Fate's Joke

You know, sometimes destiny has a cruel sense of humor. Enough to make me want to just hide in a hole all day. This really wasn’t funny. I squeezed my eyes shut tight and then blinked them open again, slowly glancing at the brown haired boy and sweet redheaded girl across the street. Sure enough, it was still there. That diabolical thread connecting her heart to his, but his heart to someone else. Bright red and quivering, it strung from her to him, then onward. Why? Why couldn’t they just be with each other? I leaned forward and banged my head against the dashboard of our car.

“Are you okay, Natalie?” My mom asked, drumming her fingers on the steering wheel.

“Yeah, I’m good, Mom. I’m good.” I mumbled, glancing down at the thread in my heart that was slowly stretching as the car rumbled forward. I still hadn’t found anyone that connected with my heart. Clearly, there was someone. Not so clearly, I had no idea who he was. But that poor girl... Why was she connected to someone that could never be with her? What if that happened to me? I risked another glance at the couple on the sidewalk and felt nauseous. Couldn’t we decide our own futures? Our own spouses?

“Nat, are you sure you’re okay? You’re sighing a lot again.” My mom glanced over at me, raising an eyebrow.

Whoops.
“Yeah, mom, I’m fine. Just... Contemplating... Life...” My chest felt heavy and I turned my head from the window. I couldn’t shake the blissful look of the red headed woman out of my head. The blissful look that wouldn’t always be there. I closed my eyes and leaned back against the chair. I didn’t want to see any more of fate’s cruel jokes today.

~E.K.M.