With permission of my writing partner, I post the first few posts of this story
Phoenix and Miss Undutchable
PHOENIX
Late… Later then late. “Idiot! You promised her!” A young handsome, dark haired doctor sped down the highway. A badge pinned to his white surgeons coat, shiny, brand new, with the words ‘Chief of Surgery’ under his name and profession. “Hopefully she’ll understand. We can reschedule maybe they’re still waiting and we can do this now…” Blue and Red lights flashed behind him with small chirps of sirens beckoning him to pull over. “GODDAMNIT!!! Not now pleeeease. I don’t have time for this!” 25 more minutes wasted and now he was forced to go the speed limit. He stuffed the yellow ticket into his breast pocket. The slip hanging out where anyone could see. It wasn’t important now. “Our future is set now. She has to forgive me right?” Finally. FINALLY the church was in view. He pulled in, the parking lot was dark and barren save for one vehicle. It was Ylara’s mothers! Her mother had driven her this he was aware of. “She’s still here! She’s still here!” He pulled up next to the empty vehicle. Headlights illuminated the stairs to the entrance of the chapel. There she was. Waiting. Crying. No… distraught. Quickly he threw the gear into park and jumped out of his truck without turning off the engine.
“Ylara! Oh babe I’m so sorry. I’ve had the worst luck. You know… Work and stuff I couldn’t get out they wouldn’t let me go I had to fill out so many forms…” Her silence was deadly. “I got pulled over too for speeding… I… don’t… Well say something please?” He knelt down and tried to take her hand. “Baby Please. I’m an idiot. Maybe we can call the family and ask them to come back. Look I made chief! Our future is set now babe. We can get that house we wanted.” Never had he seen her stone cold and fierce like this. Finn was visibly shaken by her demeanor. He didn’t know what she would say… what she would do. All he knew was he had to make it right no matter the cost. A more lavish honeymoon? A new car? Diamonds, pearls, a puppy, clothes? Money was no object now.
MISS UNDUTCHABLE
Ylara had been sitting on the stairs of the chapel after she had sent her mom off to grab her some ordinary clothes. She felt humiliated enough by being stood up on her wedding day, she did not want to have to do the walk of shame that was a bride without her groom while in her gorgeous wedding gown that her parents had worked their butts off for. Her body jolted when the car pulled up but she did not move. She was looking at the veiled tiara that she had removed from her well styled hair, her fngers shaking as she was sobbing. The skin under her eyes was wet with tears and stained with the make-up that had adorned her pretty face. Her other hand held the silken handkerchief that matched her dress. Well, it had been anticipated that she would have shed tears of happiness, but the soft fabric was now simply stained with her mascara and the lipstick that she had removed in the mean time. When Finn ran up to her and knelt before her she stared at him with glassy eyes, her chest heaving and her breath quivering. When he tried to grab her hand, she pulled it away, “One day… was that too much to ask..?” she asked him, her voice faltering as she finally broke her silence. “Birthdays, family gatherings, anniversaries… I have let it all slide when you missed them…. but… our OWN WEDDING DAY?!” she shouted with a crack in her voice.
PHOENIX
the tone in her voice, the look in her eyes, the brokenness in her expression. Finn was fighting back his guilt and pressed hard into his reasoning. She had to understand him, she just had to. Chief! He made chief for god sakes. “Ylara, honey please. I had to go in. I made chief, they were going to give it to someone else. The money we’ll make now will set us up for life. We don;t have to want for anything. Can’t we just call everyone back. I will make it up to you I swear! Anything! Name it and it’s yours!” Never had he pleaded with her like this. A sense of looming dread forming in his mind. How could she not understand that this was everything he had been working for since high school. He finally achieved it. “Ill compensate the pastor. I’ll give favors to our guests and families. I will make this right baby. We can go anywhere! Do anything!” He was smiling hoping she would see he meant it. Yes hes missed many things yes hes made excuses. Work it has always been his work. Every. Single. Time. The doctors emotions were getting the better of him. He was chief now. That only made him busier. On-call, overseeing, schedules, workflows, surgeries. Still he would make it up to her in whatever way he could.
