Sunday, December 12, 2010

Thirty Years - 250 Words plus or minus 3

For thirty years he had triumphed, fallen short, cried some and laughed some with her. Jake looked up from the card he was about to sign and tried to remember back when they had first met.

They had not been teenagers caught up in the lust and emotional confusion that permeates that stage of Life. They met in their late twenties. She had already been married once and divorced. And he had finally decided to leave his childhood behind and step up into the world of adults. Desperation did not drive him, he just knew it was time to grow up.

Jake looked out his office window. The sky had started to spit snow. The grey morning and chill coming off the leaky window fit his mood. Thirty years was a lifetime ago. Many times both of them had considered ending it. But somehow they weathered each storm. Jake marveled at her ability to put up with his idiocies, his inability to show true affection. He wondered if she had similar notions about him.

Jake ran through the successes and failures of the last thirty years. Had he met her expectations? Had she lived up to his? Being fair, he decided neither had fulfilled their respective hopes and dreams. But then he remembered both of them had made no promise other than to be there through thick and thin.

Satisfied with where he was at this moment in his life, he hoped she was also. He signed the card and sealed the envelope.
_______________________________________

A thinly veiled personal post disguised as fiction.

Afterthought - Yeah - in case anyone is keeping tabs - this ended up at 253 words.  I just had to mess with it.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

hope your adventure together continues!

El Cerdo Ignatius said...

A day late, but I hope you and your better half had a very happy anniversary.

And yes, thirty years is a lot of water under the bridge.

Cheers, Mike.

David Barber said...

A great slice-of-life piece, Mike. Well written and, I felt it, from the heart. well done, mate.