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Awake

Drip
Drip
Drip

He shuffled in the bed. A calculated shuffle; just wiggly enough and just noisy enough to wake his sleeping partner.

“Are you awake?” he whispered.
“No,” came the muffled reply, deep beneath the winter-thick duvet.
“The tap is doing it again,” he said quietly.
“The what is doing what? Shut up. Go to sleep.”
“The dripping thing. The tap. The…” he paused, grasping in the night for the foreign word native to this land.
“…faucet!” he exclaimed.

Silence followed.

It was dark. There was no way he could see it, but boy could he feel “the look”.

faucet-21-224x3001Friday Fictioneers is hosted by the freshly published Rochelle. Join in the 100 word flash fiction fun or simply go read the other entries here.

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24 responses to “Awake”

  1. rochellewisoff

    Dear Peter,

    A dripping faucet can be so annoying, how ever…we all know ‘the look,’ don’t we? Well done.

    Shalom,

    Rochelle

    Reply
  2. micklively

    That “feeling” is just guilt!
    Clever words.

    Reply
  3. Jessie Ansons

    Haha this was so funny. My husband and I have these types of discussions in the middle of the night – and we speak the same language! PS I agree… I’ve never been able to take to the word faucet either.

    Reply
  4. Björn Rudberg (brudberg)

    For me it’s a tap.. but the name faucet is really better (unless it’s leaking).. and there is a rule of never waking your partner… never

    Reply
  5. Horus

    … and the history repeats itself! 😀

    Nicely done !

    Reply
  6. ansumani

    LOL. There is nothing more annoying as the ‘drip drip drip’ at night . Fun read.

    Reply
  7. gahlearner

    I know the situation, too, and am giver, and receiver, of ‘that look’. What a fun story.

    Reply
  8. storydivamg

    Peter,
    I love the way you mentioned the different words “tap” and “faucet.” My Dad’s parents were from New England, and my mom’s family were all Kansas natives. I grew up calling it a “tap” but knowing full-well what a “faucet” was.

    And the story’s a good one too. Nice work.

    All my best,
    Marie Gail

    Reply
  9. Sandra Conner

    Nicely done. My FAVORITE part is the calculated shuffle in bed just wiggly enough to wake his partner. That is SO REAL.

    Reply
  10. patrickprinsloo

    That’s fun. I bet they discuss this over a tense breakfast in the morning.

    Reply
  11. joseph elon lillie

    And rightly so! If I can sleep through the dripping I don’t want to be awakened by someone who can’t. Tighten your own faucet, I say!

    Reply
  12. David Stewart

    “The look”, I like that. 🙂 I’m curious, what country do they use “faucet” in, versus “tap”? England? Growing up in Canada, we used them interchangeably, so both seem normal to me.

    Reply
  13. Archon’s Den

    Even in the dark, I know that’s a humorous, true-to-life story. I should have written mine before reading others’. Now I can’t post the ‘drip…drip…drip’ one I was thinking of.
    I’m also in Canada, and used to purchase supplies for a rigging/millwright shop. The workers needed lots of ‘taps’, which cut thread on the inside of holes so that pipes could be screwed in – 1/4-20, quarter inch hole – twenty threads per inch. A rigger asked me one day for a ‘tap’, and I asked what size – and we went on a 5 minute verbal voyage which finally ended only when a third party loudly used the word “Faucet!” 😕 🙄

    Reply
  14. Sally Stackhouse

    The midnight conversation and the ‘look’ – brilliant, made me smile.

    Reply
  15. Irene Waters 19 Writer Memoirist

    A well written look but a dripping tap can be so annoying to he who hears it.

    Reply
  16. Nan Falkner

    Dear Mr. Binks,Peter, Love your story but the absolutely worse noise of dripping is when it is coming from the roof while it’s raining. I know this is very annoying! Good story! Nan

    Reply
  17. bykimberlylynne

    I believe a wriggler that calculating deserves Sandra Cook’s screwdriver 😉 Enjoyed the tale.

    Reply
  18. wildbilbo

    I liked this, I get those looks ALL the time 🙂
    KT

    Reply
  19. Tracey@WhatsforDinnerDoc.com

    Funny and everyone knows “the look”.
    Tracey

    Reply
  20. samanthamacmaster

    I had a very similar idea, but I didn’t use the “look”. I love it 🙂

    Reply
  21. The Writer’s Village

    One “look” speaks a thousand words – even in the dark.
    Randy

    Reply
  22. McGuffy Ann

    I must agree…those looks are felt even in darkness. Good story!

    Reply
  23. Margaret

    Oh, yes. I’ve been there. This sort of thing ought to be written in to pre-nuptial agreements. Do we take turns? Does the one who didn’t turn it off do it? Middle of the night is no time to be sorting it out. Fun story.

    Reply
  24. Kathy Waller

    In Texas, we had faucets, but sometimes they were taps. Outside, they were hydrants.

    Reply

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