Photo Credit – Jennifer Pendergast
Joe was beaming with joy on his last day of college. He rushed home to celebrate with his girlfriend.
His excitement soon vanished.
What Joe meant to be an innocent statement, instantly filled Lisa with rage. Joe stared at her, baffled by her outburst.
“What just happened?” He wouldn’t dare ask, because he had learned that doing so would only make her more angry.
He watched in silence as she slammed down everything around her. He decided, “I can’t take this anymore.”
As Joe packed his clothing into a small bag, Lisa could still be heard breaking items in the other room.
He was invisible to her, as he walked out the door, never to return.
This post was a part of Friday Fictioneers hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields.
Flash Fiction – 100 words, more or less.
Me - Who am I? 
Whoa! What did just happen?
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He doesn’t know. She just lost her mind, again. There’s no figuring out some people. They just are who they are.
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Oooh very well done. In less than 100 words, I’m back at the end of each of my abusive relationships… that’s intense.
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Thank you, Khai! I’m sorry that you can relate though.
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Don’t be; it’s a testament to your power with words. Anyone who has ever had a relationship go south should be able to relate to the simple scene you’ve described here– simple on the face, irrevocably complex just under the surface, one partner feeling the other is no longer who they knew, one partner feeling invisible before the other… it’s the end of a relationship, not just the end of an abusive one.
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You certainly get this. That’s right. There’s always so much more than what is revealed on the surface. Many aspects which will inevitably cause the relationship to end…IF the person is strong and brave enough to walk away.
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Good for Joe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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🙂 I agree!
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Good job.
🙂
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Thanks. 🙂
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Well done! That was great! Had me hooked immediately, had me tense and then resolved itself! Wow! I just have to not think about how I want more of a back story! LOL
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Look at you, always wanting more information. Ha ha. Maybe I’ll do a part pre-1. 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed it.
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I do always want more!! I’m a nosy creature! 😀
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Dear MWAI,
I have to wonder what Joe said to set her off like that. Perhaps it’s been building for some time. Sounds like a toxic relationship. Good for Joe. Two graduations in one day. 😉
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Sometimes what sets people off, is in fact just a misinterpretation of words. With some, there is no explanation for their behavior. Everything sets them off. Thank you so much for your comment! 🙂
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Hmm. I think we need to have an idea what Joe said. If he’s leaving for good, I suspect this wasn’t much of a relationship to start with.
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Sometimes it doesn’t matter what is said. Everything is misinterpreted, as was the case here. An innocent statement was perceived to be a verbal attack of some sort. “Experience” he has with this, says that these misinterpretations happen quite frequently.
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Very well done. Get out while the getting is good.
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Thank you, Alicia. Yes, get out while you can. 🙂
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Good story. I think he’s definitely doing the best thing. She’s breaking objects now. She may harm him next. Good thing he left before she threw one of those things at him. She’s destructive. Well written. 🙂 —Susan
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Thank you Patricia, and I agree. When a person shows violent behavior toward objects, you never know what they’ll be violent to later down the road.
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There is so much more I would like to know here. I liked how you tied us into Joe’s confusion about what’s happening, but personally I’d have liked a little more clarity – in particular whether this was the final straw (for him or for her) or a sudden thing. As it stands, I’m not sure how I feel about either of them.
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Thank you for your comment! I was hoping that the sentence which stated ‘from experience…’ would show that this has happened many times before. Also, that the “I can’t take this anymore” decisive statement from Joe would help to explain that this was Joe’s final straw; that he could take no more. However, I will certainly endeavor to make the story more complete next time, without holes. Thank you again very much. This is very helpful.
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