A Flash Memoir: Ties

With the creative work on my client's project all wrapped up, I am moving towards using this blog in a new way. I must admit that my own longer memoir projects (The Bitter Carmelita; Outskirts of Love; The Good Twin) have taken a back seat lately; just can't get excited about stirring those pots that have simmered so long on the back burner.

Still, while rolling around an idea for something completely different, I revisited two of my favorite bloggers: Lisa Reiter at Sharing the Story and Charli Mills at Carrot Ranch. Both of them have some great flash fiction challenges this week, so to get my engines rolling, I am taking them on. I invite you to try your hand at one or both of them as well, and to join me as I delve more deeply into the genre I call "flash memoir."



For this post I am taking on Lisa's challenge to roll the dice or otherwise choose from one or more of six topics and write a flash memoir of 150 words. The topics are:

1. watermelon

2. ice cream

3. socks

4. disco

5. ties

6. garden

I rolled a 5, so here we go.

Ties

Clark was particular about his ties and followed strict criteria in choosing them: fame of the designer, price reflective of the value, flamboyantly unusual but tasteful design, and coordination with both his Hugo Boss and Giorgio Armani suits and the Thomas Pink shirts he purchased on Bond Street. He rarely spent under eighty pounds. Once I saw him consign a new but ill-chosen gift tie to the trash. “Rubbish,” he muttered.  

Then came Tom. The day of our first conversation, he stood in the middle of the reception like a lighthouse beacon, sporting a purple polyester number from Walmart. The material thick, the knot bulky and loose: beneath it, I could see he had failed to corral the top button of his collar.

That night we spoke on the phone. “Tell your tie hello,” I said. “Tell him yourself,” he replied, “tomorrow night.”

And so I did.

So how about you? Up to the challenge? Comment with your own flash memoir here, and/or share on Lisa Reiter's blog. Looking forward to sharing your memories!