This time we (we being A modicum of insanity and Slightly Sideways), decided to do a picture prompt. I gave Jon a cute and cuddly kitten, and he rewarded me with a wonderful tale involving some of his more...interesting characters.
Maybe he can help me figure out how to make this blasted thing work...here is the girl with the red umbrella. My 75 million engineering degrees can't figure out how to work the blogger images.
This is based off an idea that I've had kicking around in my mind for a while now.
Lily clutched her red umbrella closer as she crossed the street to her building. The rain and wind seemed to be mocking her today, and she almost wondered if they were telling her that she was making a dreadful mistake. Or perhaps, this was their blessing? A day of turmoil on the day she would resign from her job and further throw her life into free fall. She sighed, and shivered, as she hopped up onto the curb.
She figured it was a longtime coming. She thought back to that fateful day, two weeks ago, when she left her ring and her keys on the kitchen table before walking out of her apartment, and her fiance's life. It was an ordinary Tuesday. Well, not so much for Lily, and Nate knew that, but still didn't arrive home until long after Lily had retired to bed. Had he even bothered to come to the bedroom. If he did, he would have noticed Lily was still awake, and maybe they could have talked, maybe things would have turned out differently.
It was then Lily made her decision. Her bags had been half packed for weeks now, it took her twenty minutes to finish. Keys on the table, next to the ring, one last touch and kiss on his cheek and Lily was walking out of his life.
They hadn't really talked since then. Did he not care, or was he simply too busy? Lily wasn't sure. She thought back to the early days, after they had met, the long hours they had sat awake huddled around his computer, solving the next big problem before it had even started. It had gotten Nate a series of promotions, not that Lily minded. Most of the ideas were his anyway, she had just given them a bit of a spin to make them work.
It was more his attitude that changed along with his job title. Suddenly, he was concerned what everyone thought of him, and in turn, Lily. Lily, why don't you take this job? Lily, why don't you cut your hair this way? Lily, why don't you wear this dress? She was done with it. Several weeks prior, she was waiting to pick her up to go to yet another boring business dinner where she would sit and smile and nod and try to converse with the other ladies. She wouldn't speak of anything remotely intelligent, and she would play the little games. Lily wasn't stupid, and she wasn't ugly either. It was easy to mistake her as a trophy instead of a partner.
Nathan had called and asked what she was wearing. The black dress with the blue stripes. No Lily, wear the green dress. Nate, I'm wearing the black dress, I don't want to wear the green dress. Lily, I said wear the green dress. It looks better on you. I don't have time to argue with you, and if you aren't wearing the green dress when I get home, I'm going to be very upset.
Lily didn't feel like fighting. She put on the stupid green dress, and plastered a smile on her face that night. She wasn't surprised at all when Nathan came home and went into his office, with a peck on her cheek and a mumbled good night. They weren't living any more, they were existing. Lily didn't like what Nathan had become, and she didn't like the road she was heading down.
Lily shook off her red umbrella and smiled as she entered the lobby. Tonight, after she resigned, she would cut her hair. Then, after she was finished with that soul sucking place, she would dye it pink. Lily had no idea what she was going to do with herself, but she was determined to have some fun figuring it out.
