10. Two hands thrown expressively…
Today’s Prompt
10. Two hands thrown expressively into the air and an apologetic smile plastered across his face.
400 Creative Writing Prompts Workbook Story Prompts for Journaling, Blogging, and Overcoming Writer’s Block Compiled by Debra Chapoton All rights reserved Copyright © 2020 by Debra Chapoton
Response
Brad had been planning this day for the last three weeks. He wanted everything to be perfect. With the diagnosis and with Chastity’s school troubles, things had been so stressful he wanted a reminder of what it was like before, when he and Chris were newly in love and everything was easy, when they could spend an entire day in their tiny little apartment, never go anywhere, and yet laugh and cook and lounge and hold each other as if outside of time. And so when Brad noticed that Chastity had a birthday party sleepover with her friend Stacy on the calendar for the end of the month, he began to plot.
He slowly siphoned the funds he needed from their joint account in innocuous enough ATM withdrawals. He ordered roses. He explained what he was doing to Stacy’s mom who agreed to pick up Chastity from school with Stacy and take her directly home with them so he and Chris could have the entire day uninterrupted and alone. Brad made menu plans and then discarded them as too complicated for the simple time he wanted. Tickets went into online shopping carts and then were removed from those same carts, for the same reason. Anticipation built.
The hardest part of the scheme was getting Chris to stay home from work on a random weekday without spoiling the surprise. And so, Brad enlisted another co-conspirator: Marcia, Chris’ assistant. After explaining what he wanted to do, Marcia was all in. A self-proclaimed reality television junky who felt like her life was too boring, any opportunity to generate some drama got Marcia invested. Rather than just continue to talk on the phone, Marcia insisted they get together in person for a planning session (“a plotting sesh,” as she called it) over coffee and danish at her favorite hole in the wall bakery. While Brad thought it ridiculously unnecessary and over the top, he’d called Marcia and wanted her help so could put up with a little cloak and dagger if it kept Marcia invested and cooperating.
Ultimately, Marcia proved a frighteningly competent conspirator. Brad thought he’d need to fully debrief Chris about just how devious Marcia could be during their day together. Marcia decided the easiest way to manufacture a day at home for Chris was to manufacture a reason that the whole office would be closed for the day. After discarding more theatrical options like a bomb threat or active shooter scenario, they settled on a mold problem that would require the office to be empty for at least a couple days for remediation. Marcia also suggested that they spring it on him that morning rather than ahead of time, since Chris was the sort who would reach out to get permission to work from home. Marcia promised she would square the paperwork with the office about Chris taking a couple of personal days.
When the day finally arrived, Brad vibrated with excitement. He could barely contain himself when Chris marched back into their bedroom from taking a call from Marcia saying “You’re not gonna believe this…” All was going according to the plan.
Until Chris decided to get creative. “I think I’ll take the day to visit our satellite locations. I haven’t checked in with the folks there in too long. This is great opportunity to do that.”
“No!” Brad blurted, and immediately regretted it.
“No? Why not?” Chris asked.
Brad could have come clean right then and there, explained the whole set up and asked Chris to relax and enjoy their day together. Brad should have done that. But instead, he thought about how satisfying it would be for the special breakfast delivery to arrive while the two of them were sitting on the couch sipping their tea and for Brad to casually ask Chris who it might be and ask if Chris wouldn’t mind getting the door…
And so with visions of that delicious moment in his mind, Brad tried to lie. Of course, Brad was a terrible liar.
“I think… there’s mold in the satellite locations too,” and inside his own head screamed at himself What are you doing?
Chris quirked an eyebrow and tilted his head to the side, in that adorable way of nonverbally expressing both inquisitiveness and skepticism. “Why would you think that?”
“Because I read an article online that talked about how mold can be transported between places on people’s clothing and with people going back and forth between the main office and the other locations, I’m sure they must have spread it. I bet they shut down all the locations for remediation today. Do it all at once.” As Brad spun out this ridiculous argument, his voice grew faster and higher with every word.
Chris wasn’t falling for any of it and had already moved ahead into suspecting Brad of being up to something. “Okay, I’ll just call over to make sure you’re right about… all that. I don’t want to waste a day at home when I could be getting valuable work done.” There was now a slight twinkle in Chris’ eye.
“Nope, you can’t do that either,” Brad said, now sweating since he was committed to this course and wouldn’t easily be swayed from it.
“Oh? Why is that?” Chris asked slowly, with a slight upturn of one side of the lip.
“Because, with the remediation they’re turning off all the phones! Didn’t Marcia mention to you that you couldn’t call in today? See, they want to make sure that no one is even tempted to be there so they’re turning off the phones and internet.”
“How do you know all that?”
“I… I… happened to talk to Marcia yesterday and she mentioned it.”
Chris looked up, “Now that’s interesting, because Marcia told me this morning that she’d just learned about the mold this morning which is why she didn’t call me sooner but that I should enjoy my ‘surprise day off’ were the words she used.”
Brad stared at Chris, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.
“What’s going on Brad?”
Two hands thrown expressively into the air and an apologetic smile plastered across his face, Brad caved, “Okay okay, there’s no mold!”
