{"id":18326,"date":"2025-01-27T13:17:49","date_gmt":"2025-01-27T19:17:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/?p=18326"},"modified":"2025-01-31T15:28:47","modified_gmt":"2025-01-31T21:28:47","slug":"ruination","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/2025\/01\/27\/ruination\/","title":{"rendered":"Ruination"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size\"><strong>Ruination<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-social-links is-content-justification-right is-layout-flex wp-container-core-social-links-is-layout-765c4724 wp-block-social-links-is-layout-flex\"><li class=\"wp-social-link wp-social-link-facebook  wp-block-social-link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=61556140010887\" class=\"wp-block-social-link-anchor\"><svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M12 2C6.5 2 2 6.5 2 12c0 5 3.7 9.1 8.4 9.9v-7H7.9V12h2.5V9.8c0-2.5 1.5-3.9 3.8-3.9 1.1 0 2.2.2 2.2.2v2.5h-1.3c-1.2 0-1.6.8-1.6 1.6V12h2.8l-.4 2.9h-2.3v7C18.3 21.1 22 17 22 12c0-5.5-4.5-10-10-10z\"><\/path><\/svg><span class=\"wp-block-social-link-label screen-reader-text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n\n<li class=\"wp-social-link wp-social-link-instagram  wp-block-social-link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/boudin_mcneese\/\" class=\"wp-block-social-link-anchor\"><svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M12,4.622c2.403,0,2.688,0.009,3.637,0.052c0.877,0.04,1.354,0.187,1.671,0.31c0.42,0.163,0.72,0.358,1.035,0.673 c0.315,0.315,0.51,0.615,0.673,1.035c0.123,0.317,0.27,0.794,0.31,1.671c0.043,0.949,0.052,1.234,0.052,3.637 s-0.009,2.688-0.052,3.637c-0.04,0.877-0.187,1.354-0.31,1.671c-0.163,0.42-0.358,0.72-0.673,1.035 c-0.315,0.315-0.615,0.51-1.035,0.673c-0.317,0.123-0.794,0.27-1.671,0.31c-0.949,0.043-1.233,0.052-3.637,0.052 s-2.688-0.009-3.637-0.052c-0.877-0.04-1.354-0.187-1.671-0.31c-0.42-0.163-0.72-0.358-1.035-0.673 c-0.315-0.315-0.51-0.615-0.673-1.035c-0.123-0.317-0.27-0.794-0.31-1.671C4.631,14.688,4.622,14.403,4.622,12 s0.009-2.688,0.052-3.637c0.04-0.877,0.187-1.354,0.31-1.671c0.163-0.42,0.358-0.72,0.673-1.035 c0.315-0.315,0.615-0.51,1.035-0.673c0.317-0.123,0.794-0.27,1.671-0.31C9.312,4.631,9.597,4.622,12,4.622 M12,3 C9.556,3,9.249,3.01,8.289,3.054C7.331,3.098,6.677,3.25,6.105,3.472C5.513,3.702,5.011,4.01,4.511,4.511 c-0.5,0.5-0.808,1.002-1.038,1.594C3.25,6.677,3.098,7.331,3.054,8.289C3.01,9.249,3,9.556,3,12c0,2.444,0.01,2.751,0.054,3.711 c0.044,0.958,0.196,1.612,0.418,2.185c0.23,0.592,0.538,1.094,1.038,1.594c0.5,0.5,1.002,0.808,1.594,1.038 c0.572,0.222,1.227,0.375,2.185,0.418C9.249,20.99,9.556,21,12,21s2.751-0.01,3.711-0.054c0.958-0.044,1.612-0.196,2.185-0.418 c0.592-0.23,1.094-0.538,1.594-1.038c0.5-0.5,0.808-1.002,1.038-1.594c0.222-0.572,0.375-1.227,0.418-2.185 C20.99,14.751,21,14.444,21,12s-0.01-2.751-0.054-3.711c-0.044-0.958-0.196-1.612-0.418-2.185c-0.23-0.592-0.538-1.094-1.038-1.594 c-0.5-0.5-1.002-0.808-1.594-1.038c-0.572-0.222-1.227-0.375-2.185-0.418C14.751,3.01,14.444,3,12,3L12,3z M12,7.378 c-2.552,0-4.622,2.069-4.622,4.622S9.448,16.622,12,16.622s4.622-2.069,4.622-4.622S14.552,7.378,12,7.378z M12,15 c-1.657,0-3-1.343-3-3s1.343-3,3-3s3,1.343,3,3S13.657,15,12,15z M16.804,6.116c-0.596,0-1.08,0.484-1.08,1.08 s0.484,1.08,1.08,1.08c0.596,0,1.08-0.484,1.08-1.08S17.401,6.116,16.804,6.116z\"><\/path><\/svg><span class=\"wp-block-social-link-label screen-reader-text\">Instagram<\/span><\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Kent Quaney<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">__________<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><br>We\u2019re sitting out on the back deck in the Alabama spring heat, drinking iced tea, going over the plan for that evening\u2019s reading, shouting over the savage barking of the neighbor\u2019s dogs. Snarls and howls from the other side of the fence make it almost impossible to talk, but Melody wants this, breathes deeply, insists she doesn\u2019t mind the feral onslaught. She\u2019s just flown in to Mobile from Chicago where there\u2019s still snow on the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Frank\u2019s driving in later that day from Pensacola and the three of us are doing a group reading at an indie bookstore downtown. It\u2019s in a repurposed shoe factory, the \u201ccolored entrance\u201d and \u201cwhites only\u201d bathroom signs left hanging on the exposed brick back wall by the owner so we don\u2019t forget the past, but I wonder how much good it\u2019s doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">It\u2019s supposed to be a themed reading, but our only tie is that we all went to the same school and we all have new books out. Our work has little in common \u2013 My straightforward realism has no bearing on Frank\u2019s sci fi weird monster dystopian death cult spec stuff, although we\u2019re both vaguely minimalists, while Melody\u2019s astonishingly lyrical, ethereal poetry deserves its own performance at La Scala, and she doesn\u2019t even know how good she is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cIt\u2019s so peaceful here,\u201d Melody says over the barking. \u201cYou really lucked out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">I look at the April weeds pushing up through the lawn, the fence, damaged by wind and rain, held up only by a row of overgrown rose bushes and a zig zag of plywood patches I\u2019ve hammered up &#8211; one or two planks added per storm. I\u2019m still waiting to hear about my pay raise. The deck needs a good power-wash as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Melody has tucked her feet under her bum and settled into the splintering deck chair as if it\u2019s a leather bound Eames in her own private library.