Jacqueline was drifting in and out of consciousness, the area she would call the in-between. Hers would come with a semi-conscientious state happening simultaneously with REM sleep. The REM sleep usually included a dream of falling or losing her footing that would jolt her entire body as if she had received an electrical shock.
She was swimming away from a waterfall and her arms felt like lead, the harder she tried the closer she came to the edge. She jolted awake for a nanosecond.
She moved her arms to her side. The soreness was beginning to set in. Free form thoughts began to flow as if highlighting a group of paragraphs and pressing the delete key for those not needed to commit to memory.
Conversations. Natalie. It was so easy to talk. Jacqueline realized that a 20 year marriage had stripped her of close intimate conversations with other women. All of her friend relationships were mostly superficial. She couldn't place all of the blame on her ex. She felt as if married life was socially scripted for the couple to be each other's best friend. Therefore, she acted the part to her own detriment.
"Judging from those texts you received, I'd say your ex is quite an asshole," Natalie declared while sipping her tea, "How could you have stayed with him so long?"
Jacqueline exhaled and tried to form a profound answer.
"Fear," she sighed, "Not fear of him. Fear of divorce. My dad left my mother when I was 16. I hated him for it. He and I were never close anyway. He was a self absorbed person. Short version—-it messed with my head and I swore it would never happen to me because I was too smart to fall into the trap."
"You didn't want Joey to have to experience the same."
"Sure didn't. And he got it worse. I don't think I can ever forgive myself for that."
She moved in her sleep. As quickly as the conversation entered her space, it escaped. A lighter thought entered.
"She is gorgeous!" Jacqueline admired as Natalie presented a picture of her girlfriend on her phone, "What's her name?"
"Siree", Natalie answered,"Pronounced like Marie but with an S instead of an M."
"Her name sounds ethereal, calming." Jacqueline stated while handing back the phone, "How long have the two of you been together?"
"Oh, about 2 years. I think she's the one"
"How in the hell does she put up with you?"
"Kiss my ass! I happen to make great partner material. She gets me."
"I get you, too. I wouldn't want to put up with you 24/7."
"Oh I see. You trying to work that LAST nerve. Forget it. I wouldn't be with you if you were the last woman on earth."
"Something on which we can both agree!"
Natalie flipped the bird. Jacqueline laughed. She got Natalie to blow her cool.
Fade out.
She turned on her side, aches beginning to come to the surface.
"You went to Paisley Park this morning? You know Prince is a night owl. What, you were going to work on his 'morning wood'?" Natalie slipped in a surprisingly loud voice.
Jacqueline's eyes widened as she dropped her fork.
"So your nephew at Morning Wood Academy is camping in the uh, park tonight to study owls?" Jacqueline interrupted in the same volume, eyeing the horizon to ensure no one's interest was piqued.
"Does your larynx come with volume control or do you always have the knob turned to 11?" Jacqueline hissed, "Keep your voice down, especially when I'm telling you my deepest secrets——you might be floating to the outer rim of my circle of trust"
YOU ARE READING
Dear Mr. Fantasy
FanficJacquline Juliet Kenny had witnessed a dramatic end to life as she knew it. Infidelity is known as death by 1000 cuts. How would she survive after her 20 year marriage went belly up? A chance encounter at a pharmacy leads to a night spent at Pais...
