Some of Them Want to be Abused

*This story was inspired by, and written in an attempt to coordinate with the song that SHOULD be playing on your speakers. There is little correlation with the lyrics... it's just the feeling and mood of the music itself. If you read it at the right speed, it should be awesome.


She left him smoking on the bed, and threw him his pants and shoes before dashing to the bathroom only to rest her knees on the cool linoleum just in time, losing more than just her lunch in that moment. She managed to find a split second to reach back and push the door closed behind her. Tears came quickly after; light at first, followed by what would feel like a heavy stream running the length of her defined face only to become a puddle on the cheap motel-room floor. She had never been so sick, so tired, so used up in her life. Her eyes closed tightly, and her body jumped as she heard the front door close in the main room. A comfort short lived.

Picking herself up to her feet, she looked in the mirror only to realize she didn't know the person staring back at her anymore; what had she let herself become? She wiped the smeared mascara from beneath her eyes with a damp square of one-ply, then began scrubbing at the dry, cracked lipstick remaining on her lips; slowly at first, then harder and with a roughness not originally intended. Feeling the sobs pushing to escape her chest she was unable to suppress it any longer... she let out a loud cry, dropping again to her knees as her back arched in pain and her lips curled in sorrow. The pain quickly gave birth to rage, which she felt churning in her stomach as it began to run course through her entire body until she could feel it in her fingertips... begging for release.

She wrapped her fingers tightly around the edge of the brushed nickel garbage can on the floor next to the sink and hurled it into the already scratched and worn mirror mounted above the sink... watching it shatter and careen to the floor in varied shapes and sizes. A moment of relief washed over her, and she turned her knob on the door and changed her focus to the room before her. So much pain, and lost innocence inside these four walls. This is not the first afternoon she had spent in the under-priced rat-shack off the county road.

She picked up her fishnets and panties that were left in a ball by the the foot of the bed, ripped the comforter and cheap cotton sheets from the mattress and tossed them to the carpet. Dialing in on the fake brass lamp, she whipped it up in a fury and hurled towards the TV, watching it shatter the screen like a Faberge Egg before taking her right arm and pushing it from atop the dresser and letting it crash to the outdated carpet to become a pile of trash. She left the hundred dollar bill crumpled up on the night stand, threw her worn heels and the rest of her things in her over-sized bag and opened the door.

The evening light caught her off guard, as she paused a moment to lift her hand to shade her eyes and glance toward the lot of the run-down hotel. His car was gone, but she knew with certainty where her top customer would be found at this hour.

She slipped on her cheap, worn-out heels and began to walk the length of the parking-lot, and skipped quickly across the road to the old Saloon style bar where the men in the small town went to forget about their over-priced homes and well planned families to drown themselves in a bottle. Best place of business for a working girl in this town, and as it approached late evening this was the height of business for the bar as well as the patrons.

The door-man let her in quickly, holding the door as she passed through. She was known here...a "regular": an empty shell and good for business. Walking through the entry way she was able to spot him easily... sitting at his usual corner table in the back with a scotch on the rocks in one hand and a cigarette in the other throwing unwanted advances to his young "Polyanna" styled waitress. She watched from across the bar as the waitress smiled, and gently nodded while trying to make a polite escape.

Ignoring cat-calls from the bar patrons as she passed by them, she made her way quickly to the back of the bar, and his corner table. Despite the dimly-lit and smoke filled atmosphere, he saw her quickly as she approached and offered a sadistic grin. When she got to the table he motioned for her to sit on his lap by turning slightly out to the side and patting his legs with a gentleness unknown to her, just as he does most nights. She usually complies without incident.

Tonight she looked back at him straight-faced, and stood in silence a moment. Her palms began to moisten which she combated by balling them up until her knuckles turned white. He quickly reached his arm out to grab her, but she stepped back slightly with her other foot and slipped her hand into her purse, pulling it out to expose an old black revolver which she lifted at point blank range and rested against his forehead. As he froze, she lightly smiled back at him... with the same sadistic smile he had offered her so many times. One breath in, followed by one breath out.... and she pulled the trigger.

The room fell immediately silent until panic set in a split second later. It started with confusion and was accompanied quickly by screams of terror, growing quickly to a roar. Despite the excitement welling all around her, she was unmoved. She watched his fingers lose grip and his half-smoked cigarette fell to the cheap pleather covered bench of the booth as the rest of his body fell limp.

People began quickly running to the one exit in the small establishment. Glasses dropped and shattered; some were hiding beneath the cheap tables; not a rational soul for miles. She stood, un-wavered, until every sign of life was drained from him. Gripping the pistol tightly in her hand she had tuned out the chaos around her and gave her full attention in this moment, still smiling wildly....


*In my head this is all slow-mo and grainy and black and white and awesome. I hope it was portrayed appropriately :)

My Cheap Thrills

Okay, so we all know that I don't believe in the saying, "money can't buy happiness" because nothing would make me happier right now than being financially stable, but that doesn't mean that you can't find cheap, or even free fun things to do. This isn't along the lines of anything I would normally post, but I thought this was worth sharing.

