I'm starting to really lose it with this story. It's just like how Elizabeth Gilbert described in her book, "Big Magic"...it seems like the idea has already left me! Or perhaps it is as my friend said yesterday...maybe it's only gone temporarily and will come back eventually. In this case, I would like to stick with it regardless and go with the flow! So here's the continuation of the "story":
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It's true that Matt had told his girlfriend that he is going to be at the office but he had just called to cancel meetings until the end of the week. The reason was that he had to travel to Dubai, to make a very important deal. He drove home, took a shower, and got his luggage ready. He was also on a conference call while getting ready with Dubai, confirming his travel plans for the week ahead.
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It's 3p now and Alex is in her car, waiting for her parents to find her. She had been waiting for a while now. Apparently, there was a delay in her parents' flight but they didn't bother to tell her. As her dad put it, "we figure you'd be late anyway." Alex was really hoping she wouldn't lose it with them. This was the first time they were going to meet her boyfriend who by the way has not answered any of her calls, which is starting to really worry her. In fact, Alex was very tempted to let her Mandala take control but she decided against it. The thing is, her parents hate Mandalas. In their opinion, Mandalas are taking over our "humanity" and if we keep on using Mandalas to make the "hard decisions" for us, then we would never truly grow. Her dad in particular usually goes on to describe how when he was her age, people had to endure the hard times on their own and blah blah...
There are people like that, even some who are around Alex's age. People who think Mandalas are actually hindering us from experiencing all that life has to offer. Seriously? All that life has to offer? Why would I want to experience the pain, the anxiety, the disappointment? Alex had thought to herself when she first heard the arguments. But when it came to her parents, for some reason, Alex's Mandala didn't fool them. And despite governmental law or whatnot, they always called her out on it. Oh and let's not forget, ms. goody two-shoes, her younger sister, Madeleine or Maddy. She calls herself a true activist in this "cause" and is always trying to fight the government to put a higher age restriction on Mandalas. In today's age and time, when kids are able to purchase Mandalas for themselves as long as their body organs are developed enough and all their baby teeth have fallen, usually around the age 13, in order to do the surgery but Alex had seen her coworkers get Mandalas for their kids before they are even 10 years old. And here, Maddy was part of a movement who was trying to raise the age to 25! Imagine....25 years old! That's like more than double than what it really is.
It's kind of sad, Alex thought to herself. Maddy didn't have much luck in life. She was married for a year before she found out that her husband who was supposedly on her side with the anti-mandala movement, was actually always on his Mandala when they were together. The worst part was that he had "won" the Mandala in a bet and lost it again after a trip to Vegas. Her husband, Fred, admitted to everything and threw Maddy out of his place before she can even get the chance to be mad at him for lying to her for so long. Maddy had then moved back to her parents' house and has now dedicated her life to fighting the anti-Mandala cause. And her parents could not be more proud. They didn't care that she had deliberately thrown her life away and is still technically married to Fred while living with them.
*Alex heard her car window knock and thought it was the police when she looked and saw her sister, Maddy, smiling at her outside.*
Alex was quite startled. This wasn't the plan. Maddy was not invited. No time to think about that. She quickly got out of the car, went to hug her parents, and her sister and helped them unload their bags onto her tiny car and they all got in the car before Alex drove towards her apartment.
"How was your flight?" Alex asked her parents while looking at them through the rearview mirror.
"Eyes on the road!" --said Alex's father, Maximus. "We had a good flight. And look, we have a surprise for you! Aren't you glad?" he said as he looked towards Maddy who was sitting in the passenger seat next to Alex who squeezed Alex's hand on the steering wheel in response. Alex looked over at her sister and smiled. She was kind of happy to see her sister after so long, but at the same time, she was really looking forward to spending this weekend with just her parents, drama-free. In fact, this was a special get-together because they were finally going to meet Matt. Her parents were already judgmental enough and now with Maddy, it is going to be double the judgment!
"So what ever happened to your boyfriend? What was his name Mark?" asked Alex's mother, Marilyn.
