“I Can Explain”

Author’s Note: This is a Take Ten to Write story and has not been proofread for errors. If I feel inspired or if there’s interest in the story, I’ll post a revised, edited, and extended version at a later date. Happy reading!

Prompt: “Oops.”

“Oops,” I mutter, staring at the shattered piece of plastic in my hand.

“Oops?” Jamie asks, appearing seemingly out of nowhere.

My eyes widen and I quickly shove the shard of plastic into my hand. I spin around to face my boss.

“Er, hi,” I say, shifting slightly to block the part I had been working on. “What’s up, boss?”

Jamie frowns and says slowly, “Did I just hear you say ‘oops’?”

“Uhh, no,” I stutter. “I said, umm, ‘hoops’. You know, like basketball?”

Great job, me. Yeah, really great save there. Jamie totally won’t see right through you.

Jamie continues to stare at me for a moment before shaking his head. “Sure, if you say so. I was just coming to see if you wanted to come to lunch.”

“Yeah, sure,” I say, maybe a bit too quickly. “Where are we going?”

“Sal’s,” he says, starting to walk out of the shop. “It was Remy’s turn to choose so…”

I nod. “Sal’s.”

I follow him out of the shop, shooting one last look back at the broken piece I’m leaving behind. As soon as I close the door, I allow myself to take a breath of relief. I’m in the clear. At least, for now.

Jamie drives all of us to Sal’s. Remy won’t shut up about the great wings he’s going to devour while Kelly and Isabelle talk about some new magazine they’ve subscribed to.

“Hey, you’re awfully quiet today,” Jamie says, glancing at me from the driver’s seat.

I shrug. “Big night tonight,” I say. “I think I’m finally going to ask Georgia to move in with me.”

I mean, I’m not completely lying. I am nervous about asking her, but the stupid piece of plastic is really starting to feel heavy in my pocket.

“Finally!” Remy shouts, interrupting his own wing-chant for a minute. “You’ve been dating how long?”

“Eight years,” I say.

Kelly and Isabelle give me identical disappointed eye rolls and I stare at them. “What?”

They shake their heads and return to their own discussion.

The rest of the car ride is uneventful, as is the lunch itself. It’s when we’re about to pay when things get interesting.

I reach into my pocket to pull out my wallet and, of course, that darn piece of plastic comes tumbling out onto the table. It’s unmistakable, and immediately, all eyes are on me.

“Is that…?” Jamie whispers, his eyes wide.

My eyes dart between them, panic rising in my chest. I raise my hands and stutter, “I can explain.”

Final Comments: It’s interesting to see what type of story a single word prompt can trigger…

Overall Rating: 😅