@bowie
Bowie Rowan
@bowie · 1:00

Ache: A Short Story

article image placeholderdolly
And I thought of it recently because you will soon hear that there's a reference to Dolly Parton and I love Dolly Parton and have started listening to her podcast, which is called Dolly Parton's America. You May have Seen it was released in 2019. So I've had Dolly on the mind, and I also have just been feeling so grateful for the creation and sharing of art. So I thought I'd read this story aloud and share it with you all, and I hope you're doing well

Dolly Parton, heartbreak, & love #readings #writing #dollyparton https://s.swell.life/SSNuIoyCdj50E6r

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@bowie
Bowie Rowan
@bowie · 3:06

"Come this way."

Her face was bright and composed. This issue hadn't been in Todd's collection. Ruth's addition of it made her feel closer to him. Somehow she found it in her dentist lobby, wondering if it was destiny, if the magazine was the other Todd, the dental assistant. The idea excited her in bed. She closed her eyes as the sun went down, soaking itself in the spongy Hill of Bernal Heights. She thought of the Todds as she took a final sharp breath before sleep
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@bowie
Bowie Rowan
@bowie · 4:26

"You must have missed me."

This is a nice coat roof. Todd poked a corner of a wooden hanger into the coat's right sleeve. His back was towards her, but in a mirror next to the coat hook she could see him smile. Todd was almost boringly, handsome, young, with a full head of dark hair, his teeth perfectly straight and white. The only thing that saved him from being so good looking as to be plain was a large mole on his left cheek. Thanks, she said
@Swell
Swell Team
@Swell · 0:15

Welcome to Swell!

@bowie
Bowie Rowan
@bowie · 2:42

"It made her wonder, if her body stopped working, would she still exist?"

She suffered through the next day, day six of the ache. She felt it now in her left and right molars. Her ears continued to ring. She wanted to take the night off from work, but she'd only been in San Francisco three months and had guard used almost all of her sick days. The day before, Dr. Russell told her he couldn't find anything wrong with her teeth. There were no cavities or signs of future decay. Her teeth were pristine. It's remarkable, really
@bowie
Bowie Rowan
@bowie · 4:03

"EVERY ASSHOLE I'VE EVER DATED."

She kept crying until her stomach hurt, until she thought she might throw up until the sobs left her empty and elated, feeling more clarity than she had in months. She left the apartment immediately and ran. As she ran. She thought of one of the last times she'd seen Todd from afar in the back seat of her car in the empty mall parking lot. His D*** moved swiftly in and out of the Clinique counter. Girl
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@bowie
Bowie Rowan
@bowie · 3:00

"... nothing was ever wholly anything."

She fell asleep that night, thinking of the clinic girl wandering away on her bright white heels, and she felt a warm sadness because she realized she was also ampling, uncertain of herself and scared, writing to be chased after, waiting to be told who she was or could be by someone else, like every Rowan Ruth had ever known and never wanted to become. A month later, she had quit her dead end job and moved across the country
@bowie
Bowie Rowan
@bowie · 2:06

"... he felt like someone else from this new kind of hurt he was feeling."

She ran her tongue over her right molar where the ache first took root. In the kitchen, she watched herself standing in front of her instruments exactly where she left them. Confidently, she picked them up, carrying the sharp ends in her hands
@bowie
Bowie Rowan
@bowie · 0:04

The End

Thank you for listening to this story. That s the end
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@radiointhewoods
Sam Roxas-Chua 姚
@radiointhewoods · 0:40

Thanks for sharing your story!

Thanks for sharing your story. You know, it's true. What they say about a good story is that you can really hear the strong relationship the storyteller has with writing. And you got that. Thanks again for sharing that story. And I look forward to listening to More and thanks for adding me on Swell. I mostly write poetry and prose, so it's not quite a full story. I I guess, but thanks again for the kind. Hello
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@Ramya
Ramya V
@Ramya · 0:54
Wow. Boy, this truly was beautiful. I loved the story. And I love how when you read it out, I could feel an immediacy, some sort of relatability to the the story as it was unfolding. I think it's emotional, it's unflinching. And I love the way you just drop into the details so effortlessly
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@DBPardes
Deborah Pardes
@DBPardes · 0:34

Loving Ruth

This was just so enjoyable. You know, sometimes you think you just don't want to read again once you hear somebody read their own work. It's not about not wanting to read. I love reading, but it was so enjoyable just to walk and listen and be immersed. I had started this before the weekend and then I had to redo it and start from the beginning again. And it was just so immersive and beautiful. Just great to drop in
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