Sunday, September 5, 2010

Sunday 160 - Don't Shoot!


The derringer fit perfectly
in her tiny hand.
She gripped it with a fury
as her temper seethed.
She ran screaming
and fired at her drunken rogue of a husband.
________________________

For the original Sunday 160 post click here.
If you wish to take the challenge, here is a quick look at the rules.
The Sunday 160 only uses 160 characters (including spaces).
Keep on schedule - post Sunday.
Let me know you have posted via a comment on my site.
Visit at least one other Sunday 160.
_______________________

A story told to me by my mother of a confrontation between her five foot tall mother and six foot five father. My grandfather was an enormous, carousing drunk of a man who worked the oil fields of Borger, Texas in the early 1930's. He came stumbling home to the family's one room shanty a bit too late and a bit too drunk one night, angering my grandmother. She was in her early twenties and took off after my grandfather screaming and firing the two shots she had in her little derringer. Fortunately for my grandfather the little gun only had enough fire power to shoot a few sputtering yards. I am so glad my mother saw humor in life and didn't hide skeletons in the closet to be forgotten by the ticking clock of time.

41 comments:

Larry said...

Hey my mother mever shot at my father but I know there were a few times dad would run by heading out the front door mom was always right omn his arse too.. lol.. I'm up and ready to be read. a thank you ahead of time for the visits and the comments Thanks larry

Larry said...

Hey my mother mever shot at my father but I know there were a few times dad would run by heading out the front door mom was always right omn his arse too.. lol.. I'm up and ready to be read. a thank you ahead of time for the visits and the comments Thanks larry

joanna said...

MM

NICE 160

"hell has no fury like a woman scorned"

We can have fun with this one,lots of interesting comments will be made no doubt.

I will be kind and not ask what the bugger did to anger the little lady..... she should have borrowed G-Man's Houdini magic and then no trace, no evidence...
cheers,
Joanny

mine is up ....
http://thedowsersdaughter.blogspot.com/

Claudia said...

what a grandmother - sounds she was quite a spirited woman…but glad she didn't shoot him...

Brian Miller said...

well i think i might just learn my lesson if the shot at me...wow. it this day and age she'd have been locked up...

Brian Miller said...

my 160

gautami tripathy said...

I am imagining my grandmother doing that!

And I participated for the first time:

unmasked

Dulçe ♥ said...

Well I don't think anyone deserves to be killed, but... If I see it from her viewpoint I'd probably have too (did I say that?)

Great 160!
;)

Me said...

She sounds like a fiesty little thing. Not sure I agree with her methods, but I sure understand where she's coming from and applaud her spirt! What a fabulous story...family mythology is sometimes better than any fiction, huh? :)

Mine is HERE .

One Prayer Girl said...

I am glad too that your mother saw the humor and was able to share this story with you. Made for a wonderful 160.

Mine is up.

PG

Cheryl said...

My grandmother never shot at my grandfather but she did tear into him to "encourage" him to stop drinking. It worked, thank you god.

Mine's here: 160 Seconds

Marshy said...

an excellent 160...that shows just how times have changed..glad your mother shared these stories...kinda thing i love to hear when my dad and his brothers all get together and sit around talking about their childhood before the start of WWII..amazes me...great 160..

mines up..more pantomime this time

http://petemarshall.blogspot.com/2010/09/dorothya-tale-in-160-characters.htmle

La Petite Gallery said...

I like your Mom's attitude.

Texas oilmen Wildcater's were a wild bunch, fearless devils.
I know.
For months now I have been reading your comments. so here I am.
yvonne

Maude Lynn said...

What a great story! I'm glad that your mother passed it on to you.

Nessa said...

Excellent 160 and the back story is so interesting. Sometimes we forget that our ancestors were real people with interesting lives.

Nessa said...

And here's mine:

A Camping We Will Go

moondustwriter said...

She coulda just used the frying pan

Nice one MM

mine is here

Moon smiles

Linda Bob Grifins Korbetis Hall said...

wow,
that's scary 4 me..
things change,
Glad to be reminded old times...

thoughtful 160.

Anonymous said...

http://jingleyanqiu.wordpress.com/2010/09/05/sunday-160-i-wonder-when-she-ever-learns/

mine is here...
Thanks for reading!

PattiKen said...

As Joanny said, "Hell hath no fury..." Your grandfather was lucky she wasn't a better shot."

I’m in with The Golden Glow of Morning.

Anonymous said...

This sounds just like an aunt of mine. Caught her husband in bed with another woman. The scary part? Both she and the other woman wrote for the gossip columns in competing newspapers.

Anonymous said...

Oops. Forgot to give you my link.

Mine is here

Anonymous said...

mine: Sunday 160

Rosaria Williams said...

Not a shrinking violet your grandmother. There is a song, a story, a movie about these women, yes?

Julie Jordan Scott said...

Wow. What a powerful synopsis. Today, I am loving the word "rogue" - it is like the word itself is at the end of a gun, taunting me, egging me on, wanting me to write it.

:-)

THANK YOU, as always, for the inspiration.

This week's Sunday 160: Silenced.

Brian Miller said...

i cant get julies link to work or find it through her profile...

Julie Jordan Scott said...

Here it is... my 160:

http://juliejordanscott.typepad.com/jjspoetry/2010/09/silenced-a-poem-of-sunday-160.html

hopefully that will work...

Fay Campbell said...

http://faystoo.blogspot.com/2010/09/sunday-160.html

I sho nuff did this. What fun.

Sheila said...

wow - actions speak louder than words in this one for sure, MM. Mine 160 is Here

Victoria Ceretto-Slotto said...

Now there's an idea!
My 160 is posted.
http://liv2write2day.wordpress.com/2010/09/05/sunday-160-fear/

Tina said...

Great 160, Monkey Man! Nice to hear the true story behind it! I tend to cherish family skeleton in the closet stories...

Caty said...

nice 160. I love listening to stories of the past. It's been a long day, but I'm going to try and post a 160 shortly.

G-Man said...

Colorful Family!!!

Anonymous said...

Great story 160...I enjoyed it :)
The new one on my blog is by a friend...it's here.

moondustwriter said...

feeling the blood rush ...

Have I got a tag for you if you feel like being trivialized to death
go here
to learn trivia about yours truly and if you want to get on the band wagon you are invited (no pressure)

Moon smiles

p.s. thanks for hosting these every week know what it takes.

the walking man said...

And people wonder why I do not let my old lady near my throat with a razor. Nope the beard stays.

Anonymous said...

Mate, that story made me laugh out loud. Your grandma sounds like she was quite a formidable woman, 5 ft or not! :)

Green-Eyed Momster said...

Scary!

Wow!!

I enjoy these posts with a story behind them.

Hope you and yours are happy and well!!

Claudya Martinez said...

Did she miss?

Claudya Martinez said...

I guess she did or your mother might not have found it humorous.

Marla said...

Great story.

Borger, Texas is still full of interesting people/stories to this very day.