Crowded

Everyone shifted uncomfortably in their seats. Each one tried to think of something to talk about besides the obvious. Why was Karl invited, anyway? They were all thinking it, but no one was willing to express it. Christian tried to cross his legs, but when there wasn’t room to do so, he put his foot back on the floor and drummed his fingers on his legs. Glenys looked at him and nodded as she rolled her eyes.

“I heard Piggly Wiggly closed last week,” Robert said.

“I’m sorry?” Patricia said from across the room.

“The Piggly Wiggly closed,” Robert said in a slightly louder voice.

“Oh,” Patricia responded.

There was a shift of weight and Justin had to move quickly before his foot was crushed. He looked like he wanted to say something and then clamped his mouth shut. You could see his face turning red, which was only exacerbated by the lack of hair on his head.

“I need to use the ladies’ room,” Caroline said quietly to Cam, who was sitting beside her. He attempted to help her maneuver through the room. She had to squeeze along the wall and was hit in the face by a tail before she finally made it to the doorway with a sigh of relief.

The party guests were just about at their wits’ end when Morgan stood up to get a drink. After much effort, she made her way to the punch bowl and refilled her glass, and then she turned around to return to her seat. Just then, the trunk swung and hit the glass out of her hand, spilling punch all down the front of her dress.

There was a sharp intake of breath and then she shouted, “Just look what you did, Karl!”

There were a couple of gasps and then everyone in the room fell silent. 

They all had wanted to say something, but Morgan was the only one who dared to address the elephant in the room.

Copyright © 2020 Brandon Ellrich