Alex frowned as she was making her way home, only 10 more minutes before she could get home and out of this stuffy car with her family. "What do you mean mom? He's good. He's coming today. To see you guys. I mean, he's very excited to meet you guys."
"He's so excited and yet he refused to come to the airport with you and let you drive all the way here on your own?" Maximus said.
"Dad, he was at work. He is at work now. He has just made director of Sales at his company and he gets really busy sometimes. But he is coming over later after his meetings are over. And dad, I don't need him to drive me...I've been driving for a long time." Alex said without trying to sound angry.
"Eyes on the road! Eyes on the road! Ok we don't have to discuss this now. Let's just wait until we get to your apartment and then we can talk about it then."
Alex was really trying not to lose it at this point. "Dad, there's nothing to discuss and I do have my eyes on the road, my eyes are nowhere but on the road."
Her dad decided to ignore her as he whispered something in her mother's ears and they giggled, like little kids. Alex turned to the last corner, drove up her driveway, and parked the car.
Alex turned around to her parents and said: "see?"
But her dad had already opened the door and was getting out of the car at that point. Alex quickly got out of her car. She looked around to see if Matt's car was anywhere to be seen, but it wasn't. She was hoping that he would have been here by now. She looked at her watch that read 3:30. He did say he will try to be here by 4 so hopefully he'll keep his promise. She checked her phone to see if she had any missed calls or texts from him...still nothing.
"Wow your house looks amazing!" exclaimed Maddy.
"Yes sweetheart your house looks really good." said her mother.
Maximus had already taken the bags out of the car and was carrying them to the front door. Alex ran after him to open the door for him. He followed her inside. After a quick tour, Alex showed her parents to the guest room. She turned to her sister and said: "This is my only spare room and I mean I wasn't expecting you--" Maximus interrupted: "That's ok. She can come stay with you in your room." Alex frowned and turned to his father to say something when Maddy stepped up: "No dad. I can't do that. Maybe her boyfriend wants to stay over or something. I will just sleep on the couch."
"Nonsense! Alex, tell your sister it's okay to stay in your room! I'm sure your "friend" can sleep in his own home for a couple of nights huh?" her dad said.
Alex thought about complaining further but decided against it. She turned to Maddy and said: "Yes sister, no problem. Come with me."
"Alex, are you sure? I mean even if not for your boyfriend..I really don't want to be a burden."
"Nonsense! You're her younger sister! Besides this would be the best time for you guys to really do some bonding. Jesus! How long has it been since you two haven't seen each other?"
Alex thought to herself but her gave her the answer: "2 years."
"Wow! See? It's been a while! Come on sweetie. Why don't you take a shower and rest a bit and then we can get started on that barbecue!"
Alex thought for a second that he is talking to her but he wasn't as he kissed Maddy on the cheek and turned her towards Alex's room.
Alex took a long breath and walked her sister to her bedroom. She was fuming inside really. She took out her phone and checked it again---still no text from Matt. She showed her sister to her room, the shower, and the guest towel. She came out of her own bedroom, letting her sister have at some privacy and closed the room with her cell phone in her hand. She walked past the guest room where her parents were. Their door was already closed so they were also probably resting. She walked to the backyard, near the pool area and took out her phone again and for the ninth time that day, she called Matt, only to get the voicemail.
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Matt was already on his way out of the country, in his private jet. Well, the company's private jet to be exact, from Dubai. He was going to sign a Million-dollar deal and in exchange, he was going to move to Dubai all-together. He would only be allowed to visit his office once every three months to make sure everything is going as planned. After all, his company was still the main source of money laundering. As for Alex, he was planning on calling her from Dubai to explain the sudden change of plans. He knew she would understand, especially once she sees the surprise that will arrive at her door later in the day.
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I think I wrote a good amount this time. As I mentioned, I'm just flying along with the "idea" and seeing where it takes me. To me, it feels like this is more of a screenplay more than anything else because I keep imagining the images of a movie as I write it. It doesn't feel like it's going to be a novel and I'm trying to push it to be a short story but now I think, perhaps after I'm done with the storyline itself, perhaps, I will change the format into a screenplay!
