Freak-Man by David Henson
Harold sips his coffee as he stares at the hummingbird feeder outside the kitchen window. “God knows we need the money. I don’t know how we can afford your medications without it.” He drops to the floor and completes his daily regimen of sit-ups and push-ups.
“But a TV crew in our house for a month?” Harold’s wife, Lisa, dabs her eyes with a napkin. “And you know they’re going to make you out to be a freak.”
Harold sighs and sits cross-legged on the floor. “Probably. But if people see who I really am, maybe they’ll look at folks like me differently.”
Lisa steps behind her husband and massages his neck. Harold reaches back and pats his wife’s hand. A hummingbird darts away from the feeder.
“When you sing in the shower this morning,” Lisa says, “make it an aria.”
#
What do you think when people stare, Harold?
Do you ever want to punch them?
Why did you marry someone like him, Lisa?
Do you turn off the lights before sex?
Don’t worry we’ll blur out the naked parts.
#
Lisa stirs sugar into a pan of boiling water. “Thank goodness they’re gone.”
#
Harold enters the kitchen and finds Lisa staring out the window. Two hummingbirds are chasing each other around the glass rose containing nectar. She sighs. “There’s two openings but they still go after each other.”
Harold massages his wife’s shoulders. “They can’t help it. Territorial instinct.”
“Well … what do you think after sleeping on it?” Lisa says. “In my opinion, we shouldn’t put ourselves through that again.”
“Same here. I’ll tell them we don’t want to do a second season. The royalties from my action figure should be enough.”
Lisa tips her head back and stares up at her husband. “Here we thought if people got to know you …”
Harold shakes his head then looks out the window. “Maybe try putting out another rose.”
David Henson and his wife reside in Illinois. His work has been nominated for Pushcart Prizes, Best Small Fictions, Best of the Net, and has appeared in various publications including Best Microfictions 2025, Free Flash Fiction, Ghost Parachute, Moonpark Review, Maudlin House, and Literally Stories.
Photo by A.G.Rosales at Pexels
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