Monday, June 27, 2016
The Forlorn Belle
Category: Short StoryA graceful, sad beauty, she sits at her piano, upset, thinking of all that has gone wrong. She wants to pour her heart out in song, but cannot find the notes, the serene beauty, of the words to express her torment and pain, her anguish, her desperation and depression. Her big recital night had finally come, and the love of her life had not bothered to even show up.
Once upon a time, not so distant, she had been the center of his universe, when he courted her. Her mere presence, her simple smile or her laughter, when she reacted to his silly, playful jokes, used to instantly make him burn with desire for her. But that desire had died under a mountain of paperwork in an endless quest for power and money.
Oh, he chased her for quite some time, she had not given in that easily. Their courtship lasted over two years. But the more that she fought his advances, the more aloof she remained, the harder he fought for her. She enjoyed the attention, relished in the lavish gifts and endless romantic pursuits, but most of all, she simply enjoyed being the center of his universe, the thing that drove another human life to want to live, and she knew that this feeling, this exhilaration, this pursuit of life and shared happiness, must be love, so she finally gave in. After the marriage, it didn’t take long for things to change.
He became president of a large corporation, a position he had sought for years. They were celebrated in upper class social circles, enjoyed the material joy that wealth could bring. But over the next few years, he became busier and busier, fighting political ghosts at the job, working hard to grow the large company into an unstoppable monopoly. It became his soul conquest, as she had once been. She realized, more and more at social engagements, that she was just another trophy for him, another beautiful piece of jewelry for him to wear in public, to honor his great tenacity and prowess.
Depression set in and they began to argue more and more. Finally, she had enough of being ignored, she felt used and manipulated. Unbeknownst to her, her husband had tried to do a wonderful thing for her. He organized a recital for her as part of a grand birthday party. She was to play her beloved piano and share her birthday with loved ones, family and friends. Most importantly, she was to play for and share a wonderful birthday with her husband again. She felt as though, perhaps, she was still the center of his universe, she still meant more to him than anything, and that perhaps he was working hard to become a business tycoon for her and for their future again. Finally her big night arrived. The excitement proved too much for her to endure. Guests started pouring in, and before long all of her loved ones were there… except for her husband, who would not make it home in time for her recital. There had been a problem at work, one he could not put off, and he stayed at the office taking care of business.
She was devastated. It was beyond obvious, her concerns were no longer as important as his, at least not to him. She was tired of the endless disappointment. This was the last straw, she understood that at last, this was not love at all, just a convenient union, one that she decided to end for good. After the recital, after she poured her heart and soul into the music she would play for all those who truly cared for her, she would break it to the world, she was filing for divorce.
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