---------------
It's true that Matt had told his girlfriend that he is going to be at the office but he had just called to cancel meetings until the end of the week. The reason was that he had to travel to Dubai, to make a very important deal. He drove home, took a shower, and got his luggage ready. He was also on a conference call while getting ready with Dubai, confirming his travel plans for the week ahead.
------
It's 3p now and Alex is in her car, waiting for her parents to find her. She had been waiting for a while now. Apparently, there was a delay in her parents' flight but they didn't bother to tell her. As her dad put it, "we figure you'd be late anyway." Alex was really hoping she wouldn't lose it with them. This was the first time they were going to meet her boyfriend who by the way has not answered any of her calls, which is starting to really worry her. In fact, Alex was very tempted to let her Mandala take control but she decided against it. The thing is, her parents hate Mandalas. In their opinion, Mandalas are taking over our "humanity" and if we keep on using Mandalas to make the "hard decisions" for us, then we would never truly grow. Her dad in particular usually goes on to describe how when he was her age, people had to endure the hard times on their own and blah blah...
There are people like that, even some who are around Alex's age. People who think Mandalas are actually hindering us from experiencing all that life has to offer. Seriously? All that life has to offer? Why would I want to experience the pain, the anxiety, the disappointment? Alex had thought to herself when she first heard the arguments. But when it came to her parents, for some reason, Alex's Mandala didn't fool them. And despite governmental law or whatnot, they always called her out on it. Oh and let's not forget, ms. goody two-shoes, her younger sister, Madeleine or Maddy. She calls herself a true activist in this "cause" and is always trying to fight the government to put a higher age restriction on Mandalas. In today's age and time, when kids are able to purchase Mandalas for themselves as long as their body organs are developed enough and all their baby teeth have fallen, usually around the age 13, in order to do the surgery but Alex had seen her coworkers get Mandalas for their kids before they are even 10 years old. And here, Maddy was part of a movement who was trying to raise the age to 25! Imagine....25 years old! That's like more than double than what it really is.
It's kind of sad, Alex thought to herself. Maddy didn't have much luck in life. She was married for a year before she found out that her husband who was supposedly on her side with the anti-mandala movement, was actually always on his Mandala when they were together. The worst part was that he had "won" the Mandala in a bet and lost it again after a trip to Vegas. Her husband, Fred, admitted to everything and threw Maddy out of his place before she can even get the chance to be mad at him for lying to her for so long. Maddy had then moved back to her parents' house and has now dedicated her life to fighting the anti-Mandala cause. And her parents could not be more proud. They didn't care that she had deliberately thrown her life away and is still technically married to Fred while living with them.
*Alex heard her car window knock and thought it was the police when she looked and saw her sister, Maddy, smiling at her outside.*
Alex was quite startled. This wasn't the plan. Maddy was not invited. No time to think about that. She quickly got out of the car, went to hug her parents, and her sister and helped them unload their bags onto her tiny car and they all got in the car before Alex drove towards her apartment.
"How was your flight?" Alex asked her parents while looking at them through the rearview mirror.
"Eyes on the road!" --said Alex's father, Maximus. "We had a good flight. And look, we have a surprise for you! Aren't you glad?" he said as he looked towards Maddy who was sitting in the passenger seat next to Alex who squeezed Alex's hand on the steering wheel in response. Alex looked over at her sister and smiled. She was kind of happy to see her sister after so long, but at the same time, she was really looking forward to spending this weekend with just her parents, drama-free. In fact, this was a special get-together because they were finally going to meet Matt. Her parents were already judgmental enough and now with Maddy, it is going to be double the judgment!
"So what ever happened to your boyfriend? What was his name Mark?" asked Alex's mother, Marilyn.
Alex frowned as she was making her way home, only 10 more minutes before she could get home and out of this stuffy car with her family. "What do you mean mom? He's good. He's coming today. To see you guys. I mean, he's very excited to meet you guys."
