Last One For Today...

Here's the last one for today, I'll put the rest up tomorrow (don't want to overwhelm you at once!).


2/22/10

"There were exceptions for everything else...except for this."

Clarissa lived her life with exceptions to rules. She was done with men, but always managed to meet the exception. She was going to stop eating so much sugar—with the exception of chocolate and cappuccinos. She was going to start exercising—with the exception of rainy days, weekends, days she worked, and days she didn't feel like it. Everything had its exception...everything, except this. The one thing Clarissa knew there was no exception for, was the simple fact that shit happens. That was her justification for her terrible day. Even though she made exceptions, she knew that life didn't, and even though she tried to keep her Karma bank full, sometimes, it was overdrawn.

“Oh, shit!” She looked mournfully down at the puddle she currently stood in. Why? Why did it have to be raining now, on the one day she decided to dress up? Her one expensive skirt had coffee stains now, after a clumsy co-worker had spilled an espresso on it, and now, her one pair of designer boots were ankle deep in sludge. “Shit!” she reiterated, then stomped up the sidewalk to her apartment. First she dropped her key, then, just as she picked it up, someone flew past her on their bicycle, sending a wave of muddy droplets splashing up her back. She scowled, and shoved her key into the lock, where it promptly got stuck. She jiggled it futily, cursing the rainy skies above. It was all their fault.

Finally, a very wet, very stained, very upset Clarissa made it into the dry apartment building. She shook most of the water off her hands, and wrung out her hair in the foyer. Fortunately, no one was there to see her bedraggled state. A sniffle started, then a single tear, but she wiped it away quickly. No use in crying over something you can't change, she scolded herself. Squaring her shoulders, she made her way to the elevator. Naturally, it was out of order, so to the stairs she went. Perfect, she thought to herself. I know the rent is better, but why did I have to pick the thirteenth floor?

She started grimly up the narrow stairwell, grumbling to herself the whole way. Finally, she made it to her floor. A loud clap of thunder and the flickering of the building's lights showed that the storm was getting worse, and she scowled even more. Nothing was going to make this day better. Nothing.

She angrily opened the door to her apartment and slammed it behind her. Then she froze. Soft strains of music filtered through the air, and the whole place was filled with the flickering glow of candles. She made her way slowly into the dining room to find the table set for an intimate dinner for two, complete with vase full of crimson red roses. A man came out of the kitchen, smiling at her.

“I thought you might have had a bad day, so I thought I'd make it up to you.”

Clarissa smiled through the tears that were welling up. “Mark,” she breathed as she stepped into her fiancé's open arms. “Thank you so much.”

After all, there are exceptions for everything else, but when it comes to comfort, only the one you love can provide that.

Total Time: 16 minutes
Word Count: 547