Friday, June 15, 2012

BEING THE PERFECT EX


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Jenna knew the TV News misreported the cause of death.  It was not due to injuries from a crash, it was due to divorce. Michael started dying the moment it became final.
That’s what his note said the day after he signed the papers, “I’m dying.  I can’t bear to be apart.  Please, take me back.” Michael was oblivious to Jenna’s reasons for leaving him.  He always tried to predict her every desire.  She didn’t even have to think.  Whatever was best for her, Michael anticipated and provided. 
Jenna did not take him back.  Still, due to a little insecurity on her part and Michael’s incessant pleading, she agreed to be his friend.   Immediately, Michael showered her with gifts, flowers, and daily letters describing his infinite love.  He insisted on helping her move.  He decorated her new apartment, then, weekly stocked her refrigerator with all her favorite goodies.  He even gave her money when she was short, which was actually quite often due to Jenna’s sophisticated tastes.
Though Jenna appreciated some of Michael’s attentions, she resented his constant presence.  “You’re so lucky.  You’ve got the perfect ex and you don’t even know it,” her friends would often say. This made her resent him even more.  She started experiencing the exact feelings she had when she wanted to divorce him.  Once again, she wanted to extricate him from her life.
Gradually, Jenna’s determination to stay divorced became more and more evident and Michael began to lose enthusiasm in trying to win her back.  One day at work, he was introduced to a woman who seemed  lost in life.  She was new to town and to her job.  Her divorce had just finalized and Michael felt obliged to help her.  The woman was grateful for Michael’s suffocating thoughtfulness.  He recalled how Jenna was grateful too before she married him.
When Jenna had to do her own food shopping, she was surprised at Michael’s negligence, and disturbed at the high price of groceries.  But, she felt certain Michael’s old ways would soon resume.
They did not.  And Jenna experienced a most uncomfortable feeling.  She missed Michael dreadfully – she was accustomed to all he had to give.  Maybe he was the perfect ex after all.
But, wisely realizing that nobody’s perfect, and consoling herself by knowing that Michael would give to no one else, Jenna artfully and secretly sabotaged the brakes in his car.


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22 comments:

  1. Oh I've known people like that. Nice twist at the end.

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  2. This one started off as an ordinary conflict between spouses. Love is not equal. We love in different ways and in different degrees. But then things seem to have gotten out of hand and the ending is bizarre. Film material maybe.

    I think this couple deserve each other. They are both crazy.

    Great post for the theme.

    Best wishes,
    Anna
    Anna's RFW #38

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  3. oh dang...def a hitchcock ending there...i was just feeling happy for him and had forgotten you already told us that death had happened...nicely done myrna

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  4. Dear Myrna,
    Welcome to Romantic Friday Writers!
    I'm awestruck...this is some fine writing from you. For sure these two have some serious issues, but whoa...I wasn't expecting that twist at the end! I'd have to agree with Brian...definitely some Hitchcock going on. Nicely done my dear!

    Sands Of Unfaithfulness

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  5. Greetings, Myrna. Love the telling of a smothering relationship.

    For readability purposes, it would be helpful to have an extra space between the paragraphs.
    So nice to e-meet you.

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  6. Poor Michael! No matter what he did, he couldn't get it right

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  7. OMG! That was a shock at the end. I also love how you wove in 'the perfect ex' into the story. And there was a nice touch of dry humor with the high cost of groceries.
    Awesome job Myrna, I was expecting one of your beautiful poems, but you've proven you can push yourself to other forms too. Well done :)

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  8. Hello Myrna. Great that you came on board with a bang! A nice twisty little tale you've woven here. I wasn't expecting the ending.

    This links to Andy's poem for this prompt - 'A wise man will always let go of what does not belong to him, but the foolish man will cry for what he believes is still his...'

    A warm welcome and I hope to see you writing more of your flash for the group.

    Denise

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  9. Very wonderful read! Evil! From first sentence to last your writing braids in all the foreshadowing and character and detailed events that make the story seamless and gorgeous and perfect. I look forward to reading more of your work.

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  10. thank you ma'am...smiles....hope you have a great saturday!

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  11. oh heck...great story telling myrna..so she's responsible for his two deaths then...ugh.how can she live with that...sorry that i somehow missed this...was a bit busy those last days...happy saturday!!

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  12. Great story, my friend. You are on a roll here.

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  13. I wasn't expecting that at the end! WOW! What a twist!

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  14. Great flash. Too much attention irritates and then rankles when withdrawn...she wanted a dog not a husband, I liked the fact that you made your nasty character the focal point.

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  15. This engaged me all the way through Myrna. I even felt suffocated by Michael. When I divorced my first husband, it was under similar circumstances - but I never sabotaged his brakes when he finally moved on, lol.

    This was well written, emotive, and the flow pulled me ever forward to read more. The ending was a neat twist, and made me giggle and agree :)

    .......dhole

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  16. Yes, I have known that too... resenting a guy because all of your friends thought you were stupid for breaking up with him.

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  17. Yikes!

    I like how different this story is in the way that men can sometimes seem perfect to outsiders, but the adoration is sometimes too much. And often seems to be more about themselves and their insecurities than it is about you.

    What a shocking ending, though! Wow.

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  18. Oh, this was good, liked the way it ended, so unexpected.;) The matters of love can lead people to do unspeakable things.;)
    Have a great week ahead dear Myrna,
    xoxo

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  19. I didn't know that you can write prose too ~ What a perfect ex he is ~ too much can be suffocating as well ~

    Nice twist at the ending, I didn't see it coming ~

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  20. What a finish - wasn't expecting that at all! Just today I was thinking of writing a post on people who love too much!

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