(100-word flash fiction)
They were the power couple. Gracious and hospitable. Every birthday, anniversary and festival was celebrated with partying. They appeared in public smiling hand-in-hand.
He excelled in his career while she was the loving stay-at-home mother volunteering for charities.
They did not know when the rot in their marriage had started to creep up from the foundation. They were so busy living their perfect lives, they did not see the brickwork slowly turning to dust. Their smiles and celebrations like ivy covering a decaying structure had fooled even themselves.
All it took for the structure to crumble was one mammogram.
~~~
Sadly, it’s a true story. Neighbours of ours, such a nice couple, hospitable and both of them lovely people. Then we moved away and heard she has had a mastectomy. Followed soon by divorce.
~~~
Tried to get literal with this one, but it came out a bit stilted, I think.
Thank you Rochelle for yet another lovely photo and for so religiously hosting our Flash Fiction addicted get-together 🙂
Photo prompt –
PHOTO PROMPT © Roger Bulltot
Just Joyfulness 
Sadly, it doesn’t take much to destroy a life.
So true James. Unless we keep working on a marriage, it dies in some form or another.
Grim reading, for sure. One never knows.
Life is like that, unfortunately 😦
Dear Joyful,
How sad that the foundation of their marriage crumbled to that extent. Sometimes that’s all it takes. Not knowing the full situation, my anger is aimed at him. How shallow of him. See what you did? You stoked my emotions. Good job.
Shalom,
Rochelle
It’s interesting that you say that Rochelle. Because the women who knew them took her side and the men, including my hubby, took his side 🙂
Actually, she left him. So, I’m guessing she didn’t feel supported enough.
Coping with a loved one’s illness takes a toll you never find out whether you can deal with until you have to
True Neil. Adversity does test all of us.
so sad 😦
Thanks for dropping by 🙂
A nice use of the prompt and a sad story, more so because it is a real tragedy.
Thanks Iain.
I see this happening so often. Great take.
Thanks very much!
Death and illness can definitely kill a couple. This did not feel stilted at all. I enjoyed it, despite the sad ending.
Dale, thanks for the encouraging words. I felt it was stilted because it read like a commentary, rather than like a story. glad you felt it wasn’t stilted 🙂
Nah… we are our own worst critic 😉
I agree with Dale – no stilts here 🙂 It is sad and yes, you can never tell what adversity will do to a relationship until it hits. It can make you stronger or it can destroy you.
Thanks Lynn. I guess adversity is the great litmus test of relationships 🙂
Very true and not all of them pass that test
So often situations like this can strengthen relationships as I know from two couples who’ve gone through it. Sadly however not every case. A sad but beautifully written piece.
Click to read my FriFic
Very true Keith. After an adversity, a relationship could become stronger. I guess, it depends on the individuals. Thanks for your lovely compliment.
A story with insight and compassion. The tragedy waiting for them is implicit from the very first sentence, and you lead us so gently to pitying this golden couple, where we might have envied them. That’s good writing.
I think you’re right about ‘stilted’, but it’s not much and it’s far outweighed by the merits of the piece.
Thanks Penny. I thought it was stilted because of the commentary voice of it. Glad that you found merits and thanks for the kind words.
We do build our lives on unstable ground… it’s a good thing that we mostly make it through all the hurdles too… maybe will do it too.
Yes. Sometimes we realise how unstable it is only when things come crashing down.
Hard hitting and real. I found the comments and your responses so sad. Nice to see you not living up to your name. 🙃
Thanks for the compliment Kelvin. I always feel a pang of guilt when I write a sad story and post it under the blog name. And, how did you get that inverted smile?
Just comes up on my phone, my iPhone. S’also available on my mac. I like it better than a sad face. 🙂
Oh. Ok 😀
Is it weird that I feel like I should examine my own foundation now? I don’t want to be one of the ones who fools himself so thoroughly as those two.
Hmmmm… Time for introspection and examination. I did not forsee that effect on anyone. 🙂
They put on a good show, but you never know what’s going on beneath the surface.
Very true. Thanks for dropping by 🙂
Her illness should have brought them closer. sad.
https://ideasolsi65.blogspot.in/2017/08/helpless.html
True. Thanks Kalpana.
It wasn’t the breast cancer. It was the cancer of the soul and spirit, the heart disease, that ruined their marriage. I see too much of this in my counseling office, usually too little, too late.
So very true Linda. When we are busy chasing the shiny objects of the world, we often do not see the cancer of the spirit spreading 😦 Thanks for your comment.
Sooo understand that one. While I was in the ER struggling to be alive back in ’96, family and even the church told my husband to abandon me. After all, I didn’t remember who he was so I would never even realize he was gone. Instead of following their advice, he stayed. I hear about incidents like this, and I am reminded of how truly blessed I am. Thank you. AWESOME story!
You ARE very lucky Jelli. Nowadays, marriages come apart over seemingly small things. To have a partner stand by you in adversity is a huge blessing. But I cannot understand why the church would ask him to leave. I thought all churches are against divorce ???
We’d been married less than a year. And truth be, his parents didn’t really like me from the get-go. Let’s just say, we married each other in a ‘rescue’ attempt from two very abusive homes.
So sad for her that she should be abandoned in the middle of such a devastating crisis. Heartbreaking story.
This was very well written and you tied the story very visually to the prompt. A crisis either makes or breaks a marriage and probably in their case, the medical crisis highlighted the distance between them….a situation where both or neither were at fault. A reminder to the rest of us perhaps to connect with our partner across those inevitable divides.
xx Rowena
Trust , love and faith are the foundatons of every good relationship and when one fails, the other two can quickly fail, too. I didn’t find it stiltet. Stories come in many shapes and sizes.
The rot can creep in slowly and go undetected (or ignored) for a long time. Then the marital foundation is weakened and any tremor can crack it. So true and well described here. You did a great job with this!
Well that’s just sad!