As I was leaving my favorite fish and chips place, I bumped into an old friend. I waited for him to get his food and we sat outside eating and catching up. He was doing well but had recently stopped seeing a woman he enjoyed spending time with – one of those ‘friends with benefits’ things. I’m not one to judge; I’ve had many of those myself. Easy come, easy go.
“Tom, the worst mistake we make in these relationships is getting too attached. There’s no point beating ourselves up over the breaks” I told my friend, popping a chip into my mouth.
“Funny thing is, Brian, I didn’t break it off; she did.”
“How’d ya feel about that?” I asked him.
“You know, mate, I didn’t believe she’d do it” Tom replied somewhat wistfully. “She’d broken things off before but we always got back together. We were drawn to each other like magnets. She was special – different, older, sexy as hell. She was a one off, Bri, not someone you easily forget.”
“What then?” I questioned.
“She had some ‘issues’ that were pressing on her greatly. She needed to deal with them, straighten out her life, so she made the break. And this time she meant it. You know, mate, it’s silly but I miss her and I keep expecting to hear from her.”
“She misses you too, Tom.”
“Yeah, and how would you know that, Brian?” Tom asked suspiciously, surprise and curiosity peeking through his hooded eyes.
“Because I know who she is. It’s Sophie. She works with my sister Nan and she’s been over the house a few times. I heard them talking” I answered my friend.
“Did ya now? Brian, tell me what you heard.”
“You sure, Tom?” I asked and he nodded in assent.
“Sophie told Nan she thought she’d be able to have an ongoing casual relationship with you but it got intense, it got real. She said she couldn’t handle the pressure of your relationship any longer.”
Tom sat there toying with his food, lost in thought.
“Listen, mate.” I interrupted Tom’s reverie. “Sophie told Nan something else.”
Tom glanced up at me as if he just realized I was there. “And what might that be, Brian?”
“Sophie said hooking up with you was easy. Letting you go was torture. But they were two of the best decisions she ever made. She said she’d never forget you.”
Tom managed a half smile and we ate our food in silence.
“Good fish and chips, eh mate?” I said after a few minutes.
“Yeah. That they are, Bri” Tom replied.
We finished our meal talking about our plans for the weekend, gave each other a bro hug and went our separate ways. When I looked back, Tom was having a good laugh with our friend Ian.
Easy come, easy go.
NAR © 2022
The Elephant's Trunk 
Great story. Ah those dating years….don’t miss em one bit!
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Me either!
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One more beautiful and captivating story! Well crafted!
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Thank you, KK. Your lovely compliments mean so much to me. 🌹
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What a great story! I love the character interactions and narrative; the length felt right and I just connected with the happiness in the ending. ❤
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So nice of you to say, Jaya. Yes, relationships end and life goes on, no matter how difficult it may be. We carry on. Thanks so much for reading and commenting. Appreciate it! 💕
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Great story Nancy. So glad those days are done for me. My husband and I both said if something happens to the other we will not remarry or date. I told him it took too long to train him I don’t want to do it again! 🤣
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What a great answer, Diane! Laughed out loud when I read that. We’re already “off the market” so it’s a moot point lol! 😂 Thanks for reading and for the great comment! 💕
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Beautifully written Nancy.
Easy come ( but do they?) easy go.
I love the weaving of Fates in it, in ways I cannot word.
And now, I wait your reply with my hand in front of the screen, (as we do during a horror scene yet leaving just enough space to peek a little 😄),
as you will imprint another image in my subconscious 😂
{I’m messin’ with ya!
But did you know that Snow White…🤣}
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Thanks so much, my friend. And to answer your question – the coming is oh so very easy but the going is pretty rough. So I’ve been told 😉 😉
Listen, I can tell you stories about Snow White and the 7 Pervs … I mean Dwarves … that would curl your hair. 😳 There’s a reason Happy was so happy. And it wasn’t allergies up Sneezy’s nose that gave him that moniker. (Not Monica – that’s a story about another perv) 🤪You’d expect a little more decorum with a name like Snow White! 🤣 Sounds like a story out of Fractured Fairy Tales! 😂
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You are always most welcome.
I hear ya 😉😉
😂🤣😂🤣😂
I knew it!! A kindred “deconstruction expert”!!
I do that all the time😅
And you managed to…squeeze Monica in!!
Hey, maybe we should hit sometime the Six Sentence Stories with a combination punch of Sixes in this spirit !😎
(…hoping Denise won’t read this idea of mine…😅)
Thanks for the story and even more, for the laughs Nancy. A perfect way to start this day.
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“Squeeze Monica in!!” – I see what you did there and I love it! I join you in that laugh. 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣
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