For the last few years, I've shared a short story here on my blog, one piece a day for the week of my birthday. And once a person starts a tradition like that, she can't really stop, can she? So, I've written one for you this year based on something that really happened to my husband and me this summer. I'll let you guess which parts are true and which are made up. Enjoy! Here's part one. “I don’t want a bunch of stuff for my birthday.” Could there be any scarier statement than that? Chris could almost hear the threat between the words. He lowered the book he’d been reading and waited for Jane to drop the bomb. “What? Don’t give me that look. It’s true.” Jane’s pretty lips took on the pout that always made him want to kiss her, no matter what crazy plot she had brewing. Best to get it out at once instead of letting her torture him with all sorts of imaginings. “So, what do you want?” Please don’t say a puppy. “Well ...” A certain look entered her blue eyes, telling him what was coming might be worse than a new pet. “Know how we’ve been talking about replacing the microwave over the stove?” He tried to contain the groan, but evidently didn’t keep it all in because her eyebrows furrowed and her fists landed on her hips. “Christopher Blake, you know I’m right. You can’t even open the thing without the handle flying off. And the three button only works about a third of the time so I can’t ever cook something for only thirty seconds. It’s time.” Chris set his book aside and ran his hands over his face. “I know. I’m just not sure it’s going to be as easy as you seem to think it’ll be. We might need to go ahead and pay to have someone do it.” “Oh, I’ve been watching YouTube videos. See?” She held her phone screen out where several videos were queued, ready to go. “It doesn’t look that hard at all. We just unscrew the top in the cabinet, then lift it off the back piece. Then, we’ll just need to make sure the new one fits on the frame and put it up in reverse order. Easy peasy.” “Easy peasy.” His voice didn’t match the optimism in his wife’s. Nothing was ever as simple as she thought it would be. Especially nothing involving electricity. Hadn’t the ceiling fan incident of the year before been proof enough he shouldn’t be allowed to touch things that plugged in? “Come on. Think about it. My birthday is the week before Labor Day which means everything should be on sale. We’ll get a good deal, trade it out, and I’ll be able to cook without having to pry the microwave open without a handle.” “It’s great in theory.” Chris knew the microwave needed to be replaced. Had needed it for a while now. And Jane never made things this easy when asking for a gift. Normally, she made him guess. He blew out a huff of resignation. “When do you want to go shopping?” Jane squealed and pounced on the sofa beside him. “I’ve already been checking out models at two local stores to see what’s in stock. I’ve narrowed it down to this one or this one or this one.” Her nimble fingers quickly flew through the pictures on her phone. There was no way he’d be able to tell her a single thing about any of them, but honestly, he didn’t care what the microwave looked like so long as it could reheat a cup of coffee or some leftovers. He shook his head and reached for his shoes he’d kicked off less than an hour before. “I’m guessing you want to see them in person before you decide?” “Don’t you think it’s better that way?” He stood and pulled her up, too. “Let’s go shopping.” Stop by tomorrow for the next piece of this story. Do you think things are really going to be as "easy peasy" as Jane says they will?
2 Comments
Christy
8/23/2021 09:32:45 am
Oh boy! Can’t wait to see how this goes. Many years as a DIYer have taught me that no project is as easy as it may seem. Looking forward to the next part of this story.
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Amy R Anguish
8/23/2021 02:26:46 pm
I'm glad you're enjoying it so far! Hang tight. You might be right. ;-)
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