Small Towns

The only difference between Humans and elves were physical...the super senses, pointed ears, practically immortal lifespan and the super speed were obvious differences yet deep down emotionally and mentally they were all the same. Which was why Janie was feeling suspiciously like a small town country girl from one of those cliche human rom coms she had watched on occasion. Everyone in town, all two hundred of us thought I was guilty of driving him out of town...hell even I thought I was guilty at one point.

If it wasn't for him calling me from his boyfriends apartment just to let me know he was okay then I would have probably felt guilty forever that I broke his heart. Of course, the fact that I was with Alex for over 10 years, ever since our first year of high school meant that our futures had pretty much been written out for us. 

As a young elvish woman living in a small country town, my life plan was not dissimilar to the human sterotype of a person in a similar situation. I was expected to marry my childhood sweetheart, have 2 kids and spend my life as a stay at home Mum and working part time in whatever discpline I chose/ was force upon me...probably as the accountant or cashier for my family's farm based shop, the produce was literally so fresh you most definetly could still find dirt on it if her brothers didn't brush the dirt off. 

The uproar that spead like wildfire across the town after I called off the engagement to Alex after years of being more like siblings rather than anything else was intense. Dad even put me in charge of the stockroom at the shop instead of out front as he was worried I'd affect his business, that's how much people hated me. Small towns were like the ocean...tempramental, sporadic and you should never turn you back...on either one of them.

After Alex's phone call several days ago, I had been positive...just along with everyone else that I had driven him out of town because of his broken heart...a heart that in turns out was into the opposite sex and had always been me as a sister rather than anything else. In fact, it was I who the town should be supporting, afterall, he had basically been using me as a handbag for years. No wonder he hadn't seemed too upset when I had called i t off, I mean I had been emotional...as much as an elf could be at any rate, as a race we weren't known for our ability to be in touch with our feelings...the limited feelings we had at any rate.

At least he had called, that was decent of him. I mean...it didn't help my ego at all to know my partner of 10+ years was gay and had never been romantically into me at all, but at least he was happy and was safe...even though he had left me with the wrath of 200 people who had known me since I was a baby. Maybe it was just easier for them all to think that I had broken his heart with calling off our engagement, it was probably easier for them to handle that I was a heartbreaker rather than the truth. It's not that the Elvish were against same sex relationships, but it simply wasn't normal or typical...at least in their society. 

The Elvish if they had to be known for one thing, was our ability to be completely reserved and restrained...emotionless...indifferent, cold. It was one of the reasons why romance was so difficult for us in the first place. How do you know if you love someone or if they're interested in you if neither one of you showed even the slightest emotion?

As these thoughts whirled around in my mind, I found myself being brougght back to reality by the soft sound of my older sister clearing her throat as she sat down on the porch swing next to me, her long white hair swishing gently around her ankles as she gracefully leant back in the chair. 

" I overheard your phone conversation the other day Janie, I'm so sorry that this town is so incredibly judgemental, especially for a bunch of Elves."

Smiling softly at her sisters subtle attempt at humour, Janie allowed herself to be pulled into an awkward but well intentioned hug by her older sister. With her 3 well behaved kids and a fourth on the way, a perfect husband who worked on the police force and her own part time job as the Office Manager for the town council Janie's older sister Rebecca was the perfect Elvish woman...and the perfect sister.

As Janie allowed herself to be hugged she found herself shaking her head slightly, laughing a little to herself as she thought about her current predicament. Who would have thought that the Janie a few weeks ago, the young woman that seemed to have everything would be in her current situation now. Several weeks agos she was successfully working for her family business, she was just about to graduate secondary school in accounting and was engaged to her chidhood sweetheart.

Now, she was single and probably ostracised forever from most of the eligible elves in her town and most of her family were still currently not talking to her. The only thing that was still going for her was the fact that she wasn't a heartbreaker, her sister still loved her and even if no one would ever hire her again at least she almost had her accounting qualification. 

" I'll work on getting people to believe you Janie...if you ever choose to reveal the truth that is. Even if you don't...remember you are a good person and that the chit chat will die down soon enough. I mean anyone with half a brain would've realised that Alex liked men, I was going to tell if you started planning the wedding."

Rolling her eyes at this, Janie said nothing and instead looked out at the horizon, over the brilliant saffron strands of the wheat fields as they brushed the deep Azure sky. 

" Besides, in less than a day I reckon you will be yesterday's news...especially with the fact that earlier today I saw at least half a dozen of those immature young men you call your classmates drag racing down near the mainstreet shops, Frederick called me to complain about all the tickets he was going to have to write up before he got home this afternoon. So trust me Janie, the town may be suspicious of your broken engagement and everyhting but it will be short lived."

Nodding to herself Janie found herself agreeing with the widsom of her older sister.Small towns were exactly like the ocean.Tempramental, sporadic, full of idiots and you should never turn you back...on either one of them.