Welcome to this week’s Tuesday Tales. Our word prompt is YELLOW. I’m continuing with my Christmas Romance Comedy, Naughty Rudolph. Enjoy.
Suddenly, I realized what was really happening here. Yellow-bellied Doug was dumping me and doing it under the guise of a wonderful opportunity for himself. He wasn’t proposing marriage. He wasn’t asking me to go with him. No. This was the big adios. My heart pounded in my ears as I tried to reconcile reality to what I’d anticipated.
Happy for him when he’d destroyed my carefully crafted future? Not by a long shot.
“Of course I’m happy for you,” I lied, not for his benefit, but I would die before I let him know how devastated I was. “You always planned to own your own company, and your uncle turning his over to you is an incredible opportunity. When do you leave?”
“I move into the house on November 1.”
I swallowed. “So soon?” I’d made plans for Christmas, and they didn’t include flying to the Great White North. “I thought we’d discussed going to Victoria this Christmas.”
He rubbed the back of his neck once more as red crept up his cheeks.
“Actually, Mara, You talked about Victoria; I didn’t. I’ve known about it since August. I just needed to straighten up a few things here first—you know, resign my job, give my landlord my notice, make plans to ship the things I want to keep up north. I tried to tell you a couple of times, but … You’re my best friend and I’ll miss our special nights together, but I have to do what’s best for me … and for you, too. We want different things in life, and it’s time we both accept that.”
How the hell was I supposed to answer that when I’d believed what I’d wanted and what he’d wanted were the same things? Here I was, thirty years old with a biological clock going into overdrive, and my baby-daddy was taking off for the Yukon.
The silence between us grew heavy and uncomfortable.
“Do you want dessert?”
I shook my head. “No, I’m full.”
If I tried to eat anything else, I’d probably vomit.
“Then I suppose we should get going.”
If he expected any nookie-nookie tonight, he was going to be sadly disappointed.
Doug called the waiter over, asked for the bill, and paid it.
He led me out of the restaurant. We’d walked over since my condo was only a couple of blocks away, and the night was a cool but comfortable eighteen degrees.
Don’t forget to check out the other Tuesday Tales.
Living the Dream 
The big adios is bigger than she thought, poor girl. She’s better off without Doug. He knew this since August and didn’t tell her– the bum. The touch of wry humor in the scene is clever and well done. I look forward to better fortunes ahead for her! Love the title.
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Sometimes people get so focused on the forest that they can’t see the trees are half dead. Mara has a rude awakening ahead of her and a few crazy adventures before she gets her HEA.
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No excuse for the rest, ever, but at least he asked for the bill
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I’m glad I’ve made him unlikeable enough for everyone.
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Had to hold myself back from wanting to smack him. “We want different things…” what a cliche BS used for dumping someone. My heart breaks for her. To find out this way, especially since he knew since August and was simply using her during that time. Ticks me off bigtime! Great story. I hope he has a plane crash or something. She’s better off without someone that sneaky and underhanded. Looking forward to her triumph!
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So far everyone sees Doug for the taker he is, the way I wanted them to– no plane crash, but I promise he will regret his behavior in the end.
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Oh dear, this is not going the way she thought they would be going.
I loved how you used the ‘yellow’ prompt with ‘yellow-bellied’. Perfect!
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Wow, what a jerk. Even if he tried, he accomplished an awful lot before he dropped the news on her. I hope there is someone better in her future. Great job!
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