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The gate slams and Frank shouts, \u201cMade it! Sorry. Wouldn\u2019t believe the fucking traffic,\u201d sending the dogs into a new frenzy. Painful snarls drown out all speech, and the fence rattles as one of the bulldogs next-door throws her full weight into it. The picket snaps \u2013 second that week \u2013 and she bumbles into the yard, snapping and barking, then stops, wags her tail and sits. A crowd of puppies tumble through behind her and one fat-bottomed bumbler jumps into the pool, immediately sinking below the surface, kicking frantically. Her head pops up, then goes under again, water frothing and churning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Melody is already up from her chair, streaking across the deck. \u201cShe\u2019ll drown!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Without pause she dives into the pool and swims to the pup, wrangling her up from the still chilly water, squeezing her to her chest while she kick-swims toward the edge. She hugs the dog tighter as she sloshes up the steps, shivering, her black summer dress plastered to hips and shoulders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Melody kisses the puppy\u2019s wrinkled nose and sets her down; mother waddles forward, sniffing and licking making sure her child is still intact. Frank herds them all from behind, calling and nudging, and gets puppies and mother back through the fence. The only thing I can see to grab, an empty propane cannister from a long past barbecue, becomes a temporary blockade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cThey\u2019re renters, you know, so the fence isn\u2019t their problem. I\u2019ve tried calling the fucking owner but he won\u2019t do jack shit. I\u2019m about to file a complaint with the city.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Frank has brought Melody a towel and she leans sideways, squeezing a curtain of water from her thick blonde hair. \u201cWould you really do that?\u201d she asks. \u201cWould you really ruin all this?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">She sets the wet towel on the deck, curls back into her chair, and turns her face toward the sun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">__________<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Kent Quaney&#8217;s<\/strong> novel, <em>One Breath from Drowning<\/em> (University of Wisconsin Press), recently won the Brodie Award for fiction, and his short stories and essays have appeared in the <em>Los Angeles Review<\/em>, <em>BULL<\/em>, <em>Literally Stories<\/em>, <em>RiversEdge<\/em>, and other journals. He studied creative writing at the University of Sydney and the University of Southern Mississippi Center for Writers, and is currently Creative Writing Coordinator at Auburn University Montgomery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>__________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"438\" height=\"211\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/01\/boudin-logo-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-15484\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/01\/boudin-logo-1.jpg 438w, https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/01\/boudin-logo-1-300x145.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 438px) 100vw, 438px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-large-font-size\">\ud83e\udca0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/2025\/01\/27\/two-birds\/\">Back<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/2025\/01\/28\/but-i-am-just-a-poet\/\">Next<\/a> \ud83e\udca1<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">To learn more about submitting your work to <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/boudin-submissions\/\">Boudin<\/a><\/em> or applying to McNeese State University&#8217;s Creative Writing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/mfa-application-submissions\/\">MFA program<\/a>, please visit Submissions for details.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ruination Kent Quaney __________ We\u2019re sitting out on the back deck in the Alabama spring heat, drinking iced tea, going over the plan for that evening\u2019s reading, shouting over the savage barking of the neighbor\u2019s dogs. Snarls and howls from the other side of the fence make it almost impossible to talk, but Melody wants&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[222],"tags":[75,146,100,26],"class_list":["post-18326","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-winter-extravaganza","tag-boudin","tag-fiction-2","tag-flashfiction","tag-fiction"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18326","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/42"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18326"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18326\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18637,"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18326\/revisions\/18637"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18326"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}