Not Gonna Fail This Time
You have a date with Evelyn Carlson by 7pm at The Ritzer. You'll thank me later. Don't be late.
Theo frowned, staring at the text message from his father until the words blurred. Born into a wealthy, controlling family weighed on him from childhood and his father was determined not to let him off the hook.
His jaw tightened as he deleted the text without replying. The nerve of his father to behave as though the matter had already been decided. He would stand his ground and was not gonna fail this time, he thought, slipping his phone into his pocket. He won't marry a stranger.
He walked towards a rust-bitten bar overlooking the harbor which welcomed locals and surfers who wanted to forget their problems for a while. The bartender hailed him and slid him a glass of bourbon. “Long day?” he asked.
Theo gulped down half the glass in one swallow. “You could say that,” he replied. By the third bourbon, his anger had softened into resignation. He ordered another glass when a woman's voice broke through the haze.
“Mind if I sit here? Every other table's taken.” Theo glanced at her. She wore a navy coat over a simple black dress that shaped her figure, her brown hair twisted into a sleek chignon. She wasn't the prettiest in the room but her elegance and the calm confidence in her eyes made him nod. She thanked him and ordered whiskey. He arched his brow. “Rough evening?”
A dry laugh escaped her. “That’s one way to put it, I think.” Their drinks arrived together and she raised hers and said softly, “To disappointing our parents.”
Theo chuckled, raising his drink. “I’ll drink to that!”
“I was supposed to be on a blind date.” She confessed, wincing from the burn in her throat. ”My dad arranged the date, can you believe that?”
He snorted. “I can. My father fixed a date for me too. It's crazy. My family has a talent for arranging my life.”
“That sounds familiar, believe me.”
A comfortable silence rather than awkward settled between them. It felt good to speak aloud to a complete stranger and she looked at him with unexpected understanding.
“I’m not a child anymore and will only date someone I know,” he added. “My mother says love grows after marriage.”
“And you believe that?” She asked incredulously.
“I don't know anymore.”
She traced the rim of her glass with one finger. “I only know I don't want my life decided in boardrooms and family dinners.”
Theo found himself studying her face. She wasn't dramatic or angry, just tired. They talked for a bit and joked about disappearing together to scare their families. He realised he hadn't smiled this much in weeks. When she checked her wristwatch and started to slip on her coat, he wished she didn't have to go.
He helped her with her coat and they walked out of the bar together. The cool ocean air greeted them with the distant sound of crashing waves. For a moment, they gazed at the rushing waters.
“I never caught your name,” Theo said with a smile, extending his hand.
She chuckled. “How could we talk all night without knowing each other's name? I'm Evelyn Carlson.”
Theo froze, his smile fading. “I'm Theo…Branson.”
Her eyes widened, and for a long moment, they stared at each other. Then she let out a soft, disbelieving laugh and shook her head at the irony before shaking his hand. In that instant, they realised that the one person they had spent the entire evening trying to avoid was also the one who understood them better than anyone else.
I hope you enjoyed reading this short piece. It's inspired by the Freewrite #dailyprompt phrase "not gonna fail this time".
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