David Hall has graduated college and decided to pursue a non-traditional route. Instead of going to business school he'll spend the summer at his girlfriend's lake house in Appalachia with an aim to write the Great American Novel. When the words don't flow as easily as David had hoped, and his girlfriend inexplicably begins spending increasing time away from David, David's world goes into a tailspin.

Excerpt

Bright Futures © By Alex McGlothlin

They were just outside of Roanoke when she asked if they might stop at the Valley View Mall. She needed a new bathing suit and if a top caught her eye, well . . .

He’d never been to Roanoke before and asked if they could drive downtown afterwards, so he could see the city nestled in the mountains he had heard about, but she didn’t think they’d have time if they were going to make the party later that night. This was the first mention he had heard of a party.

The mall was bigger and busier than he’d anticipated, a large two-story monolith, the outside tagged with the illuminated signs of department stores and restaurants, the inside an air-conditioned hive of fashion and commerce. People streamed into the complex like ants on the hill, a pilgrimage to redeem their labor at the prize counter of capitalism.

She took his hand and led him through the gaping fluorescent lit commercial caverns, and holding hands gave him a little thrill because she wasn’t always the most outwardly affectionate. She was pleased he had agreed to do this. She hadn’t been sure he would say yes.

The bikini store, String, was a small closet of a store, but it was elegant. Rather than cramming the store with racks of thousands of variations, they only offered about a dozen styles that were displayed more like art hanging on a museum wall than merchandise in a store. They had just eaten, but he wondered if after this they might slide by the food court hibachi.

String was managed by this woman who didn’t seem like she would be caught dead in any of her own merchandise, but who was he to judge? Kelly immediately gravitated towards a black-and-white bikini covered in a cool tribal pattern.

“We’re sold out of that one.”

“Could I buy that one?” Kelly asked, meaning the one on display.

“I’m sorry. We don’t sell display items. Store policy.”

Store policy. Notions like that killed him. Policies never accounted for special circumstances, and what else was life but a continuous stream of special circumstances? Kelly followed the manager into the back to try on a bathing suit, and while they were gone, David swiped the black-and-white bikini from the wall. He stuffed it down the seat of his pants and adjusted himself to make it look natural. And it did, he knew, because he was watching himself in the mirror. The only problem was that it was obvious. David moved a bikini from the corner of the wall to the center position, where the black and white bikini had been. Then he thought about hightailing it out of there, but on second thought, decided it would be less suspicious if he stayed. He readjusted the bikini into the front of his shorts, giving himself a generous bulge, and waited.

When they returned from the back room, Kelly was fully dressed and met the saleswoman at the cash register.

“What?” David asked. “No preview?”

They both made these disgusted little noises and otherwise ignored him, which was all he could have hoped for.

Kelly led them through the food court on their way out of the mall.

“I’m surprised you don’t want to stop for Japanese,” Kelly said.

“I think I’d rather just get on the road,” David said.

“Excuse me,” a familiar voice echoed down the hall. A chill ran down David’s spine. At first he couldn’t be sure, but he was sure. “Excuse me."

A hand reached out and grabbed Kelly by the arm, spinning her around. It was the saleswoman.

“I think you forgot something,” the saleswoman said. That was that. He was caught. He’d remember this moment, scarred in his mind forever, the great sad turning point in his life when he’d lost his freedom—and all for a stupid prank. With one act, he’d wiped out what little reputation he had toiled a lifetime to accumulate. There would be police, negative press, a trial, jail and perhaps the worst—a lifetime of shame. He and Kelly were over. The summer was over. Life as he knew it was over.

“You forgot your credit card,” the saleswoman said.

As she returned the Visa to Kelly, he was overcome with a wave of relief. Kelly thanked her and the woman hurried back to her post. He felt like he’d cheated death.

“Are you sure you don’t want hibachi?” Kelly asked.

“You know what. Why not?”

About the Author

Alex was born and raised in Grundy, Virginia. He's a graduate of the University of Virginia, West Virginia University, and the Georgetown University Law Center. Alex currently lives in Richmond, Virginia, with his wife and two children where he writes and practices law. He is the author of The Forest of Smoke and Fog, The Medium of Desire, The Renunciation, The Piratization of Daniel Barnes, and his latest book Bright Futures. Readers can connect with Alex on Goodreads and Instagram. To learn more, visit https://alexmcglothlin.com