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31_days2016-08-09 10:22 pm
insaneladybug.livejournal.com) wrote in 31_days2016-08-09 10:22 pm
[August 9th] [The Wild Wild West] Every Little Shake-Up
Title: Every Little Shake-Up
Day/Theme: August 9th - a kiss, a letting go
Series: The Wild Wild West (specifically, The Poisonous Posey episode)
Character/Pairing: Snakes Tolliver/Chita McCarthy (she's an OC; he's in my icon)
Rating: K+/PG
Continued from the prior pieces.
By Lucky_Ladybug
As stupid as I was to marry Chita, I at least picked up on her steady flirting with just about every guy that came along. It hadn't stopped with our honeymoon, not by a long shot. She tried to pick up the mailman, the milkman, and every waiter and bellboy we ran into.
"There's no real meaning in it," she tried to tell me. "I just like knowing I'm that attractive to men."
I accepted that at first. But when something like that keeps going on and shows no signs of stopping, well, there comes a time when any halfway intelligent person has just had enough. After one particularly frustrating experience at a restaurant, I reached my breaking point.
"Look, what is it with you and having to bat your eyes at every Tom, Dick, and Harry?" I burst out as we left. "You say you just like knowing you're attractive. Well, why isn't being attractive to me enough? Haven't I been a good husband? Haven't I started making good on seeing that you get all the things you're hoping to out of life? Why do you need more men?"
She just patted my cheek---the unscarred one, of course---and smiled at me like I was an idiot kid. "Why not, when they'll come?"
My patience bent right there and snapped in two. "You didn't marry the whole city of New Orleans, Chita! You married me. And all of this flirting right in front of me is just an insult! What'd you marry me for when you really want favors from the entire male population?!"
She drew back in a flash and turned, boa and evening gown and all, and ran off down the wooden sidewalk. I was left standing there staring after her while other people turned to look and then tried to politely turn away.
"Chita!" I yelled in frustration. "Come on, what the heck? There isn't any time for this! It's late and I have a big appointment in the morning!"
If she heard me, she didn't cooperate. Instead, she vanished around a corner. I had no choice but to run after her, and when I got there, she was nowhere in sight.
That was not a fun evening. I had to spend it combing the streets and alleys and every open place of business for my wayward wife. What I wouldn't have given to have had cellular phones back then. Of course, even if we had, she probably would've ignored all my calls.
I started worrying after a while that maybe I'd been too harsh. After all, she was just being playful and it wasn't like she was actually doing anything with the men. They didn't ever seem to think she was serious, so at least that was something. She was still young and everything and needed to get all that partying out of her system.
After a couple of hours passed, I was really downright scared. New Orleans wasn't any place to be wandering alone at night. Who knew what she could've gotten into! I called for her and got more than a few old shoes and other things thrown at me from windows. Apparently I was disturbing all the local townsfolk.
I tried to think, as I had repeatedly already, if there was anybody in town she would've run to. We weren't really close to anyone yet. Still, I was just about to start knocking on every door and asking if she'd stopped in anyway.
"Just about" because Chita suddenly appeared from behind one of the old warehouses I'd wandered over to. "Promise me you're sorry?" she said quietly, sweetly.
I spun around and stared at her. At that moment, I wasn't sure whether I was sorry, angry, or both and more, but I was just so relieved to see her okay that I pushed all of that away. "Do you know how worried I've been?!" I exclaimed instead. "Chita, you just don't do that to somebody! Especially in a neighborhood like this! You're not suited for it!"
She came closer to me and lassoed me with her boa around my neck. "You really do care about me," she said softly. "I'm glad."
"Well, of course I care about you!" I retorted. "I wouldn't have married you if I . . ."
I got cut off because Chita chose that moment to kiss me. I gave in then and returned it. At the same time, I let all my complaints and grievances just float away. Maybe Chita would be different from then on. If she wasn't, maybe it was just harmless and I should let it go, since it was apparently part of her personality. I decided not to say anything more about it for a while, anyway.
