Skip to main content

Day 8 - Marrying the Unknown

100 Day Writing Challenge
Day # 8
Prompt: “We were going to have to find a locksmith…”




The rhythm of the seductive slow dance pulled the strings as we swayed there in lockstep in the middle of the room. The entire wedding party danced in a circle around us as I held my newly-wed wife close. Her head rested against my shoulder, her fragrant aroma wafted around my face.

We had just met three months ago, but I knew from the moment my eyes caught a glimpse of the life behind her own. There was a mystery about her, but I loved mystery. Her smile was like a bolt of electricity to my heart, knocking it off rhythm. Her strength of spirit commandeered my soul and took it captive in her near-whimsical nature. She took her passions by the horns and followed wherever they may take her, even if she might not know the destination.

The slow dance ended abruptly to the upbeat rhythms of dub-step. My wife’s train-less wedding dress was her advantage as she sprung away from me up in a stylish, almost choreographed dance with the rest of the wedding party. The guests offered a cheer of surprise and support.

The gleaming smile on her face stole my heart all over again. Some may say three months is too short to know someone enough to get married, but when I look into her eyes I can see the life that she has lived and is living. Three months is more than enough for me. I know I want to spend the rest of my life with her.

The wedding reception faded into a dwindling few who lingered outside the hall by their cars beneath the flickering moth-plagued street lights. We spoke with my best friend from college for hours until they finally said their final farewell, beginning their long trek to return to their home across the ocean.

I sighed deeply, clutching her hand in my own. I couldn’t believe we were married. I smiled at her, “Come on. Let’s go home.”

We walked to the car, and I patted my empty pockets. “Do you have the keys?”

“No. I had to run in to open the reception hall for the caterer. You were the last one in the car.” She looked at me with a cheerful annoyance.

I jiggled the locked door and peered in. My disco ball keychain dangled from the ignition, mocking me. I groaned and reached for my cell phone. We were going to have to call a locksmith, but who knows when they’d be able to come out at this time of night.

“Don’t worry. I’ve got this.” She wriggled out a metal coat hanger from the bundle of a wedding dress in her arms. She shrugged off her dress into my arms and approached the driver’s side door. With a shimmy and a shake, a wriggle and a bump, the lock clicked, and she opened the door with a wink.

I stared at her. Where did she pick up that trick? And with such ease? Her eyes glinted a hue of mischief, but washed away in her usual delighted grin. “What’s wrong? Didn’t know I could do that, did you?”

No, actually, I didn’t. And for whatever reason, it worried me a bit. Not that she could shimmy a car lock, but the glimmer in her eyes of a life she once lived. She almost missed it. Almost regretted whatever life she abandoned to become the person she saw today. Who was she in her other life? Maybe three months isn’t enough to really know someone.

“Come on,” she said with a laugh. “Let’s go home.” She slipped into the driver’s seat, pressing the unlock button. She winked at me and turned the ignition.


- (c) Kevin Barrick

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Holy Witches: A Salem Retelling

We were hunted for our spells. They accused us of using black magic; they torched our sisters for their involvement in witchcraft. Our flesh burnt while children and other villagers watched through the haze. We were monsters, deviants, devil-worshipers. We were the bane of the sanctity of our village. We were humanity’s last hope. Salem was a hallowed land, endowed by the auras of the ancient ones to protect the world from the dark void that threatened to devour all life. The void vacuumed the life from our sister planet, Mars, several centuries ago. Only we witches knew of the fate of the ancient world. We saw through the cosmos and mourned for Mars. We began practicing a holy art that would wrestle against the void. We sang enchantments beneath the full moon; we infused nature in our alchemy cauldrons. We sought to create, to nourish, to rejuvenate. We were the ambassadors to the sacred life that breathed in every part of Mother Earth. But the mortals of Salem were the ...
5 comments
Read more

Paris, Tea, and a Fight

Day 14 Prompt : " I wanted to fight. He wanted to finish his tea." She breathed in the aromatic scents wafting around her. The coffee brewing within the cafe. The crisp morning air. The flowers blossoming in boxes that hung from the railing. The beginnings of exhaust mingling into the otherwise clean breeze. She sipped on her espresso and peered off into the distance. Glinting with the rising sun loomed the Eiffle Tower on the horizon. Paris had been her calling for years, and she finally was able to escape away and explore the gem of the city, unburdened with university. Her study abroad semester in Madrid, Spain made her feel isolated, shackled to her books, and unable to venture out into the unknown. She booked this trip as her graduation gift to herself. Her only regret was that this was her last day of a 3-week excursion. She beckoned for another cup of coffee.  Her plane didn’t leave until evening, so she had no intention of bustling about. She wou...
3 comments
Read more

5 Books to Get Your Creativity Flowing!

Many people are curious how I became an indie author. Some ask because they want to join in on the fun; others are simply curious why I chose to self-publish rather than go the traditional route. Before I really begin, let me define what it means to be an indie author. There are two categories that people generally fall into. An indie author is someone 1. who publishes through an independent publisher (small publishing house as opposed to mainstream houses like Penguin or MacMillan), and 2. who self-publishes through services like Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) or Ingram Spark. I fall into the second category where I have self-published through KDP. It is a very easy process and anyone can do it! (Caveat: due to the easy access, there are thousands upon thousands of books. If you think your book is quality level, then in order to stand out from the rest I recommend spending hours and hours on your cover if you can’t afford to pay someone. Obviously proofread and edit you...
2 comments
Read more