Struggling Writers discussion

Hello there, Struggling Writers! Welcome to our February 2014 Short Story contest for Struggling Writers. This thread will officially be open for submissions starting February 1st, 2014.

Theme:
Valentine's Day--it can be anything as long as it's about Valentine's Day!

Entry Deadline:
Friday, February 21st, at 12:00AM EST

Winning Prize:
The winning short story will be featured in the March 2014 Struggling Writers Newsletter. :)

Rules/Guidelines:

*Entries cannot exceed more than 700 words.

*No swearing/vulgar language or inappropriate (18+) entries.

*Any entries submitted after 12:00AM on Friday, February 21st, will not be accepted.

*All entries must be in the form of a short story.

Good luck to all!

Congratulations to the winner of this contest, Ilena!

V-day Redux by Ilena

I am quite familiar with the Jewish faith. A faith or culture, really, which is both beautiful in that it is steeped in history and traditions which sometimes feels foreign but it can be destructive when you are dating someone who is Jewish and you are not. This Gentile status really only matters when your Jewish partner has parents that cannot fathom their son or daughter dating someone outside this “exclusive” circle.

No courtship. No initial dates. Our involvement was a tumultuous one. We were law students and fell in love just as quickly as it takes to make toast. As time passed, I grew more uncertain as to our future. The proof was in the pudding. I heard his parents tell him “to just have fun” and at least he had “some companionship” but that I wasn’t “wife” material. I felt him pull further and further away as I fell more and more in love. We dated four years and were on-and-off again during a fifth year.

He finally made up his mind and broke up with me on Valentine’s Day. I was devastated. This was the man/boy I thought I would marry, have 2.5 kids with, and the white picket fence – the whole shebang! Which is strange because I never thought I wanted any of those things, those things in life which only exist in the fantasy realm of movies. Needless to say, I became particularly resentful of V-day.

This was bizarre because all other holidays were an incubus to me – I rejected it all – green beer and blinking confetti on St. Patrick’s Day, barbecues on Memorial Day, fireworks on Independence Day, costumes on Halloween, I didn’t even eat turkey on Thanksgiving; but not Valentine’s Day. Why was Valentine’s Day the only day I secretly wish would fulfill my desires and other norms generally expected and coveted by society? Maybe it was my affinity to Greek mythology…you know, Cupid and all.

But this is my memoir. I transcend from this ethereal realm too supernatural to explain because you see, I died on Valentine’s Day. Did not see it coming but then again, who truly knows the exact moment? This was not the day my boyfriend broke up with me, I mean, wouldn’t he have the world of guilt on his shoulders! It happened exactly one year later. I could say that my broken heart never mended. Maybe this was the cause of my death? No. It was actually the big truck that veered off the road as I stood on the sidewalk and at the speed it was coming, I stood no chance.

In this new world, a world which means different things to different people, I am surrounded by others who enjoyed drinking green beer on St. Patrick’s, who ate so much turkey on Thanksgiving they thought their offspring would come out clucking and who embraced every other candy-filled holiday. Partially, they explain, is that embracing those worldly pleasures gave them purpose, made them feel alive, but also marked the passage of time. And that is when it struck me! I was anxious about getting old, about time being one of those things in life you cannot control. Because I, my friend, was simply, a CONTROL FREAK! The passage of time slowly affected my relationship because only with time does the psyche (including feelings of love) begin to develop or deteriorate. Maybe this was the real reason time was never my ally.

It is ironic that not until dead did I begin to understand the pleasures life afforded me. I want to live! I want to live! But here, life continues as it did on Earth except time is of no importance because as far as I can tell, my existence here is perpetual. I have a date tonight. Maybe I will finally get the 2.5 kids and the white picket fence. The irony – he is Jewish! Obviously, my new outlook has dissipated all preconceived notions. Maybe my luck has changed because it is after all, Valentine’s Day today. If it doesn’t work out, I am wiser and stronger and will emphatically look forward to the next Valentine’s Day. After all, my circumstances have completely changed.