Lucky King Joe Lord Ruler of Chicago

A boy lost in his fantasy of greatness is interrupted by reality.

Lucky King Joe lord ruler of Chicago stood atop his kingdom and looked out in his majesty and pondered on his glory. This was his domain and as he gazed across the autumn sky as dusk settled in. A green haze rose and swirled in the air off in the distance. He could almost imagine it was one of the many wonders of the world that might define a great kingdom. Almost, if the smell of rot was as desirable as spices of India. Well at least the torches of the garbage incinerary let him know that his kingdom was an industrious one. He smiled at the twisted thought of being the ruler of garbage dump, forcing everyone who had done him wrong to work in those rolling hills just to find the treasure that would make their king pleased. 

"Damnit Joe get off there befores you kill yourself!" a fat sour faced woman in a flower patterned dress yelled from the porch that groaned under her excessive weight. "And I ain't taken you to no hospital if ya do either!"

Joe looked down at her as she scowled back. He hated knowing that someday he would be just like her, anrgy abusive and ugly inside and out. "Boy you gets uglier every day." He said under his breath still looking at her, as she turned her back to go back inside

"What'd you say?! Boy I slap every last tooth right out your mouth you talk to your momma like that!", se said spinning in an instant and pointing her finger threateningly at him. The movement was so sudden Joe thought the junk trailer home he was standing on gonna tip as she shifted her weight back out of it. 

Old and ugly he thought, but her hearing apparently is as good as ever. I guess I have that to look forward to. But she was right, she was his mamma and he owed her his life.  Nobody wanted a woman with such a looser son. So here he was stuck takin care of her because of things he had done by just bein hisself. Besides, she needs somebody to take care of her, lord knows she can't take care of herself.

"Comin'. He said to get her to go back inside. Truth was he hated it here.

"Someday" Joe promised himself as he turned to climb down off the his aluminum throne room, a throne shaped exactly like an old, rusting, leaky gulf stream trailer. "Someday I'll be som'body. Som'body great that everyone likes."

"Lucky Joe, them dishes ain't gonna do themselfs." She said as he walked inside. "Whatcha doin up there anyways? Pretending to be king again?" She said with a chuckle.

He just walked into the kitchen and started empting the sink of dishes onto the counter so he could fill it with water.

"Ya know Lucky 'King' Joe, I was once gonna be famous." She said as she plopped down in her chair. "I was gonna be a dancer in a ballet. One of them fancy ones that call themselfs a 'Company'. She said as she made quote marks with her fingers, almost spilling the coke off her lap as her elbow skin rippled from side to side like a fat slinky dangling over her arms. "Then you came. You wasn't supposed to. I was kicked out of class right after I found out bout you they wouldn't have me anymore. Said I would lose too much practicn'."

This is the same story she told him over and over.

"I coulda been great, only thing I was good at was dancin' and getting on with the owner. But you ruined all that. He didn't want a half black baby, and didn't want me anymore." The pain still showed on her face as she repeated words she had said many times during Joe's life. "And you ruined my body to. I used to be beautiful, slender and I could turn any guy's eye. Now, look at me. Look at me!" She demanded.

Joe turned his head to comply.

"I am fat. Do you know why?" she asked

 

The rest of the evening was just like every other. Mamma ate cheese and crackers in front of the TV until she fell asleep. Drool oozed out of her mouth and rippled as she snored. One hand on the remote and the other rested upside down on the tipped bowl of crackers. He looked at her and he was reminded of the stories she used to tell him about what she would have become if it weren’t for him. She was going to be a dancer, in a ballet. In a production company, she called it, dancing everywhere in the world. Famous and rich. But not after him. Now she was stuck taking care of him. Drooling and snoring. And farting by the smell of it.

Joe had to get out. He wasn't going to be able to sleep much any way as her snoring had increased both in volume and longevity. So he snuck outside.

Instead of a kingdom in a far off land with riches and respect, he found himself face to face with his reality. He wasn’t much for religion, but if there was a devil, then certainly this would be hell for even him. All he could see was broken down trailers and trash everywhere.

"Satan probably at least cleaned up after hisself." he whispered to nobody.  He slumped with is back against his trailer.   

Author's Note

This was written as an exercise in about 20 minutes. It is still more or less the same now as the day I wrote it. Comment on the mood, cadence and setting. Where do you see this going?