MISS UNDUTCHABLE
Ylara could not even look at him anymore. His obsession for making more and more money had finally destroyed the one thing that really mattered to her: their relationship. If he could not even muster to be there on their wedding day, he would never be there for her. Not when she would hope to carry his child, or when she would birth his child, birthday parties of their children and other big firsts. He was not the reliable partner that she hoped he would be. She had hoped that at one point, when he made enough to live comfortably, it would be good enough for him. But he only seemed to want more and more and more… But no amount of money could fix how humiliated she felt right now. “Do you understand how humiliating it is… to be here… church crammed with our families and friends… all dressed up for the big moment of our life… only for the groom to just… not show? FUCK THAT PROMOTION! NOT EVERYTHING IS ABOUT MONEY!!!!” she screamed at him before she got up. At this point her mother and best friend and maid of honor returned with a set of regular clothes for Ylara to change into. They literally ran over when they saw what was going on and Ylara threw herself in the arms on her mom and best friend as she cried from sheer heartache. Her mother gazed at Finn over the shoulder of her weeping daughter, “I think it is best you left, Finn…” she just told him before the two women began to usher the broken bride back into the church so she could change into a pair of skinny jeans and a sweater…
PHOENIX
Wait… no wait… this wasn’t happening. It couldn’t be. Ylara was the only other thing in his life he even cared for. Without her it was pointless. This could not be it “Ylara please! I can be better please!” He tried to go after her but her mother put a firm hand on his chest. Everything from the next few moments would haunt his mind and dreams for years. Finn calling of over Mrs. Hansen’s shoulder as she was carried off out of sight never to look back. A slap ringing in his ears from Mrs. Hansen’to his cheek as they argued over forgotten words. The rain. Of course it rained. A deep chilling wet that bit at his bones. The shameful drive home where several things of hers had already been removed. Her key left on the coffee table. A simple note. “Goodbye Doctor.” Texts and unanswered calls eventually turned into a blocked number, blocked social media, returned flowers, gifts, cards. One year he tried. Then a restraining order from Mrs. Hansen barring him from contacting them or making anymore deliveries to her residence. It was then the final shred of hope escaped him.
4 years passed. His love became loathing. Never another word. His heart wrenched from him with no explanation other than the wedding. It was then at the peak of his career he let it all go. He was nearly 30. He saved tons of money and had his accomplishments he always wanted. None of it mattered anymore really. Finn would still be a doctor. He decided to open a plastic surgery center and focus on people and the vanity they wanted. It paid much more and the work was much less. It was time he forgave himself and started living for once. Have some fun. Enjoy his life. An invitiation was granted to him as he was still a consultant for the hospital. It was for a get together to celebrate the hospital directors retirement after 50 years. This was the man that made him chief after all he couldn’t say no. So he dressed up in a black tux for the lavish party it was to be. Checking himself in the mirror he felt a pang from his memories. The last time he had worn a tuxedo was at the rehearsal of his wedding that never came to be. This was the first party he was going to as a single man. He had taken no lovers, no relationships, no dating. Tonight that was going to change. He hoped to meet someone new.
MISS UNDUTCHABLE
Ylara had never looked more sad than she did as she emerged from the church in her skinny jeans, sweater and old al stars. She felt so humiliated that if she could have dug a hole and just died there, she would have done it. She dragged her feet as her mom ushered her to the car. She was functioning on auto pilot, all she needed was a push or a nudge and she simple walked into the direction that she was directed in.
— 4 years later.
She was now a full-fledged nurse in pediatrics like she had always aspired to be. It had given her some strain to pickup her studies after the wedding-disaster, but she finally managed to pick herself back up again. She had never heard from Finn again, and of course this only added to her feeling that she had never meant to him what he had meant to her. But she had managed to at least think back to that all without crying now and consider it a thing of the past. She had worked a long shift, but she was not done yet, as there was a formal event in regards of their former director’s official retirement. She of course had no money to buy new attire, but her old prom-dress would be suitable enough, if she could still fit into it. She had never been heavy and her depression had even caused her to lose weight for a while, but she managed to gain almost all of her old weight back with dietary adjustments. She slipped into her old prom-dress with the same ease as when she was a teenager, which made her feel rather accomplished, seeing as she was 26 by now. She decided to fork out the money for a taxi because she would feel terribly out of place on the bus she usually took. Besides, this event was held in a rather luxurious hotel, so she was not even sure if a bus stopped close by. Once she had arrived, she made her way to the hall where the grande event was taking place. She had not changed a bit, just matured a little in her visage and had lost a little weight compared to when Finn would have last seen her.
