Murphy's Law: A Practical Case Study

I wish I could say this was fiction. I kind of feel like I'm cheating writing this, but the fact that it truly happened doesn't make it any less disastrous LOL Names have been changed, dialogue isn't precisely how it happened, but aside from that, this is a true story, folks. I sh*te you not. So enjoy.

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“Hello?”

“Hey, it’s me again. Sorry. I forgot to ask… where do you live?”

“Oh.” It hadn’t even occurred to her that he’d forgotten to ask the first time he’d called. Beth dictated the address to her soon-to-be blind date, then directions to it and hung up, smiling. What a silly thing to do, forget to ask the date where she lived.

She shook her head and sighed, looking over her dress. She’d bought it special for prom. Had to have it taken in a bit, too, to get it fitting just right. A beautiful strappy red number with a beaded bodice and a gauzy a-line skirt that would look perfect with her new heels.

It wasn’t Beth’s prom. She’d been set up on a blind date by a friend of a friend. Said friend had a classmate he said was a lot like Beth. Needing to call twice to confirm was just the sort of quirky that might be cute. Beth couldn’t wait.

The day of the big event, Beth was almost giddy. She was going to prom! Who cared that it wasn’t her own? And who cared that she had no idea who this guy was? He could be her prince charming!

Then came the fateful knock.

Breathless, Beth answered.

“Hi. Are you Beth? I’m Fred. Your date. Or, actually, you are mine.” He chuckled nervously, revealing a hearty piling of white gunk around his braces, and Beth’s smile dimmed a little. “So, are you ready? Oh! Here, I got this for you.”

Fred’s hands shook when he tried to put the corsage on her wrist. His skin was cold and clammy, and Beth was glad he didn’t get her one that pinned to the dress. She just stifled a shudder.

“There,” he said with triumph when he finally got it. He smiled again and Beth tried really hard not to look at his teeth. Instead, she focused on his other attributes. Pimply face and thick rimmed glasses and… God, those teeth! “Ready to go?”

Beth had to shake herself. “Uh, yeah.” She pasted a game smile on her face. This couldn’t be a total loss. She’d bet he had an awesome personality. And he was tall! Even in her heels, she couldn’t top his lanky frame. It was kind of nice.

Ten minutes later, her spirits were fading fast. His mom had driven them to a friend’s house to meet with everyone for the limo. Fred had sat in the front, leaving her on the back seat by herself. And that great personality she’d been pinning her hopes on? His mom definitely had it; Beth had hit it off with her from the start.

Sadly, it was not an inherited trait.

Finally, they arrived at the friend’s house. Beth hurried up the carpeted staircase, desperate for a savior, hoping Fred would open up with his friends around. The unmistakable RRRIIIP made her shudder and nearly take a tumble. She’d stepped onto the hem of her skirt.

Oh, crap! Not the dress!

She almost teared up. She loved that dress. Now there was an inch-thick streamer attached to the front hem of the satin underskirt. When, five minutes later, she endured the indignity of having the friend’s mom scotch-tape the hem into place as best she could with the whole group looking on with pity, Beth knew this date couldn’t possibly get any worse.

She should have known better.

Close to midnight, the party was over. Beth had real tears in her eyes, trying hard to bite them back, and they were heading down to the hotel lobby, talking about going cruising in the limo.

“No!” Beth cried, bracing herself against the check in desk to take the pressure off her aching feet. They felt like they were bleeding in the damned shoes, and it hadn’t helped to have them stepped on by the cripplingly shy dude who hadn’t said more than two full sentences to her the entire night and who only danced because she’d felt bad for him and coaxed him out onto the floor. What a monumental mistake that had turned out to be.

Noticing the concerned looks of her fellow party goers, she stammered, “I-I mean, darn. I really wish I could. Really. But I got a curfew and have to be getting home.”

“Aw, come on, Beth,” said her classmate who, by some miracle had been part of their little group. Too bad Beth’s pleas not to leave her alone with her date had been taken as a joke. “It’ll be fun.”

“Yeah, I can’t,” she insisted, doing her best to sound disappointed. “You guys go on and have fun. I’ll call my bro to pick me up. It’s fine, really.”

Beth had never been so glad to see her brother before in her life. The unlikely knight in a shiny red Honda arrived sooner than she’d expected, bless his heart, and whisked her away from the Date from Hell.

Yep, this one would be one for the record books.

Bree....you are a goddess! I hate to say it but that was so funny. It made me slightly sad it was a true story though. Darn that Murphy!

Though this part:

"Oh,” it hadn’t even occurred to her that he’d forgotten to ask the first time he’d called.

Shouldn't the 'it' be capitalized? And a period behind the 'Oh' because she doesn't start talking again. "Oh." It hadn't even...

But that's my two cents. And I could be wrong.

Fixed. Phew. Thanks for catching that!

Oh my gosh, should I be giving you a hug? How awful! Sometimes dweeby boys are actually sweet, shy, wonderful men...and sometimes they're dweebs who should never contribute to the gene pool. Huzzah for older brothers!

Oh how horrid! lol sorry laughing still, hold on, ok I'm done, great story Whisper! Er, I mean horrid (cough)

Poor, poor Beth!

And the gunk in his teeth when they first meet! Now that is a bad omen.

Haha! What a great prom night story! I loved it.

My favorite part:

Beth had never been so glad to see her brother before in her life. The unlikely knight in a shiny red Honda arrived sooner than she’d expected, bless his heart, and whisked her away from the Date from Hell.

I love it! I laughed out loud.

Good one.

LOL, loved it!

...Gunk in braces...
*shudders*

yikes!