17 comments

Contemporary Inspirational Romance

“Of course the damn shoe didn’t fit. Whaddya think? I’d been bustin’ my keister off. Scrubbin’, cleanin’, cookin’ and all the rest. By the time I got to his crib my feet were so swollen, I traded my new Louboutins for flats. I figured with the long dress ‘n all no one was gonna know I did a switch-er-oo.”

“How did that work out?”

 “Not great. After I ditched the party and called my Uber, I realized I only had one of the shoes in my bag and I must’ve left the other one behind. Somewhere. I turned that bag inside out and upside down, but there was only one. I’m not gonna lie, I almost turned around and went back for it.”

“But you didn’t.”

“Nope ‘cuz that’s not how this yarn gets going is it?”

“It’s not.”

“The next day, sure as rain, there was ol’ Prince Charmin’ knockin’ at my door. ‘Cindy,’ he said, ‘I think you may have left this at my place last night.’ And there in his hand he’s got my shoe, swingin’ it around like he’s about to lasso a bull at the rodeo.”

“So, you got your shoe back.”

“Yeah, the step sibs freaked a bit seein’ that I was the perfect fit.”

“What happened next? With Prince Charming.”

“After that, we got to talkin’ and there was a pretty solid vibe between us. And here’s where the story differs a bit from the one that you might have heard, ‘cuz followers don’t know what goes on behind the scenes. All anyone talks about is that I live happily ever after yada yada yada.”

“Don’t you?”

“Oh no, I do. I have a pretty sweet deal, but we work on it.”

“That doesn’t sound like he swept you off your feet.”

“Oh we have chemistry all right, but I’m talkin’ about actually havin’ a relationship with someone. Something that means something once you’re out of your clothes and makeup. That’s harder to come by.”

“Seems like it worked out between you two.”

“Sister, you don’t know the half of it! When I first moved in, Prince Charming —I call him PC for short —anyway PC wanted to get married right away and live happily ever after. But what he meant was that he wanted me to be his wife AND, like, do all the household chores and cookin’. But hey, that’s not how this fairytale goes, right?”

“Not the way I recall it.”

“I mean I already knew what it was like to keep house for someone. What interested me was the man. The relationship. Us. So, when we got back from our destination wedding, I made it clear, there was a schedule for chores around the house and we would both be doing them.”

“For real?”

Cindy nods her head remembering back to the early days of her marriage with PC. “He didn’t take me seriously at first, but when the laundry pile reached an impressive height, he realized I meant what I said about us being a team.”

“That’s an interesting way to get your man to do chores.”

“Nope it has nothing to do with that. It’s a relationship goal pure and simple. It took a while but he understood that I wanted a love that was going to make me stronger not weaker.”

“That’s solid.”

“See, I grew up never saying ‘no’. Ever. At all. I knew how to put dinner on the table, but I had to learn to put my needs on the table too.

I didn’t want someone who was going to help me forget my past, as horrible as it was. I wanted someone who was going to help me create my future. And this is where PC really lives up to his Prince Charming name, ‘cuz he wants that for me too.”

“Awww.”

“In the end, I think good relationships are about finding the person who transforms you, not the person who leaves you feeling the same. I’d been through the ringer with my step family but I didn’t have to stay in that darkness once I left. I chose light instead. And when we do disagree, we always speak to each other from a place of love.”

“What about your step family? They must have been pretty peeved when you left.”

“Ya know, I don’t feel bad about that at all. When you think about it, they had all the ingredients to live happy lives. Nice clothes, a warm bed, companionship. But they never noticed. The only time they felt good was when they were pounding on me and that’s messed up.”

“Sure is.”

“I knew that if I was ever gonna have the life I dreamed about, I needed to find my voice.”

“And did you?”

“I did,” explains Cinderella. “It’s not always as strong as I want it to be, but I’ve learned that I have one and I can use it and should use it because I’m the only one that knows where I need to go.”

“That’s quite a transformation.”

“Girlfriend, my lifestyle choices have influenced legions of generations of girls who aspire to have a fairy tale romance. Just. Like. Mine. The sad part is, they don’t appreciate all the work it took to get here. Nobody wants to talk about that.”

“Your journey is inspirational and that’s exactly why we asked to do this interview. To inspire others.”

“Well the glossies never stop talkin’ about how my influence has waned with the Kardashians and TikTok, but I’ll always be the OG fashionista. I mean no one rocked a glass slipper before me.

Now I just wanna set a good example for those girls who follow me. So now I make sure I’m photographed with no make-up on when I do a grocery run, ‘cuz ya gotta love yourself all the time and not just when you’re glammed up. I’m keepin’ it real for them. Showin’ ‘em how to be authentic and unapologetic about who they are. I always tell women to find their voices and then use them. But most importantly, I tell them that not every story requires a Prince Charming to live a full, happy life. And I should know, because I intend to be the hero of my own damn story.”



