Road to Anywhere

Eclipse of the Heart

Story written for "Gloves Up | A Multi-Genre Smackdown Contest", Round 1.1 (June 2022). Genre: Romance.

Story word count = 1495

Eventually, every deception unravels.

I gasped as Constance Hadley, my personal demon, met me in the alley behind the grocery store as I emerged after a night stocking shelves. Arms crossed, she carried an 'I-caught-you' grin on her perfectly made-up face.

With long styled blonde hair, a fashionable short black dress, and a barbie-doll body, she looked like a model, even before dawn. Unlike me. My dark hair was tied in a frazzled ponytail, and I wore tattered jeans and a dirty t-shirt, looking like, well, not a model.

"What do you want, Constance?" I blurted out with narrowed eyes, not bothering to hide my contempt.

I knew what she wanted — Jake. The handsome, rich man who showed an interest in me, the poor girl from the wrong side of the tracks who pretended not to be, the girl with a dark secret.

Jake and I met literally by accident.

A screech of tires, a crash, and a scream outside the community college library caught my attention. From what I learned in my classes, hoping to one day earn an Emergency Medical Technician certification, I knew what to do. Direct pressure applied to the leg gash of the terrified pre-teen girl stemmed the spurting blood flow from a severed artery. "Call 911!" I ordered a gawking bystander.

After the ambulance crew took over, I slunk away, hoping no one would notice my blood smeared clothing. For someone with my dark past, public attention was not a good thing.

A week later, he showed up at the library, a bandaged girl holding his hand. She pointed me out. "That's her!"

Tall, muscular, and handsome, he could turn most women's eyes. A warm smile melted through the barriers around my heart. "I can't thank you enough for saving my little sister's life," he said. "May we take you out for dinner?"

I was decidedly under-dressed for the fancy restaurant, but they didn't seem to mind. Pleasant conversation flowed like water, overflowing with laughter. Jake told me he worked at a prestigious architectural firm and served on several charity boards. By subtle probing, we each determined that the other was single and unattached.

That's when the lies started. Ashamed of my past, I created a false persona: a traveling nurse, new to the city, living in a ritzy apartment block overlooking the botanical gardens. Someone much more desirable than the real me.

As we parted, he took up my hand. "Gwen, I would like to see you again."

I couldn't believe my luck. "Are you asking me on a date?"

That smile melted my heart again. "Yes, I am. So, may I take you out on a date?"

"No," I answered. My straight lips transitioned to a smile. "But I will take you out. Meet me here Friday at four-thirty? Dress casual."

Jake lifted his eyebrows. "What do you have in mind?"

I flashed a sly grin. "You'll see." To have a chance with Jake, I knew I had to do something different. Also, it was a test.

"I came by to see you, Gwen." Constance replied with a sickeningly sweet smile.

"Lucky me," I deadpanned.

"Or should I say, Laura Gwendolyn Diaz?"

A tremor crawled down my spine. She knew.

Constance could barely hide her glee. "Oh, what I found. Not only are you a slum girl, but you have a juvie record a mile long, and the best part, an outstanding felony warrant. You've been such a bad girl."