Prompt Rules:
Welcome to the Saturday Mix – Story Starter, 15 June 2024!
You will be given a sentence to start off your response. It is your choice whether you write using poetry or prose.
Your story starter for this week is:
- Gary pushed “send” on the email and hoped for the best…
Good luck with your ‘Story Starter’ – I can’t wait to see what you come up with! Don’t forget to tag ‘Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie’, ‘Saturday Mix’, and hashtag #StoryStarter.
As always, make sure you link to your fabulous creation via the comments or pingback.
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The Not So Private Email
By Tessa Dean June 2024
Gary pushed send on the email and hoped for the best. There, that’s done, Gary thought, unable to suppress a sigh. He worried Maggie would be upset since they had never discussed this. He just wanted out of all the drama before someone else found out about them, especially his wife, who worked in the office next to his. Way too close for comfort.
Just then, his wife, Lori, barged into his office crying. What’s she upset about?
“What’s up, Lori?” Gary asked his sobbing wife.
“How could you do this to me? Everyone knows our business.”
“What do you mean everyone knows our business? What business?”
You sent a personal email to everyone at work. You told Maggie that you loved her and were going to divorce me. When were you going to tell me? I know things haven’t been ideal, but you never let on that you were so unhappy that you were leaving me for another woman, especially Maggie, who is the company whore.”
“Whoa there, Lori, she is not a whore.”
“What would you call a woman who will sleep with anyone, especially her boss?”
“She doesn’t sleep around. We have been seeing each other for 2 years now. Besides, you have your own boyfriend. Did you think I didn’t know about him? I have known about the two of you since I started seeing Maggie. Your seeing him was the reason I started to date Maggie. You hurt me when you did that, so we started talking and dating.”
Lori shut up. She hadn’t realized that he knew about her boyfriend. He never said anything, but she could see why now since he had been seeing Maggie. “We might as well see Maggie now and get this over with. I am not going to contest the divorce. It will be great to be out of this marriage. I will have my lawyer contact yours once we each have a lawyer. Let me know who you choose so we can get different lawyers.” She left his office, still sniffling and blowing her nose on a tissue, and headed down the hall to Maggie’s office.
Suddenly, Maggie became aware of the rumble of talking through her closed door. Wondering what was going on, she walked to the door and opened it. Mark and his wife, Lori, were standing there looking very unhappy. Lori was crying. “What’s going on?” she said to the pair.
“How could you?” Lori asked her with tears running down her face.
“How could I what?” she asked the pair standing before her.
Lori reached over to slap her on the face. “How could you sleep with my husband?”
Maggie rubbed the spot where the slap had landed. Boy, that hurt, she thought.
“What are you talking about?” Maggie asked her, and she knew he had done something wrong by the look on Mark’s face. And how did Lori find out? They had been so discreet.
Mark said between clenched lips, “I mistakenly sent that email to the whole company, not just you. Thanks to that stupid email, everyone knows about us.
Maggie sucked in her breath as what he said got through to her. The whole company? How had he managed that? What email? She hadn’t checked her email yet this morning.
She looked at the couple before her, Lori sobbing and Mark furious, just standing there with a confused look on his face. “I haven’t checked my email this morning, so I don’t know what you are talking about.” She wished she were anywhere but here. This wasn’t her fault, except that she knew sleeping with the boss was never a good move. She had been there before. Why did she think this time would be different?
“I will pack up my things and go. I never meant for this to happen.”
“Maggie, wait! The email said that I loved you and was going to divorce Lori. That is why she is so upset. She doesn’t love me and has her own boyfriend. She just doesn’t want to lose my money. I want us to be together. Please don’t leave.”
“Maggie looked at Mark and said, “You really are leaving Lori for me?”
“Yes, I love you, not her.”
Maggie rushed to his outstretched arms to kiss him. She couldn’t be happier, although she still felt bad for Lori and would have preferred more privacy. Now, they didn’t have to sneak around anymore.
Tessa –
Advocate for mental health and invisible illnesses
New Author’s Website – http://www.tessadeanauthor.com
Author – Old Writing – http://www.finallyawriter.wordpress.com
About my life – http://www.tessacandoit.wordpress.com
Tessa Dean - Author 