#writing with vincent

[lenavaz]

WHO: Lena & @vincexmatthews

WHERE: Tumbleweed, countryside

WHEN: Country Music Day, September 17

"You can't come to country music day and not dance," Lena declared, hopping off of her stool, holding her hand out to towards Vince with a wide grin on her face. "I promise that I won't step on your feet. Or, well, I'll try not let you step on my feet. Maybe that's the bigger issue."

[owenryder]

WHO: Ryder & @vincexmatthews

WHERE: Little Corner Market, suburbs

WHEN: March 23, 2025

This winter storm was a pain in his ass. And while most people had the entire day on Saturday to prepare, Ryder had to work. Which meant that Sunday, his day off, when he had intended to sleep in and lazily play video games in his pajamas most of the day... he had to go shopping for supplies to get through the week. The problem with that was simple: everyone had bought the stuff that he needed. He had a few rolls of toilet paper, some packets of cookies, various other things that seemed necessary... but not nearly enough water. And Ryder knew that they would need some water, if for nothing else, than to keep Maurice hydrated. "Seriously, no gallons?" he said out loud to no one, a look of annoyance on his face as he blew a breath out through his nostrils.

[darpow]

WHO: Darrius & @vincexmatthews

WHERE: Merrock Railway

WHEN: Railway 5K (November 23, 2024)

"Matthews," Darrius broke into a grin as he approached the other man, slowing from his warm-up jog and reaching for the water bottle he had attached to his belt, "on a scale of one to ten, be honest with me -- how much of a threat are you going to be out there on the course? Do I need to watch out for you?"

[cagenewman]

WHO: Cage & @vincexmatthews

WHERE: Merrock Rangers' play-off game

WHEN: November 15, 2024

"I'll probably never get over how weird it feels to be watching the game from up here, and not down there," Cage pointed to the field as he looked over at Vince, a grin stretching across his face. He had grown up playing football, made a name for himself in high school as a tight end, and seeing his son out on that field gave him a rush every single time. Double the pride when he considered the fact that the quarterback was living with him, too, and under his care. "That being said... food tastes about the same?"

[joshlane]

WHO: Josh & @vincexmatthews

WHERE: Ruff Around Park, suburbs

WHEN: September, 2024

Toshiko needed to run. And where normally, Josh would have taken him out to the lake, they had been running errands around town, picking up food, dropping off parts a client had ordered, and so the dog park was as good of an option as anywhere else. Watching as his pup ran through a pile of walnut leaves, Josh let out a laugh, turning to look at the person next to him. "Leaves have hardly started to fall yet, and my dog is already going nuts, I don't know about yours."

[rafaelcb]

WHO: Rafael & @vincexmatthews

WHERE: Bardales Inc., downtown

WHEN: September, 2024

"Matthews," Rafael knocked gently on the door frame of Vincent's office, eyes trailing over a piece of paper in his hand, "are you in a hurry to get home this evening, or can I tempt you with a pizza in the break room for a little help with prepping... coloring pages. I'm putting together activity packets for kids at Creek Fest." He closed the folder that he was reading over, offering the younger man a quick smile. "I'll even send you home with some crayons."

[jaceeverett]

WHO: Jace & @vincexmatthews

WHERE: Enchanted Forest Gala

WHEN: July 22, 2023

Jason Browning could not remember the last time that he had slipped into a suit and tie. There were always formal events for the park rangers out in Wyoming, or the occasional nice dinner that he had been invited to by friends, a wedding here or there, but it had been years, he was sure of that, since he had stood in front of a mirror, trying to knot a tie, and once he was there at the Gala, he had to admit that he did feel nervous. But a drink would help with that, he hoped, as he stepped up to the bar. "Whiskey, neat, please," he turned to offer the person next to him a small smile, before pausing, eyes narrowing a bit. "Vincent Matthews?"

[docolives]

WHO: Livvy & @vincexmatthews

WHERE: Summer Bash & Carnival

WHEN: June/July, 2023

The work week done and over with, Livvy found herself with time to kill at the carnival, planning on grabbing something to eat, maybe riding the ferris wheel, catching up with some friends. What she hadn't been planning on was catching sight of Vince, standing near the goldfish stand, looking like he needed someone to razz him a little bit. Thankfully for him, she was just that person. Grinning, she sidled up behind him, already pulling out a five dollar bill to hand over to the woman manning the stand. "Bet you a giant bag of cotton candy that if we share a basket of balls, I can win a fish before you do. Deal, Vince?"

[mournfulroses]

Edna St. Vincent Millay, from a letter featured in The Letters of Edna St. Vincent Millay

[tio-trile]

Do you think he asked his beloved dean of the college of cardinals to put a ring on it during his inauguration

[rafaelcb]

"I doubt you," he said without any hesitation, although he grinned soon after. Because he did trust Vince, if he had hired him and given him that much responsibility, but… he didn't need to admit that and give him the satisfaction of feeling like he was right. "They better be. You can be demoted, you know," he did his best to use his most serious tone, although he knew that he wouldn't dream of it. It would take far, far too much work for him to be able to train someone up to take that position, now. "No comment on the dancing."

Vince grinned at him. "You doubt me?" he asked, feigning insult with a slight pout, sticking his bottom lip out before laughing again. He enjoyed messing with Raf. Yes, he was Vince's boss, but they both always had a good laugh when it mattered. "Okay, okay, I promise... my lips are sealed," he grinned again. "I like to have fun when we have parties like this that involve a bit of dancing," he teased.

[poetic-questions]

from "The Letters of Vincent Van Gogh" (c. 5-6 September 1889)

[cagenewman]

WHO: Cage & @vincexmatthews

WHERE: Community Center, suburbs

WHEN: Mardi Gras (March 4, 2025)

The girls were making masks under the watchful eyes of their older brothers, Cordelia was spending time with friends, and Cage... was back for seconds. Work was busy, tough, keeping him on his toes, he deserved to let loose on a Tuesday and eat something delicious, after all. "I'm going to need so many fucking Tums after this," he said as he stepped up to the serving line, recognizing Vince with a smirk, "but it's totally worth it."

[darpow]

"I normally try to give them the benefit of the doubt, let them have a chance to show them that they are more knowledgeable than I am, but… then I remind them that they're not," he laughed, shrugging both shoulders. They would eventually show themselves to not know what they were talking about, and then he wouldn't have to worry about lecturing anyone; they would do the job for him, basically. "Hey, that still counts! You might not get a prize, but you get a little check mark. Maybe if you earn enough of them, you can get like… a new coffee cup to keep in the office?"

Vince nodded as he listened to Darrius speak. It made sense, sometimes older adults went back to school to expand more knowledge or learn something new. "I can imagine..." he said. He understood that older people would think they were well versed in something. He experienced it too when they asked him questions just to test how good he really was as a realtor. But he was typically prepared for dealing with them. He laughed softly. "Just a little checkmark on our chart saying people like the food I told them to try!"

[rafaelcb]

WHO: Rafael & @vincexmatthews

WHERE: Cruise-In

WHEN: August 5, 2023

"Mr. Matthews," Rafael sidled up to the younger man as he stopped in front of the car, offering him a smile. It was nice to see his employees out of the office, enjoying some time away from the hustle and bustle that came with work to just do something fun, something for themselves. "Having a good time so far this afternoon?" Rafael himself had been looking forward to the free afternoon to wander around, admire the cars, enjoy himself in the fresh air. As much as he liked work, sometimes it was nice to just... not.

[cheseely]