If I'd known her running away like a pouty kid wasn't going to be an isolated incident, maybe I would've rethought that policy.
Maybe I would've rethought a lot of things.
Day/Theme: August 9th - a kiss, a letting go
Series: The Wild Wild West (specifically, The Poisonous Posey episode)
Character/Pairing: Snakes Tolliver/Chita McCarthy (she's an OC; he's in my icon)
Rating: K+/PG
Continued from the prior pieces.
As stupid as I was to marry Chita, I at least picked up on her steady flirting with just about every guy that came along. It hadn't stopped with our honeymoon, not by a long shot. She tried to pick up the mailman, the milkman, and every waiter and bellboy we ran into.
"There's no real meaning in it," she tried to tell me. "I just like knowing I'm that attractive to men."
I accepted that at first. But when something like that keeps going on and shows no signs of stopping, well, there comes a time when any halfway intelligent person has just had enough. After one particularly frustrating experience at a restaurant, I reached my breaking point.
"Look, what is it with you and having to bat your eyes at every Tom, Dick, and Harry?" I burst out as we left. "You say you just like knowing you're attractive. Well, why isn't being attractive to me enough? Haven't I been a good husband? Haven't I started making good on seeing that you get all the things you're hoping to out of life? Why do you need more men?"
She just patted my cheek---the unscarred one, of course---and smiled at me like I was an idiot kid. "Why not, when they'll come?"
My patience bent right there and snapped in two. "You didn't marry the whole city of New Orleans, Chita! You married me. And all of this flirting right in front of me is just an insult! What'd you marry me for when you really want favors from the entire male population?!"
She drew back in a flash and turned, boa and evening gown and all, and ran off down the wooden sidewalk. I was left standing there staring after her while other people turned to look and then tried to politely turn away.
"Chita!" I yelled in frustration. "Come on, what the heck? There isn't any time for this! It's late and I have a big appointment in the morning!"
If she heard me, she didn't cooperate. Instead, she vanished around a corner. I had no choice but to run after her, and when I got there, she was nowhere in sight.
That was not a fun evening. I had to spend it combing the streets and alleys and every open place of business for my wayward wife. What I wouldn't have given to have had cellular phones back then. Of course, even if we had, she probably would've ignored all my calls.
I started worrying after a while that maybe I'd been too harsh. After all, she was just being playful and it wasn't like she was actually doing anything with the men. They didn't ever seem to think she was serious, so at least that was something. She was still young and everything and needed to get all that partying out of her system.
After a couple of hours passed, I was really downright scared. New Orleans wasn't any place to be wandering alone at night. Who knew what she could've gotten into! I called for her and got more than a few old shoes and other things thrown at me from windows. Apparently I was disturbing all the local townsfolk.
I tried to think, as I had repeatedly already, if there was anybody in town she would've run to. We weren't really close to anyone yet. Still, I was just about to start knocking on every door and asking if she'd stopped in anyway.
"Just about" because Chita suddenly appeared from behind one of the old warehouses I'd wandered over to. "Promise me you're sorry?" she said quietly, sweetly.
I spun around and stared at her. At that moment, I wasn't sure whether I was sorry, angry, or both and more, but I was just so relieved to see her okay that I pushed all of that away. "Do you know how worried I've been?!" I exclaimed instead. "Chita, you just don't do that to somebody! Especially in a neighborhood like this! You're not suited for it!"
She came closer to me and lassoed me with her boa around my neck. "You really do care about me," she said softly. "I'm glad."
"Well, of course I care about you!" I retorted. "I wouldn't have married you if I . . ."
I got cut off because Chita chose that moment to kiss me. I gave in then and returned it. At the same time, I let all my complaints and grievances just float away. Maybe Chita would be different from then on. If she wasn't, maybe it was just harmless and I should let it go, since it was apparently part of her personality. I decided not to say anything more about it for a while, anyway.
If I'd known her running away like a pouty kid wasn't going to be an isolated incident, maybe I would've rethought that policy.
Maybe I would've rethought a lot of things.