I read an article the other day about money mistakes that we commonly pass on to our children. While most of the article was lack-luster, there was one thing that stuck out to me. There was a point made about teaching your children to enjoy time spent together rather than money spent together, in hopes that it won't teach children to equate spending money to being happy.

I thought it was a great idea to try these things on my own and ever since I read that article I've been making a conscious effort to focus on these things with my kids... plus, with the economy the way it is.... a lot of us are getting cabin fever lately. Luckily the weather is getting better so there will be more things we can do in SLC without having to spend dough.

Here are a few things I've found to help me with this, and maybe it will help you all as well.

Great fun stuff to do that will get you outdoors.

• Whether you are a family with many kids, or a family of you and your significant other... everyone loves flying kites. If you don't already have a kite, you can get a cheap one at the store for a couple dollars this time of year and they're usually good to use through the entire summer season. All you need is some wind and a good park.
• Swimming!! I'm not suggesting to go pay a bunch of money to swim at a country club or community center. We all know someone who lives at an apartment or condo, and if they're good friends they will usually be happy to take you swimming with them. Not only is it fun, but it's good exercise for adults and kids as well.
  
• Frisbee Golfing. If you have discs, this is free to you. If not, you can usually get discs at "play it again sports" for very cheap, and you can use these for years to come. I think my husband has had this for three or four years. There are a couple different parks in SLC with frolf courses (you can google them if you wish). This is a great alternative to golfing, which is a really spendy hobby.
• One thing I really enjoy in late spring/early summer is hiking. There are a lot of free areas to hike, and then there are some that ask you to pay to use the trails. Usually the cost is under ten dollars for these areas. We have great mountains here that other states do not. Make the best out of them. There are also a couple parks with wetlands, and trails. There is no incline to speak of, so these should be easy for younger kids. I know there is one in Draper right by Alta high school, and another off 7th called Woodstock Park. These are great for scenic walks.
• and on the note of hiking is camping. Usually this is better to do closer to summertime. If you want to stay close to home there are a few pay-sites right up the canyon. About the quarter (or less) the cost of a hotel room. Up Little Cottonwood Canyon there is a great little spot called "Tanner Flats" and then there is also "Spruces." Other than that, there are a lot of little known, great and FREE spots not too far out. You can google these.
  
• Twilight Concert Series. Once a week, for almost the entire summer SLC does a free concert series (last year it was at pioneer park, not sure if that's how it always is). Some of the bands are really awesome... some are only so/so, but it's free music and a lot of fun!
• There are also a lot of fun tours you can take and historic buildings you can take a tour of for free. I know that the Armstrong Mansion does daily walk-throughs. If there is a historic downtown building you want to go through, sometimes you can call for tours. They will do them for free (usually).
  

Ideas of things you can do shacked up at home. (Really, more for kids than for adults)

• Movie Night - I know this isn't the most fun ever... but you can make it more fun by making some cheap snacks, setting up the living-room theater style... make an event of it.
  
• Game Night - Kids love games. This one it really a no-brainer, but it's better than huddling around repeats of CSI.
  
• Salon Day - My daughter and I just did this one actually. We did our hair, and our nails, and put on make-up, got all dressed up and took some cute pictures. She had a lot of fun, and I bet those of you with younger girls might enjoy this.
  
• Scavenger Hunts - Give your kids a list of things to find around the house. If nothing else, it might serve you with some peace and quiet, or "adult time," especially if they are old enough to send outside.
  

Some fun family friendly businesses that are affordable

• Clark Planetarium - Most exhibits are free. The cooler ones usually come at a small cost.
• Tracy Aviary - Small cost of 7 per adult. Less for children, and kids under 2 are FREE!
• Hogle Zoo - a little more pricey- 9 per adult, and 7 for kids. Under 2 are free here as well.
• Living Planet Aquarium - Same cost as the zoo, but it's indoors so it's great for a super hot day. Plus, kids love it.
• Red Butte Garden - Lots of trails, gardens, activities. I've actually never been here, but I would love to make it this summer. I've heard it's amazing. 8 per adult, 6 for kids. Three and under FREE!!

Some great tools to utilize in order to get great deals on other, activities that usually come at a higher cost:

• Groupon - http://www.groupon.com/salt-lake-city/?utm_campaign=Search&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=Google&utm_term=groupon. Here you can buy what would be a gift certificate for about half price. Buy them when you have cash, save them, and use them later.
• Living Social - http://livingsocial.com/cities/78-salt-lake-city/confirm?ref=broader_roadblock&skippable=true&ver=972. They offer one day deals. Check it daily. Might find something great to help you out!

So... these are a few of the things I've come up with. If anyone else has anything they would like to add, please feel free to do so in the comments section. Just like everyone else, I'm always looking for some fun for myself and my family on a budget!