Morning all. I hope you had a fabulous weekend. Mine was pretty good but going from nearly 70 degrees to the mid thirties is about to do my head in. I’ve got a few early tulip leaves coming up already and I had to tent them over night. It’s like our seasons are on one giant roulette wheel. But hopefully the blankets saved the tulips. For now, we turn our attention to the morning prompt. So lets shake the weekend dust off our brains and see what we come up with. Timers set and off we go.
I love the short sentences as I never know where they are going to take me. I like the dynamic between these two. I don’t know yet whether Harry is deliberately trying to ruin something she likes or if it is just an effect, but there is a lot to play with and this was not really where I thought this was going to go. I love when that happens.
Monday, February 23rd: He hesitated.
He hesitated. She noted it.
“Of course I want to go,” he said.
“You don’t have to,” she told him. She heard the hesitation. Knew what it meant. “If it doesn’t interest you then you are welcome not to attend. Its fine,” she told him. “You don’t have to like it just because I do.”
She kept her tone light. She smiled. She almost crossed her fingers.
“No, I want to go,” he told her. “Really. I was just confused about the time that’s all I thought it was later for some reason.” He smiled. “I will be happy to go.”
He walked off.
‘Should have crossed my fingers,’ she thought. She could almost see what was going to happen. She had been through it enough times with Harry. If he didn’t want to attend something but thought he needed to, he would go. He would then make her miserable the entire time so that she couldn’t enjoy it.
She knew he didn’t want to go to the symphony. She knew he didn’t like the classical music she enjoyed. He had no interest in the performance. She was looking forward to hearing the concert live. The acoustics in this particular venue were spectacular and there were some truly excellent performers playing. It was one of her favorite symphonies, but she had somehow never managed to hear it performed live.
She had been looking forward to this for months.
She knew Harry would hate it. She told him he didn’t have to go when she was getting ready to buy her ticket. He insisted he wanted to accompany her. She purchased two tickets and hoped something would come up that made him feel like he could opt out. Nothing did.
‘Maybe it won’t be as bad as I fear.’ She told herself. In her mind she saw his hesitation. Knew he wanted to get out of it but hadn’t been able to come up with something fast enough.
‘Maybe he’ll invent an emergency before then.’
Time ticked away, speeding by. She began the process of getting ready, each second hoping Harry would have come up with some excuse to absent himself.
He didn’t. They drove to the venue together. Harry dressed up because she was dressing up. He tugged at his collar already uncomfortable.
“Look, you don’t have to come,” she said one last time. “I can easily get a ride home.”
“No, I want to come,” he insisted. “Besides I’m already in the suit.”
She smiled. They went inside. By the time they made it to their seats he had already whispered three unkind comments about other patrons, two about the venue and four about his own suit. They settled. He quieted when the music began.
It was just as glorious as she hoped and as she listened, she planned to purchase a recording as soon as the opportunity presented itself. Harry shifted, bored, clearly wanting to be anywhere but here. He stretched his legs kicking her in the ankle once. He looked as though he was trying to sit on a box of bees given how much shifting about he was doing in his seat. Intermission arrived.
The lights came up and people started to move.
“Thank god,” he whispered. He sighed heavily and she felt her temper snap. She looked to him; saw he was checking his watch.
“Leave,” she said.
“You want to go?” he looked at her hopefully.
“No, I want you to go. I want to enjoy the rest of the performance.”
He stared at her as though unable to process her words.
Ten til Midnight 