May 08, 2023 01:37

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17 comments

Sherry Bazley
13:19 Jun 13, 2023

Wally, what a surprise this story was! I loved Cindy's philosophy on "Happily Ever After"; it sounded to me like she'd been party to multiple relationship therapy sessions and/or was very close to personal enlightenment! What fascinates me most about Reedsy stories is the wealth of imagination that lies behind the stories told. It's amazing. AND...there is some great writing going on.

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Sherry Bazley
13:14 Jun 13, 2023

What a surprise this story was! Cindy Eller!! Loved her take on "Happily Ever After"; it sounded to me like either she's been to multiple relationship therapy groups or is very close to personal enlightenment. I also really like the way you turned the old fairy tale inside out. Thanks!

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Michał Przywara
22:15 May 31, 2023

I've seen a number of reinterpretations, satires, and inversions of old fairy tales, and they often hinge on lampooning something as ridiculous as the effortless "happily ever after". It's actually quite refreshing to see you keep it, and indeed expand on it to show how it might truly come to pass. Great voice for Cinderella here, and primarily-dialogue allowed you to really flesh it out and develop it. Critique-wise, and this is minor, the couple non-dialogue portions kind of stood out ("Cindy nods her head", "explains Cinderella") and I ...

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Viga Boland
15:11 May 25, 2023

Wally, I don’t know how I missed this story of yours, but I have to say it’s one of the most enjoyable I’ e read on here in a while. So clever and funny. Superb use of character-revealing dialogue. How I wish more writers wrote the way you do. Makes reading the longer submissions on here a real pleasure. 👏👏

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Wally Schmidt
15:57 May 25, 2023

You're too kind Viga. Thanks for taking the time to read.

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Zack Powell
21:04 May 20, 2023

Wally! I've been on a Reedsy break and am SUPER late, but I had to come and read this. You know I love your writing, so I'm never gonna miss an opportunity to absorb one of your stories and try to sponge up anything and everything I can. I love dialogue heavy stories because they give writers a chance to flex their character voice muscles, and this one is no different. From the very first line, we get a good sense of a modernized quasi-feminist Cinderella. Love it. And it only gets better. Format-wise, I love that you set this up as an inte...

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Wally Schmidt
22:41 May 24, 2023

Now it was my turn to be on a Reedsy break. I was in Alaska (amazing!) and it felt so good to be disconnected from electronics, writing and everything else. I like your idea of doing a modern take on some classic characters in fairy tales. I think they all might have a fair bit to say about their circumstances. Thanks for reading Zack! Loved your MC quiz story!!! First rate.

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Marty B
22:35 May 14, 2023

Cinder-Ella is famous for having to all of the household chores of her step-sisters, and then she moves in with the Prince and he wants her to keep it up! (I figured on a servant, or 20 for that castle, but nonetheless). Good job to her to find her voice and get some equity in her castle. That really is a fairy tale - shared household chores!! (If she finds it then that is True Love) I loved the line ' And I should know, because I intend to be the hero of my own damn story.' That should be a goal all of our us !

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Wally Schmidt
22:44 May 24, 2023

Thanks for your comments Mary. Fair point about how many servants would be required for upkeep at a castle. Speaking for myself, the dream of shared household chores never dies.

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Amanda Lieser
20:57 May 11, 2023

Hey Wally! This story had me screaming, “power to you, girlfriend!” I love a good modern retelling of a fairytale, and I think that you did a great job of incorporating some pretty amazing elements of the story, while also staying true to your hope of answering the prompt. The story was eloquently written, and I felt was going out to get drinks with a good gal pal. Nice work on this one!!

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Wally Schmidt
22:46 May 24, 2023

Thanks Amanda for your lovely comments, especially the one where you said the story felt like going out for drinks with a gal pal. I was looking for that tone, interjected with some cringy language.

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Delbert Griffith
12:27 May 11, 2023

Nice take on the fairy tale we all know, and a nice message for life and relationships. I guess I'm most impressed by the 'behind the scenes' look at happily ever after. No one talks about that. It's just straight to 'happily ever after.' Nicely done, Wally. Nicely done indeed. Cheers!

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Wally Schmidt
15:18 May 11, 2023

Thanks Delbert. I think we all know that there are a lot of twists and turns in the road before we can reach HEA and I see nothing wrong with highlighting that from time to time. Waiting for your story to drop this week.

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Mary Bendickson
18:08 May 08, 2023

Now this is a fairy tale rewrite that Disney should adopt! Loved the whole take!

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Wally Schmidt
18:42 May 08, 2023

LOL. Thanks Mary, I'll let them know! Should I change the title to "What Disney should know?"

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Helen A Smith
07:12 May 08, 2023

A great woman here Wally and an unconventional take on the classic tale. I love the way you inject a much-needed dose of reality into it and change the idea of what it takes to be heroic and really make a relationship work. I have found a way to get my partner to do more work around the house is to talk about inviting people over. It also make me do more, but chores literally are a pain because they are never ending. Your Cinderella has some sound ideas. 👍

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Wally Schmidt
13:58 May 08, 2023

LOL. Talking about inviting people over is a way to get ME to do the chores! But you do what works right?

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