The Surprise

Based on Vamplit Publishing's theme: Celebrations Gone Wrong

The passionless sex should have been the first clue and the dead silence a warning sign.  Even after the seventeenth first kiss with a gentle caress down the back, followed by two weeks of hot and steamy sex and then silence, Jenna still had high hopes of ending her loneliness.  

She believed staying up all night connecting with would be suitors online would one day lead to her finding Prince Charming and falling madly in love and living happily ever after.  To Jenna, all the late night commercials featuring online dating success stories was proof enough to her that she too would one day be one of them.  

                    ^^^^^

As the first sign of dawn peaked through the half opened blinds the alarm blared Jenna from her sleep.  “Geez, the morning comes quick.”  She rolled onto her left side, hit the snooze button and smothered her face into the overused pillow. 

Remembering today was her bosses’ birthday and she had unanimously been selected by her peers to provide the cake, she plopped her feet on the floor and walked zombie like to the shower. 

Feeling revived, Jenna slid the crimson colored gloss across her lips and like every morning, read aloud the sticky note stuck to the mirror.  “Today’s the day.” She smiled back at her image.  “If it worked for Mel Fisher, it’ll work for me!” 

She slid the closet door open and stared at the thirty shoe boxes neatly piled high.  “I think I’ll wear leopard today.”  Being five foot ten, Jenna loved wearing eight inch heels.  She felt they showed off her long slender legs and that they gave her one up on the competition. 

Before leaving for the bakery she decided to check her inbox for messages from last night’s connections.  While waiting for the computer to boot up she sat down, crossed her legs and closed her eyes.  The computer dinged and she saw that one message was waiting.  Jenna crossed her fingers and whispered, “Please, please, please be the one.”  

After clicking the mouse once, the screen became alive with vibrant colors and a flashing red envelope with white letters that read, “Surprise!”  

She clicked on the link that said, open here, and read aloud.  “Congratulations!  At midnight tonight you are an official one year member of MatchMadeInHeaven.com!  In celebration, we have a surprise for you.  Tonight at midnight be sure to sign in and download our very special surprise gift box.  We guarantee you’ll find your soul mate or we’ll gladly refund your entire year’s membership fees.”  

Jenna jumped up from her seat.  “Sorry Mel Fisher, but tomorrow is the day!”  

                    ^^^^^

The clock seemed to be stuck at 4:30 for over an hour.  Jenna thought if her coworkers didn’t stop chattering about what they were doing over the week-end with their husbands her head would explode.  The only solace she had in surviving the next thirty minutes was thinking about her surprise tonight and that come Monday morning she’ll be the one endlessly talking about what she and her future husband would be doing over the upcoming week-end.  

“So Jenna, what big plans do you have?  Another on-line date?”  

Jenna turned her stare away from the clock and toward Marcy’s direction.  The cocky smile on her face washed Jenna’s resentment away.  “It’s a surprise.”  Jenna smiled.  “You all will just have to wait until Monday to find out about it.”   

Marcy laughed.  “You know Jenna, there are other ways to find a husband.  You’re a pretty girl and redheads are the thing now.  You should try getting out and being seen.  Hey, I know us girls are stopping by TJ’s after work for a drink.  Why don’t you join us?”  

Knowing her Grammy would be disappointed if she didn’t make her usual Friday night stop with a bucket of chicken and wanting to spend a couple of hours sprucing up her make-up and hair before midnight, Jenna declined.  

Besides, she preferred the intrigue of meeting someone new online and building a relationship before meeting for the first time in a cozy restaurant over the instant face to face disappointment of someone in a bar spewing out drunken lies through liquored breath who was only interested in a one night stand.

                    ^^^^^

The anticipation of finally meeting the one and only in her life drove Jenna wild with speculations.  Would he have dark hair or blonde?  Would his eyes be green or blue?  What if he were rich beyond her wildest dreams and what if he had the body of a Greek god?  All the what if’s were making her heart race as she entered her password and delicately touched the enter key.    

There in her inbox was a red box with a white bow that said click here.  Jenna paused before accepting.  Colorful confetti streamed down the screen with the message, we searched for a soul mate for you and we’re sorry to say we will be refunding your membership fees.  

“What the hell!  This is all wrong!  Today was my day.”  Jenna flew out of her chair and ran into the bathroom sobbing.  

Jenna tossed and turned for hours wondering if her loneliness would ever end when suddenly she noticed the computer was casting a strange green glow.  “What the?”  

She sat up and walked toward the desk and hit the enter key.  “Jenna, I have been searching for you my whole life.  Please won’t you join me in a world where love has no boundaries and life is infinite?”  

Jenna placed her palm against the green glowing hand print on the screen and screamed as inch by inch it pulled her soft flesh into the screen, melting it down into millions of megabytes.    

                   ^^^^^

Come Monday morning, Marcy turned her computer on and saw she had one message waiting.  When she clicked on the red envelope she was shocked to find Jenna had quit for she was now happily married and traveling around the globe.

Total word count:  996