"He's so excited and yet he refused to come to the airport with you and let you drive all the way here on your own?" Maximus said.
"Dad, he was at work. He is at work now. He has just made director of Sales at his company and he gets really busy sometimes. But he is coming over later after his meetings are over. And dad, I don't need him to drive me...I've been driving for a long time." Alex said without trying to sound angry.
"Eyes on the road! Eyes on the road! Ok we don't have to discuss this now. Let's just wait until we get to your apartment and then we can talk about it then."
Alex was really trying not to lose it at this point. "Dad, there's nothing to discuss and I do have my eyes on the road, my eyes are nowhere but on the road."
Her dad decided to ignore her as he whispered something in her mother's ears and they giggled, like little kids. Alex turned to the last corner, drove up her driveway, and parked the car.
Alex turned around to her parents and said: "see?"
But her dad had already opened the door and was getting out of the car at that point. Alex quickly got out of her car. She looked around to see if Matt's car was anywhere to be seen, but it wasn't. She was hoping that he would have been here by now. She looked at her watch that read 3:30. He did say he will try to be here by 4 so hopefully he'll keep his promise. She checked her phone to see if she had any missed calls or texts from him...still nothing.
"Wow your house looks amazing!" exclaimed Maddy.
"Yes sweetheart your house looks really good." said her mother.
Maximus had already taken the bags out of the car and was carrying them to the front door. Alex ran after him to open the door for him. He followed her inside. After a quick tour, Alex showed her parents to the guest room. She turned to her sister and said: "This is my only spare room and I mean I wasn't expecting you--" Maximus interrupted: "That's ok. She can come stay with you in your room." Alex frowned and turned to his father to say something when Maddy stepped up: "No dad. I can't do that. Maybe her boyfriend wants to stay over or something. I will just sleep on the couch."
"Nonsense! Alex, tell your sister it's okay to stay in your room! I'm sure your "friend" can sleep in his own home for a couple of nights huh?" her dad said.
Alex thought about complaining further but decided against it. She turned to Maddy and said: "Yes sister, no problem. Come with me."
"Alex, are you sure? I mean even if not for your boyfriend..I really don't want to be a burden."
"Nonsense! You're her younger sister! Besides this would be the best time for you guys to really do some bonding. Jesus! How long has it been since you two haven't seen each other?"
Alex thought to herself but her gave her the answer: "2 years."
"Wow! See? It's been a while! Come on sweetie. Why don't you take a shower and rest a bit and then we can get started on that barbecue!"
Alex thought for a second that he is talking to her but he wasn't as he kissed Maddy on the cheek and turned her towards Alex's room.
Alex took a long breath and walked her sister to her bedroom. She was fuming inside really. She took out her phone and checked it again---still no text from Matt. She showed her sister to her room, the shower, and the guest towel. She came out of her own bedroom, letting her sister have at some privacy and closed the room with her cell phone in her hand. She walked past the guest room where her parents were. Their door was already closed so they were also probably resting. She walked to the backyard, near the pool area and took out her phone again and for the ninth time that day, she called Matt, only to get the voicemail.
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Matt was already on his way out of the country, in his private jet. Well, the company's private jet to be exact, from Dubai. He was going to sign a Million-dollar deal and in exchange, he was going to move to Dubai all-together. He would only be allowed to visit his office once every three months to make sure everything is going as planned. After all, his company was still the main source of money laundering. As for Alex, he was planning on calling her from Dubai to explain the sudden change of plans. He knew she would understand, especially once she sees the surprise that will arrive at her door later in the day.
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I think I wrote a good amount this time. As I mentioned, I'm just flying along with the "idea" and seeing where it takes me. To me, it feels like this is more of a screenplay more than anything else because I keep imagining the images of a movie as I write it. It doesn't feel like it's going to be a novel and I'm trying to push it to be a short story but now I think, perhaps after I'm done with the storyline itself, perhaps, I will change the format into a screenplay!
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