the story behind the stories

Now that I'm starting to develop a regular readerbase, a common thing that's commented on is the variation of tone that I have from post to post. Even those who already knew me well weren't necessarily aware of my spectrum, as I tend to only show one or two sides of myself to any given person. Music and poetry, which are my formal outlets, are generally only reflective of my deeply introspective side. It's easier for me to lay out more of the different things that are occurring in my mind in this forum, because prose lends itself to vivid and clear descriptions of thoughts. My theory is tha...

"Manuel?!"
Shit.
"Yeah, Babe?"
"Did you do the dishes?"
"Umm, I think the kids did them... they should be clean."
Let's wait to see if that's settled...... okay, no response.

As I was saying, it doesn't matter how much you....

"Manuel, we need to talk."
"Okay, but I just started writing thi..."
"Now."
This shouldn't take too long... I hope.

"What's up, Sweetie?"
"What did you do today while I was at work?"
"Well, I watched some TV, but I also came up with a good concept to write about."
"I thought you were going to start helping out with the kids."
"Oh yeah, I did that too..."
"Honey, I had to hire a nanny because you don't help out around here a damn bit. I work all day long, and I feel like I'm the only one who cares about this family."
"I care... that's why I've been writi..."
"Oh yes, your new blog. When you signed up for that creative writing class, I thought that it would help you get some work at the schools, but if I had known that you'd use it as an excuse to..."
"I'm not making excuses. I thought that you'd be happy that I was working so hard on it."
"Working? Working pays the bills, Manuel. You're a good substitute teacher, and I know that it's not your fault that they haven't been calling, but you could at least put a bit of effort into raising our children.... that would be at least slightly productive."
"Have you seen the hits I've been getting on this thing? This could really turn into something."
"Manuel, I know damn well that you've been hitting the 'refresh' button to boost your counter hits."
"No, I was just testing to make sure tha...."
"And what is going on with this character that you've created as the narrator?"
"Rand? I think he's becoming pretty interesting."
"Really... What's so interesting about a musician who doesn't actually play?"
"I'm going to have him play... he's still getting settled into his new life."
"He's been in that new life for months. How long is it supposed to take? Is that who you want to be, Manuel?... someone who sits around thinking about everything that he wants to be doing, rather than actually doing it?"
"You're misunderstanding him... he's just making sure that he has a full understanding of everything so tha..."
"I can't believe that we're talking about him like he's a real person. This is getting out of hand, Manuel. Your family needs you, not your imaginary readers or your imaginary character."
"The kids are doing fine. In fact, just today, Marcos told me abou...."
"Marcos?! Do you know what Marcos said to me today? He asked me why his daddy won't play with him anymore."
"Just explain to him that I'm working on my..."
"That doesn't count as working, Manuel! You want to work? Okay, fine! From now on, any time the phone rings, it's your job to answer it. We'll have to start you off slow on the path to becoming a productive member of society... for now, you can just be my receptionist! Kids, when the phone rings, don't answer it. It's now Daddy's job to answer the phone... Daddy's going to pretend that he's a grown-up, instead of some fictional closet musician!"

Jesus. Okay, she's finally gone.
Now, where was I? Oh yes, being a musician, I quickly realized...
Shit, the phone's ringing.
"Manuel?! Are you going to answer that?"
Goddamnit.