Short Stories

How You Met Him

 My parents and I were on vacation in Australia. The view from my hotel room was so beautiful. We have been coming here once a year since I can remember because it's where they meet twenty - six years ago and they're sappy like that.

As I sat in a chair out on the balcony I heard my dad say, "Sweetheart, you don't have to stay cooped up in this room. Go on and go out. Have fun. I'll have the driver take you to the mall, movies, beach, or wherever you want to go. You're not being held hostage," he said with a slight chuckle.

"Well, you see Dad, I would love to go to the beach. Go actual shopping at the mall or even window shopping. Or even spend time by myself watching a movie, but I'm afraid that if I do then you'll tell me once I return that we'll have to leave. So my excuse is I don't have a clean bathing suit and I'm not going to go buy one and wear it without washing it. I also don't feel like shopping or going to the movies. But thanks dad," I replied gazing at the horizon.

As he turned to walk into the other room he said, "It was going to be a family dinner. Because we have to fly home early in the morning, so it's room service and then bed."

"See I knew this would happen. Every time. That's why I never left the room. I was just waiting on those six words!" I yelled annoyed. "We only just got here a week ago. I've been sick the whole time and I am just getting better and only had one day."

"It's a work thing," my mother chimed in.

It was always a work thing. When we were in Greece and had to come home early it was a work thing. The same thing happened in Paris, England, Venice, and now here. All these vacations we had when I wasn't sick. All the time I was off having fun with some people I had made friends with. This trip, however, this trip I had planned out to a tee. I was not going to make friends and not going to have any fun until we made it past a week. Fortunately, the plan worked. We made it to a week and a half. Unfortunately, I was so stupid to have thought of such a crappy plan. I had no fun. Spent my time reading and watching Netflix.

In my anger, I got up from my seat, grabbed my purse, and bolted out of the hotel room. In my haste to put as much distance between me, them and the hotel I ended up running into someone. This, someone, was quick to apologize like it was his fault. Like he ran into me. "I'm sorry," he said.

"It's fine. My fault. I wasn't watching where I was going," I replied.

"No, no. Completely my fault. I was on my phone not looking up," he replied back. We kept taking turns saying who's fault it was for a good five minutes. Until he looked me dead in the eyes and said, "It was my fault. Let me take the blame. Please?"

I hurried and wiped away my tears. "Fine. You can take the blame. If you want it," I said as I made my way around him.

As I made my way down the sidewalk I heard him yelling after me. "Miss? Hey, Miss. Are you alright?"

I stared at him. This man, this stranger asking me if I was okay. To ask a complete stranger if she was alright. He didn't have to, but he did. And honestly, I was thankful, but I didn't want to tell a person that I didn't know what I was upset about. I didn't want to tell him that the whole reason I was crying or that I had been crying was because I got upset at my father for cutting our vacation short for a 'work thing'.

But I sighed as we walked over to a bench to talk. "Well, it's petty. This I am one hundred percent sure of," I said before I continued. "Okay. So, for the past like twenty - six years my parents have had this tradition to come to Australia because it's where they had met. They would stay a couple of weeks. Since I've been on the earth, which is twenty years, they continued with the tradition. Only they expanded it to one month. But the last, oh I don't know, five years they cut it down to a week," I sat there explaining. He sat there taking it all in or that's what it seems like. "They always use the excuse 'it's a work thing' to go home early. And frankly, I'm getting tired of it. So that's why I was walking hastily, crying, and ran into you. Which I'm sorry about."

He turned his head to look out into the horizon. I took a deep breath then said, "Now don't hate me. But have you ever thought that maybe it is a work thing? Or maybe they just don't have the money like they used to? Or maybe they are trying to make something work that hasn't been there for a while?"

I looked at my hands then to him then back at my hands. But when he said that last part my head snapped up fast. "Oh my gosh. I never thought that maybe they have grown apart." I stood up in a flash. "I'm sorry to cut this short and you have been a big help. But I think I need to go talk to my pare- Never mind because my father is coming and thanks," I said, shaking his hand telling him my name.

He stood up. "You are very welcome," he said with a smile as he walked off offering me his hand again. When he removed it from mine a piece of paper was left and on it was his name and number. "I was going to give it to a girl I see in the coffee shop every day, but I think you need it more.

"Oh I do, do I?" I laughed. "I think it best to give it to her, I wouldn't use it."

"Keep it. Maybe one day you will," he said matter factly as he pointed behind me.

Someone cleared their throat. I looked and it was my dad. "Look Sweetheart we need to talk."

" I know dad. So why not sit here and talk."

So we sat, but talking wasn't happening. Finally, I said "Dad answer this seriously. Is there something going on with you and mom?"

All he did was stare into the horizon with tears streaming down his cheek. And at that moment I knew. At that moment without him saying a word I knew he was going to tell me they were getting a divorce. 

-Artemis