The Great Unlucky Uma Meyers

Submitted into Contest #89 in response to: Write a story that spans a month during which everything changes.... view prompt

9 comments

Drama Romance Sad

Trigger warning: severe injuries

-At age seven, I drowned in the pool, my heart stopped. The day I turned thirteen, I got into a car accident on the way to my birthday party. Most recently, I was flying to Tennessee to visit my long-distance best friend, and the plane crashed. Each time I was in the hospital, I was prepared to die. I didn’t get to do everything I wanted to, but at least I got to say goodbye.-

-I think I broke a record or something. Throughout my entire life, I have broken twenty-seven of my bones, have gotten nine sprains, and have had four concussions. At this point, I’m not scared of dying. I just want to be prepared before it happens. I want to check everything off my bucket list, travel through all fifty states, and say goodbye to all my loved ones. 

That’s all I want in life.  I don’t care about finding ‘true love’, that’s just a waste of my time. I’m not some hopeless romantic who is just focused on finding ‘the one’. Who needs a significant other anyways? With my streak of bad luck, I'd get too attached to someone then get into a fatal accident. It would break my heart and theirs, I don't need that type of pressure.  I’d rather focus on... more important things.  Speaking of more important things, I have a job interview in an hour. I’ve always wanted to be a waitress. It may not seem very exciting but, neither is my life. (Despite all the accidents I’ve had.)

The interview went great.  I’m pretty sure I got the job! Everyone was so nice, I’d love to work with them. It’s a small, homey restaurant.  I've heard the food is great, and they pay well. What’s not to like? I just got a text. I got the job, I start on Monday!!         

                                                           Monday

I started work today, and surprise, surprise, the customers are nice too! To my amazement, I can carry multiple plates at a time, and one on my head. (I may have dropped a couple of plates, but you learn from your mistakes.) I got to eat there for lunch, I’ve never tried their food before. It was one of the best restaurants I’ve ever eaten at. It’s a simple burger diner, but it was delicious. 

Oh, I almost forgot, one of my co-workers is super cute. His name is Marcus, he is twenty-three, and he’s from Colorado. He grew up near one of my friends. (We are one year apart, and we lived a state away from each other. I know I said I don't care about 'true love', but he makes me rethink everything I've ever thought. Maybe, we were meant to be.) I haven’t talked to him yet but I will tomorrow.

                                                         Tuesday

Today is the day I talk to Marcus, I’m so nervous. Talking to a guy shouldn’t be that hard though, right?

                                                       Wednesday

Ok, I talked to him, he was cool. It was just before the end of our shifts when we talked, he said that we could hang out tomorrow during lunch. (Our first date-not-date, I have the jitters.) 

Today at work was quite slow. My section was everywhere and nowhere all at the same time. We didn’t have specific sections because there weren’t many people. We wandered around like a lost child. We searched for anyone who required assistance. Well, that was my day summed up.

                                                         Thursday 

When I got to work, the parking lot was filled to the brim, we were busier than ever. (I’ve only been here 4 days, but it’s still really busy.) I had to work a huge section, and surprisingly, none of the people I served were regulars. (I think we just got a bunch of new ones though.) Everyone seemed to enjoy their food, and most importantly their service. We were so packed that I didn’t run into Marcus. Not even once! Once our shifts were over, and we were closed, everyone was covered from head to toe in food, and a variation of condiments. Maybe I’ll run into Marcus tomorrow. Anyhow, it’s been a long day and I’m tired, talk to you tomorrow.

2 weeks later

                                                             Tuesday 

Hey, sorry, I haven’t written here in a while. I've been busy and haven't had much free time lately. Marcus says I spend too much time with my diary and not enough time with living beings. I shall update you on everything that has happened in the past few weeks.

-One of my friends at the diner got fired, but on the upside, I got her job and it gives better pay.

-With the extra money, I can start saving for a better apartment or even a house.

(This one you’ll never believe)

-Marcus asked me out!!! We have been talking more frequently. I've enjoyed our conversations, he truly listens to me and I think he understands me quite well. That’s what truly made me rethink my stance on ‘true love’  I think our relationship can go to wonderful places. Honestly, I think he’s the one. Our date is in four days,  this Friday can’t come soon enough. I can’t wait, but there is one teeny tiny problem. I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO WEAR!!! (I’m not exaggerating, the only thing I could wear is a neon green and pink pantsuit. No thank you.) I guess I have to go shopping tomorrow. 

                                                          Wednesday 

I left work already and I’m on my way to the mall, let’s see what I can find. Since I’m at the store I might as well get some new shoes, and maybe even an accessory.

