SHORT STORY
The evening moon tattooed across the lawn as the couple lay on a blanket in their backyard. Half a dozen Chinquapin oak clusters decorated the spacious yard. This was a new way to spend their date night. Since being married for 15 years, their dates haves ranged from restaurants, to grill bars, to movies houses, to carousels, and the likes. This time they opted for the quiet comfort of their own domain. The quadragenerians felt freer now as the two kids were now grown and could quite comfortably take care of themselves.
The 8 o'clock wind was gentle. The neighborhood was always quiet around this hour. A bottle of wine, some mellifluous music from a small radio created the perfect ambience for these lovers. Between the leaves of the oak trees the stars suddenly appeared. The couple gazed at each other and smiled. A euphoric feeling consumed them. They began to reminisce on the day they met and their first date. For them this relationship was made in heaven. They observed that some of their friends and acquaintances weren't able to make it this far in their marriages. And also the pain that some have borne and are still bearing after they split up. A glass of wine was toasted to their successful union.
It was now 10pm. and the couple were about to wind down their special night. The bottle of wine was empty. Both were unaware that they had consumed so much. The husband seemed to have imbibed more than his fair share of the beverage. His speech became slurred. He held his wife tightly around her waist and expressed his deepest love for her. Among the things he told her are: that he would go to the moon and back for her; he would swim across an alligator pond to save her; he would give her his heart and die just to save her. She was flabbergasted, but sober enough to listen to a confession he made. Her husband told her that five years ago he met his ex in a park where their eldest son was practising for a soccer match. When he sat on the stand he noticed her there. They casually greeted each other , but as the play continued for some time they drew closer and chatted. Without warning his ex pressed her lips on his and forced a kiss. He said he pulled away and moved back to his former seat.
His wife waited no longer to hear the rest of the story, She tossed the blanket aside, ran into the house and slammed the door behind her. He suddenly regained some sobriety. He was mad with himself for making that confession. As if the radio channel was observing this special night for the couple, a popular song played,"Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid." by Ketty Lester. If only that song had played earlier, he thought, it would have saved his marriage. He hoped his wife had consumed enough to forget the encounter. © Wallace Paul February 2025.
The 8 o'clock wind was gentle. The neighborhood was always quiet around this hour. A bottle of wine, some mellifluous music from a small radio created the perfect ambience for these lovers. Between the leaves of the oak trees the stars suddenly appeared. The couple gazed at each other and smiled. A euphoric feeling consumed them. They began to reminisce on the day they met and their first date. For them this relationship was made in heaven. They observed that some of their friends and acquaintances weren't able to make it this far in their marriages. And also the pain that some have borne and are still bearing after they split up. A glass of wine was toasted to their successful union.
It was now 10pm. and the couple were about to wind down their special night. The bottle of wine was empty. Both were unaware that they had consumed so much. The husband seemed to have imbibed more than his fair share of the beverage. His speech became slurred. He held his wife tightly around her waist and expressed his deepest love for her. Among the things he told her are: that he would go to the moon and back for her; he would swim across an alligator pond to save her; he would give her his heart and die just to save her. She was flabbergasted, but sober enough to listen to a confession he made. Her husband told her that five years ago he met his ex in a park where their eldest son was practising for a soccer match. When he sat on the stand he noticed her there. They casually greeted each other , but as the play continued for some time they drew closer and chatted. Without warning his ex pressed her lips on his and forced a kiss. He said he pulled away and moved back to his former seat.
His wife waited no longer to hear the rest of the story, She tossed the blanket aside, ran into the house and slammed the door behind her. He suddenly regained some sobriety. He was mad with himself for making that confession. As if the radio channel was observing this special night for the couple, a popular song played,"Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid." by Ketty Lester. If only that song had played earlier, he thought, it would have saved his marriage. He hoped his wife had consumed enough to forget the encounter. © Wallace Paul February 2025.