Tick Tock
He’s a player they say, debonaire, zoot suit, melon-colored upholstery, and uber pointy shoes to push up in the crannies. When he enters a room, he waits until he sees everyone looking in his direction. Except her, what’s wrong with her… he voices loud enough for those clamouring around to hear, his chin cocked in her direction. Heads swivel – the madame is disinterested, clearly. Her arms folded in a vice grip, engrossed in conversation with no one as important as he. Her loss, he mutters with a flick of his wrist. But he can’t stop looking… she’s got pointy shoes too, embossed with rigour. They flick like the second hand on a grandfather clock. The rhythm has him hooked.
Karen Schauber's flash fiction appears in 104 international literary magazines, journals, and anthologies, with a Pushcart, Best Small Fictions, four Best Microfiction nominations, and a spot on the Wigleaf Top 50 Longlist. She is editor of the award-winning flash fiction anthology 'The Group of Seven Reimagined: Contemporary Stories Inspired by Historic Canadian Paintings' (Heritage House, 2019). Schauber curates Vancouver Flash Fiction, an online resource hub, and Miramichi Flash, a monthly literary column. In her spare time she is a seasoned family therapist. https://KarenSchauberCreative.weebly.com