2024 Story Collection

Don't Give Up Hope

"Apparently, I'm an old soul," Amanda told her friends as they walked through the park filled with cherry blossom trees.

"The psychic really told you, exactly what I've been saying your whole life," she said knowingly.

"Shut up," she snapped back. "I don't trust her because she also said I'd finally meet my soulmate today. We both know that's not happening."

"It could," her friend said. "Why is so hard for you to have hope?"

"Because hope is a recipe for heartbreak."

"Then I guess I'll just have to hope for the both of us then." She says, nodding to herself as if promising it to herself.

"If you want to," Amanda replies, rolling her eyes at her friend but deep down she is thankful for the crazy woman. She was a ray of sunshine in this dark world. She was a blessing, she was also very pregnant.

"I can't believe your pregnant again," she says, shaking her head. "Is that kid number six now?"

"Oh," she says turning to Amanda with a wide smile. "Its twins! Isn't that wonderful?"

"Twins?" she asks in disbelief. "You are another breed."

"I know," she says flexing her almost non existent muscles. Amanda laughs.

"I feel bad for your poor husband," she laughs at her own joke before it leaves her lips, "you must jump him every night, begging him for another kid. Man must be ran dry."

"How did you know?" She joins in with the joke. Our conversation seems to peek the interest of an elderly couple nearby. As soon as we realize this, things get instantly more vulgar, until eventually the couple is gasping and practically running away from them.

They break out in laughter.

"I need to pee," her friend says suddenly.

"You need to or you already did?"

"Shut up and help me find a bathroom," Amanda laughs but guides her over to the small building with the restrooms.

She waits outside while her friend  does her business. She glances around at just how beautiful this place was. It was a park filled with booths and vendors selling all sorts of things. That's how she'd ended up with that psychic.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" The voice came from about 5 or so feet away.

She turns to look at the handsome man. He looked a few years younger than her. Normally she would ignore him but for some reason, she couldn't look away.

"You also waiting for a friend?" he asks, gesturing to the building behind them.

"Yes," she replies. "Well three actually," she corrects.

"Three?" She nods. "Wow."

"What about you?" She asks, suddenly curious.

"My younger brother," she nods and silence fills the space again between them.

Eventually her friend exists the building and walks-wobbles over to her.

The young guy walks over to them and introduces himself.

"My name is Andrew," he says. "Nice to meet you."

"The pleasure is ours." Her friend says back. Looking at Amanda with a raised brow. She was going to get an onslaught of questions from her ex-reporter friend.

"Where are the other two?" The man asks. She goes to speak but Jewel does it for her.

"In here," she looks down as she rubs her belly.

His face blushes bright red and for some reason it makes Amanda blush too.

"If I know my friend at all, I'll bet she had yet to properly introduce herself, like the absolute loser she is," she reaches out her hand, "I'm Jewel and this beautiful woman is Amanda."

He takes her hand and shakes it. Then looks back at Amanda before his face suddenly changes to one of shock.

"Did you say your name was Amanda?" He asks, a desperate tone to his voice.

"Yes," she replies confused. "Why-"

"What's your last name?" He asks more desperate than before.

"Johnson," he looks at her with wide eyes. "Why?"

"My last name is Randall," he says and suddenly it clicks.

She pulls aside the collar of her shirt to expose her collarbone. Above it, in black ink is her soulmate mark. It reads:

AR & AJ

He does the same and his is a perfect match.

"I'm going to need $20 to get a reading from that psychic," her friend days.

"Ask your husband, I'm busy." Amanda says.

"Fine." Her friend pulls out her phone and calls someone, likely her husband who, with their other 5 kids is wondering around the festival somewhere.

"Are you really my soulmate?" She asks in disbelief. "After all these years?"

"Only one way to know for sure," he says offering her his hand. She takes it and instantly she feels it: a thousand electric shocks coming from where their hands touch. She looks at the man next to her, her soulmate, he looks just as shocked and out of breath as her.

"I guess we know," she says, panting.

"I don't know," he says. "Maybe we should hug just to make sure."

Her mouth drops open at the nerve of this man, to say such things to someone he just met. She smirks, slapping his arm.

"You sly dog," she says.

"If you don't want to-"

"Oh, I want to-" he cuts her off with a hug. It was warm and comforting and the sparks shooting through her made her lean in closer, instantly wrapping her arms around him.

"Hey, Andrew do you-" someone says from behind them, suddenly stopping mid question.

Andrew reluctantly pulls back to look at his brother. She waves from behind her soulmate.

"This is my soulmate," he says.

"Hey," she says awkwardly, stepping out from behind the man. "My name's Amanda."

"Nice to meet you," the brother says, reaching out a hand. "My name is Trevor. I'm this guy's brother."

"Nice to meet you." She shakes his hand.

"Well, I should leave you two," he says. "I'll meet you back at home."

"Are you sure-"

"I'm almost 18, I can walk a half mile home." He says, rolling his eyes. "Have fun." He says as he leaves.

"Want to go explore the booths?" She asks, holding out her hand.

"I would like nothing more." He replies taking her hand, intertwining their fingers.

The End.

February 16, 2024