls and throw out the dross is so hard.
Best of luck to all who want to be an author and to publish on here, my heart really does go out to you aal.
Stuart

short story writing is a special talent that few people have any genuine ability to do. It takes a special person to get a story over with few words.

I like your style Prof, you are truly an interesting person.

Suzi

Got lost when reading this story. Maybe that was the point???

Awwww.....our poor Earl....LMAO!!!

You are so funny sometimes....(offers him an aspirine for the headache)


love hugs and rainbows


Raka