Brentt Harshman

I am posting this and I’m honestly not sure how I feel about it. I mean, I like the idea of it. I like the flow of it. It’s a decent read. My problem with it is that I’m not sure if the narrative is entirely clear. If my idea is concise in the flow of the words. Read it and tell me if you understood what I was trying to say. Please? Thanks!

Today, Today

a short story by Brentt Harshman

Raymond Ford was struck by lightning. He was angry at his wife and a giant, burning rod of lightning penetrated his skull at 30,000 amperes. Raymond Ford told his wife to fuck off and he went for a walk in a thunder storm. But, let’s jump back in time.

Maple Drive’s houses were run of the mill middle class homes. Nothing spectacular about them, but they were nice. Some had white picket fences, some had gardens, some had pools. It was a decent neighborhood for a newlywed couple. The kind of neighborhood where Justine Perez, the lady from across the street, would greet all newcomers with jello dishes. Where Blake Roberts from a few doors down would teach your kid the basics of various sports for a few bucks. Suburbia, USA. Raymond reluctantly agreed with Candice, his new bride, to move in to a house on Maple, but after a few months, he was in love with his decision.

Things were going pretty well for the new Ford family. They had children, adopted a puppy and had even gone on family vacations. They lived the American Dream. Unfortunately, one side effect of the dream is for a marriage to go sour. Slowly, but surely, Candice was beginning to notice things about Raymond that she had ignored for quite some time. The way he never washed his hands after using the bathroom, his eating of ice cream straight out of the carton and the way he rarely partook in household chores. Slowly, but surely, Candice was reaching a boiling point. 

Then Raymond cheated on her. That’s when Candice boiled over and she had to confront him. She just couldn’t take it any more. So, one day, instead of a nice, warm family dinner, she served him with divorce papers. And Raymond lost it. Raymond lost it and told her to fuck off. And then Raymond was struck by a blue and white bolt of lightning. Now, let’s go back in time.

When Raymond’s college friend, Thomas Kent, introduced Raymond to Candice, Ray was instantly head over heels. The three of them were in their early twenties and all three of them were professionals. Candice was an assistant to a criminal attorney, Thomas was a sales representative for a travel agency and Raymond was a temp at the local news station. Thomas knew Candice from high school and middle school, and he knew that Ray was lonely, so he set them up. They went to a nice French place and, immediately, Ray was smitten. Candice and her hair and her cheekbones and her neck. And her hazel eyes. The way she wore shirts for bands like The Cure and The Clash and The Creeps. 

On their second date, Ray took Candice bowling and they were both god-awful, rolling nothing but gutter balls and the occasional accidental spare. Even through his nerves and neuroses, somehow he managed to charm her. Then they kissed. Candice was the secomnd woman Ray had ever had sex with, the first being his college girlfriend, and it was much more passionate with Candice. Much better. He didn’t loathe the idea of intimacy and he didn’t get anxious over the thought of nudity anymore. Things were great for nine years, then he cheated on her, told her to fuck off, slammed the front door and got struck by lightning.

Let’s go back in time.

Raymond Ford’s mother died of throat cancer. Cigarettes. She passed when he was a sophomore in college, way before Candice and all of this. Ray’s mom had been diagnosed when he was a senior in high school and things never seemed that bad. She was in remission for over two years and, although Ray never forgot that she was sick, he did kind of sweep it under the rug. Then, after two years of not talking to her, he got a call from his father, telling Ray that she had passed.

This was all before today, when Ray’s skull was split straight in half by an eighteen thousand degree bolt of electricity.

Today, oh perpetual today.

Today, the day where Candice is behind the kitchen table, black tears of mascara streaming down her cheeks, throwing divorce papers into Ray’s chest. Today where Ray is so, so sorry. Today, where Candice has had enough. She wants the kids, the house and the dog. Today, today. Today, where Ray’s swearing that he’ll never do it again and that he admits that he’s messed up. Today, oh glorious today.

Today, the scratch on your favorite record that only ever repeats your least favorite lines.

Today, oh perpetual today.

Today, where Ray’s telling Candice that she can fuck off. That she’ll be hearing from his lawyer. Today, oh glorious today. Today, where Ray storms out of the house and into the torrential downpour of Maple Street. Today, where the lights of the neighborhood flicker as the rain pitter patters on all of the roofs of the middle class homes.

Then Ray gets hit by a fucking burning bolt of lightning and he sees his whole life of fucking mistakes flash before his eyes.

The lightning bolt, like a baseball bat straight to the crown of his skull, turning him into human meat. Cooked.

And then he’s running out the front door and into the torrential downpour of thunder and rain.

Today, oh perpetual today.

Let’s go back in time.

Let’s go back to right before Raymond is microwaved. Let’s go to the moment where he’s about to turn around and apologize to Candice. To where he’s about to have his big moment of realization. That he’s been kind of an asshole and he’s so, so sorry. Right before he’s thrown into a perpetual loop of getting struck by lightning. Before the future and the past and the present all melded into one thing, burning at 30,000 amperes.

Today, oh perpetual today.

He’s constantly dying and he’s constantly being brought back to life. He’s the caveman who’s discovered fire, only to burn to death by it. Groundhog’s Day for a time traveler doomed to die alone. 

Today, oh perpetual today.

Today, where Raymond Ford is both alive and dead. Today, the glorious day where time refuses to advance. It’s always either 10:10:10 on October 10th, 2010 or 10:10:11 on October 10th, 2010. 

Today, oh glorious and perpetual today.

Today, the record scratch of a day.

Today, today.

Let’s go back in time.