Darcy's life is not turning out at all as she expected. While her brother is getting married, moving to the big city, and getting job promotions, everything she touches seems to turn to dust. Pressure from her family to settle down causes her to g...
"What am I going to do, Wanda?" Darcy's forehead hit the top of the chrome edged table with a thump. "I can't keep lying to my family about this, but how humiliating to tell them I made up a significant other! Who else is this pathetic?"
The waitress at the diner patted her on the back and slipped into the booth across from her. "It'll be alright," she tried to sound reassuring, but while her words were hopeful, they were set to the tune of despair.
"If only," Darcy looked into the weather-beaten face of the woman across from her. Wanda was just over the threshold of middle age. Her dark hair came straight out of a bottle purchased at the Dollar General every eight weeks. She had large, inquisitive, brown eyes and a ready smile though her life had been peppered by sorrow. Creases which were the result of years of trial coupled with her constant positive grin formed around her mouth and at the corners of her eyes, and as always, she wore an artificial daisy behind her right ear.
When she looked into the eyes of her aging friend, it felt like the ghost of Christmas future was holding up a mirror and pointing a long, bony finger in her face saying, 'This is you in twenty years...tired, alone, and working your fingers to the bone.'
"If you could have seen Grandma Trudy's face...so much hope." Darcy wailed. "She's older than dirt in dog years! What if she has a heart attack and keels over dead when I tell her there never was any Preston?"
"You know there is a simple solution to this, and it's staring you in the face, right?" Wanda raised a conniving eyebrow in her direction causing her to adopt the faintest glimmer of hope.
"How long have you been sitting on this idea? Tell me!"
"All you have to do is find a boyfriend. You can hire one or find one off Craigslist. Better yet...get a real one; I hear they're handy to have around, especially if they own a pickup truck. You've got twenty-five days; you have enough time to be a little picky." Wanda's waxy, red lips split into a toothy smile.
"But I told them his name is Preston. What if I'm only able to scare up a Roger or Dwight?"
"Just tell him he has to be Preston for the weekend. No big deal. Or else, he could get his name legally changed...that only costs like seventy-five bucks."
"I'm not going to ask you how you know that," Darcy could not suppress a chuckle.
"We'd both be better off if I kept that part of my past a secret," Wanda smiled impishly.
"It would be best to find a real boyfriend," Darcy tapped her chin thoughtfully.
"You could save some money, rentals can't be cheap," Wanda nodded.
"Where would I get one? It's not like there is a Boyfriends 'R Us where I can pick up the latest model."
"Now this is where I shine," Wanda's face lit with excitement. "I watch that game show, Love Connection, religiously. They always recommend doing something you enjoy to find people that enjoy the same thing."
"How?"
"Well, if you like classical music, go to the symphony, and you'll meet other people who are into it...you know...stuff like that."
"Is there a club for staying home in your PJs watching Netflix? I'd sign up for a club like that." Darcy giggled.
"No, silly! There must be something you are passionate about." Wanda's face was full of enthusiasm giving her a fresher more youthful appearance. "If you could start completely over, what would you want to do with your life."
"I would be a veterinarian," she was shocked how ready the answer came, and her heart ached to think how far she was from living her dream.
"I don't think we have time for you to join the army," Wanda sighed in resignation.
"I didn't say veteran, I said veterinarian. You know, an animal doctor." Darcy couldn't help but smile at her friend's mistake.
"Oh, now that we can work with," Wanda clapped her hands together with glee. "Just volunteer at the animal shelter. There are probably a lot of hunks just waiting for a girl like you to show up and give them a hand."
"Seriously? You think it will be as easy as that?" A new hope sprang up in Darcy's heart replacing the tangled wreckage of unfulfilled dreams.
"Of course it will. You're beautiful! And when some dog-lover finds out you have a heart underneath all that red hair...you'll have to beat off guys with a stick."
"You make me sound as hairy as Esau," Darcy laughed. "What if it doesn't work?"
"Then you still have plenty of time to hire someone. There are a lot of desperados on Craigslist that will do anything for a buck." Wanda shrugged. "You'll just have to cross that bridge when you get there."
"I guess I'm off to the animal shelter in the morning," Darcy slung her purse over her shoulder and stood to leave.
"Good luck, sweetie," Wanda waved. "I'm rooting for ya!"
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Just thought I'd give you a little idea of how I picture Darcy in my mind. Have a very Merry Christmas!!!