Great news, I found the perfect outfit. It’s a loose, flowy red dress, black wedges, a gold barrett, and a pair of medium-sized gold hoop earrings. Even though it’s out of my comfort zone, I love the outfit and I think it suits me perfectly, although it’s not my typical style. (I’m going to go home, eat some dinner, and see how I’ll look for my date.  This includes putting on the outfit, doing my hair, and my makeup.) The next time I write will probably be just before my date, I’ll be so nervous in the next few days I won’t even be able to write.

                                                             Friday 

Tonight is the night, I’m going to be all pretty. Marcus will fall head over heels for me. The only thing left to do is my hair. It’s going to be in a bun with some strands hanging out, framing my face.  I’m all ready, he will be here to pick me up in 10 minutes. I’m so excited, nervous, and anxious. I’m just a jumble of emotions right now.

He’s here, he’s here, oh my gosh, he’s here. Marcus is on my doorstep, right now! What do I do?  Well, maybe I should open the door. Yeah, that seems smart. I'll report back after our date, I'm not trying to write in a diary as we enjoy dinner.

I was so excited to tell you what happened I couldn't wait to write until I got home. I started writing in the car instead. I'll give you a play-by-play.

I opened the door for him.

(He looked very handsome) He complimented my outfit. He said he loved my hair. (That was my favorite part too)

Then we went to his car and drove to the restaurant. Which was about a twenty-five minutes drive. 

Marcus took me to a very nice restaurant (A steak and fish type spot.)

Marcus held the door open for me.

He pulled out my chair, he even let me look at the menu.

We got an oyster appetizer.

Our orders: I ordered flash-seared ahi and asparagus, while Marcus ordered a tomahawk ribeye with mashed potatoes.  We also got some Chardonnay wine. (All of it was absolutely delicious.)  After we ate and had one of our amazing conversations, we decided that we were both too full to eat dessert. We then packed up our leftovers and went to the car.

It’s night now and the stars are out, it’s beautiful. The moon lit up the road on which we drove. It is magical, as if we are in a fairytale. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a bright light. A speeding tru……

Authors note: Don’t worry everybody, there will be a continuation. I hope you enjoyed my first story!!

April 17, 2021 02:54

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9 comments

Kate Reynolds
17:32 Apr 17, 2021

Oh MY GODDDDDDD AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH YOUR FIRST STORYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY Okay, first of all, I LOVED IT. I LOVED THE ROMANCE AND THE BEGINNING (it really hooked me) But, there were a few things: In the story, to show time passing you used “Monday” or “Tuesday.” And while that’s a great way to show time passing, I would use it if I was writing a more diary formatted story. I think for your story, you shouldn’t format it as a diary. (Does that make sense?) Also, I felt like it was a teeny tiny bit rushed (but I don’t blame ...

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Zae Johnson
19:27 Apr 17, 2021

Thank you so much! I don't know whether you were saying that I shouldn't have made it a diary-type format because you thought it wasn't, or if you didn't think the diary format fit the story. (It is diary entries though.) I do agree with the title, I like that better. (Can I still change it now?) Yes, as I reread it did seem rushed. I wrote about a third of the story in 1 1/2-2 hours so that makes sense. I really do appreciate you taking your time to read and criticize my story, it means so much. Thank you, again.

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Kate Reynolds
20:20 Apr 17, 2021

Ofc!!! I'm saying that you probably shouldn't use diary entries for the story, because at the end she basically gets hit by a truck, and I don't think that a person could like write that entry into their diary as they're getting hit, you know what I mean? Yep, you can change it anytime! Yeah, but it was really goodddd Anytimeeeee :)))))))))

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Zae Johnson
01:18 Apr 18, 2021

Well, that's why the entry gets cut short. But, I understand what you mean entirely. Obviously, there is nothing I can do about it now without changing the whole story, I will keep such things in mind for next time though. I also put it as diary entries because it plays along with my idea for the second part. I was not initially doing it as diary entries, but then I became quite stubborn when contemplating whether or not it should be. I guess you'll just have to see what I mean about it going along with the second one once you read it. Your...

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Kate Reynolds
16:11 Apr 18, 2021

Yeah, I understand! Ofccc anytime!!! :D

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17:43 Jun 07, 2021

I love this story! Great job. (And please let me know when you write a part 2!!!)

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Zae Johnson
04:06 Jun 10, 2021

Thank you, this means so much!!!

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Shea West
18:09 May 03, 2021

Congrats on your first story. While I was reading it I had some conflicting understanding of whether the girl was a young adult or a older. Her "entries" felt more teenaged in tone, yet she is saving money for a house and drinks Chardonnay. I'm curious to see if the next part of the story is a "speeding trumpet" or not ;)

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Zae Johnson
21:53 May 03, 2021

Thank you so much for reading it and commenting. I'm not sure if you caught it but it says that Marcus is 23 and they are a year apart. Which would make her 22. Since she is a young adult and a kid at heart it made sense to make it sound more teenage-esque. Thank you for your feedback. I hope you enjoyed it!

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