Writing Exercise

The Traffic Cop in the Hotel with a Wedding Ring

We don’t get many visitors here at the Shady Hill Hotel this time a day.  Needless to say I was quite perturbed that my game show done gone and got interrupted by the loud bell when the door opened.  “Humph, it’s a cop”, I said under my breath, thinking did Ida Mae pay dem darn parking tickets today. Something about this fella got me mighty curious and a bit apprehensive about approaching him to rent a room. He was a real peculiar fella and drunk if I do say so myself. He just stood at the counter with that lil black velvet like box in his hand mumbling words beyond my comprehension.  I didn’t want to disturb his conversation with himself so I approach cautiously and said “Hey there fella, what can I do fer ya”. He gazed up at me with the reddest blood shot eyes I ever witness in all my years of livin, spittle was on his lower lip and some snot lingering between his nose and lip, and he slurred “you want this wedding ring?” I treaded carefully not sure of this fellas angle, so I said “um no sir, but thank ya kindly my wife of 45 years wouldn’t like it much if I just showed up with a ring and not her lottery tickets”. If looks could kill I’d be road kill simmering in the hot desert on the 95 freeway. He just stared, did not say a word, and just stared intensely with sorrow and pain in them beady red eyes. I cleared my throat as best I could, opened my mouth to say something when he turned and walked out, got in his squad car and left. “Yep, yep, mighty strange fella” I mumbled. As I turned around to head back to my TV show, I noticed the lil black velvet box on the counter. Curiosity tickling my neck, I opened the box and the most amazing thing stared back at me, it was Ida Mae’s wedding ring. I didn’t even notice the new flash interrupting my TV show, local hotel owner wife run down by a cop on the 95 freeway.