The Serpent's Tongue
One of the stories that comprised my first collection of flash fiction. You can see more of my writing on medium @charlwheelerwrites .
Etiquette
There it is again, that god awful sound, as you pull the fork through your teeth. Every bite you take, slowly scraping that metal through your clenched jaw over and over and over. Did your mother not teach you how to eat?
Now with a spoon, crunching on it as if you just can’tget enough of that metallic taste. My own jaw clenches. Idiot.
Sat in a restaurant dimly lit with soft lamps, your parents sit opposite us. We all smile and compliment the food as it gets placed in front of us. And fuck me, if all three of you don’t just chomp straight down on that fork and drag it noisily back through your teeth as if you wished it had gone down with that first mouthful of food.
You sit at the kitchen table drinking a bottle of beer and even that you clink stupidly with each sip. I stand and watch as I unload the dish washer, fork in hand, fist clenched. It’s about time someone taught you how to eat.