One Sided

“Will you marry me?”, he asked confidently, flashing his 100-watt smile, as though he was very sure of what the reply was.

         Nancy’s ears turned an angry red colour at the memory as she bit her bottom lip, letting loose a disbelieving, almost mad giggle. She remembered the beautiful boat ride he had taken her on, when he popped the question. She hurriedly looks around, making sure no one was watching, then she softly kissed her 21-carat ring, her plump lips touching the cold, smooth, enticing surface of the fat diamond that sat atop the silver band. She sighed contentedly, leaning back against the hard, wooden chair of the little corner coffee shop, which had been her escape to place for around 2 whole years now. 2 life-changing, blessed years. She shook her head cynically, recalling 21-year-old Nance, who in this very chair of this very shop, wept her heart out, trying desperately to wash it free of the evil and unjustness of this hell, which was what she thought of the world. Who would ever wish to love me? She had thought back then, I’m going to die a lonely death as a spinster with 5 cats. She laughed in the present, ridiculing the thought. This caused several customers and passerbys to turn their head and stare at her dubiously. Previously, she would have ducked her head and blushed, but today, today was different. Today not even her red-haired, fire breathing boss could ruin her spirit.

Who would imagine that Nancy Stephenson, the timid, bashful Nance would be the lucky fiancee, of Mark Woods? Mrs. Woods. Mrs. Nancy Woods, she thought giddily. Would Daddy approve? She wondered. Of course he would. Who wouldn’t really? 6’’1, dirty blonde hair swept across his forehead in a smooth wave, a signature stylized blazer and $850 branded shoes. Throw in the charm and irresistible grin, and there you have it.

         She gave one last satisfied look at her ring finger and cupped her hands around the warm golden-white cup of frappuccino coffee, with whipped cream on top-her usual favorite. Sunshine streamed in through the wide windows, which the customers could stare out of, but the pedestrians couldn’t peer into. This was what she liked about this place. The secrecy, the reticence, the mystery. It was situated in a tucked away corner, out of sight from the busy, forever ongoing crowd of the main street. She walked up and out of this secret heaven, wrapping her cream scarf around her fair neck and tucking her long, dark chocolate brown hair into her bright red beret. She set off into a light skip, bouncing in her white flat bottoms, daydreaming about the endless possibilities of the exciting, distant future.

*******
         He flopped back onto the leather couch dramatically, like a soldier struck in the chest. He lifted the remote lazily, and switched channels, his eyes scanning over the changing screens, not paying any special attention to its content. He sighed tiredly, and rubbed his bleary eyes. Beneath the couch, strewn were at least 15 empty cans of beer, Chinese takeout boxes that reeked, and pillboxes, right in front of him as a reminder of his pathetic excuse of a life.

         Mark Woods. Girls, in his college days had swooned at the mere mention of his name and still did. In the office, the ladies adored him, greeting him over-enthusiastically every morning. He couldn't care less. He hadn’t seen them for 5 days now. He hadn’t been to the office for almost a week. A week, ever since he proposed to Nancy Stephenson. Brown haired, angelic, pure-hearted Nance. They had met just 4 months ago, at the local bar. “I’m good actually, I’m just waiting for a friend,” he had heard a soft, bubbly voice speak nervously to the bartender, who was shamelessly forcing a drink into her hands. No doubt, he swooped in as a valiant saviour, always the ladies’ man. Something about Nancy left a burning impression on him, after their first date at a park with cherry blossom trees, just as she liked. Her kind heart, her innocence, her fragility, she was the ideal girl his parents would picture next to him. All the girls he brought home had been shunned and brutally rejected by his parents, but when Nancy worked her charm, they were enchanted, like flies into a bright light.