An Issue behind in 10-by-10, time to catch up.

 

I tend to be forgetful of late, but upon Zvi Sesling's announcement of the release of 10-by-10, Flash Fiction Stories #25 today I was excited to see who I was in there with. 

And I wasn't in there. 

Editors can be forgetful too.

But not in this case. 

Upon further review, On To The Next Thing had been published in late January in Issue #24. Also, in that issue: Matheiu Cailler * Eileen R.Tabios *  Vivian Clausing * Michael Gigandet Tony Press * Phil Temples * Niles Reddick * Cindy Rosmus * Paul Germano.

Keep scrolling if you want to read the story behind the story. 

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    Now the story behind the story. (Trigger warning for video---the bridge falls down with cars on it.) My flash piece was written right after this event happened, so I placed my character working on The Tobin Bridge in Boston waiting for HIS ship to come in.  As cars pass, without falling in he hears on their radio lyrics from a Taylor Swift song.  To be honest, my thinking was that by the time this story was published, Taylor and Travis would no longer be an item. I was wrong. As of Feb., 19, 2025, they are still going strong. Also I poke fun at betting apps, as per the story.

 You can bet Kelcie will catch a pass in the first quarter. You can bet that Tay and Tra. are finished by the time it takes to read this. 

So, read up, and a warning---the time it takes is less than two minutes. 

The Perks of Being an Asshole

  

   Being an asshole is kind of a thing. It trickles down from the most powerful person in our country (name your favorite asshole who leads us), to the least. It is not influenced by class, race, religion---there is asshole potential everywhere. We vote for assholes because they are strong in their views, and citizens can live out their inner-asshole in supporting that. Assholes get ahead! They appear confident, driven, and get what they want. They will break you before you can break them. People who act in ways that aren't kind or empathetic may win certain battles, but they often end up alienating others or struggling in ways that aren't immediately visible. 

  A few years ago, I decided, because much of my pre-sobriety was pretty selfish and self-centered that I would be as kind as possible. I believe I've succeeded in that. I was available. I did things for people.  Unfortunately, the Universe still confuses kindness for weakness and I got pretty much trampled, especially of late---misunderstood intentions, broken plans, decisions to not be friends. Fuck, if I know what happened. Sure, I had a role in it, that maybe I was too kind to the wrong people, but the way I felt about myself has suffered. 

  

   At least when I was an asshole, I knew exactly where I stood with people. If they were still around, they really wanted to spend time with me, because, after all, I was an asshole. Also, people I ended up standing up to...didn't matter at all, if I were an asshole or not, as mutual dislike was already there. There was nothing to lose in bad behavior in these instances. 

     I like being kind, and I don't want to be a jerk but I'm missing all the perks of being an asshole.