Author’s Note: Here is my attempt at a prompt given by Liana Mir. All I could think about while writing this was The Hollies’ song, “Bus Stop,” and it has been stuck in my head since I read over the prompt. So… this is the result. 😛
The sudden change in the sound of the rain and the absence of it striking against her made Katherine look up, startled. The other woman smiled. “I thought you could use half the umbrella. You seemed rather lost, sitting out here soaked through in the rain. Is the bus running late?”
“I… hadn’t noticed.”
“Oh.” The other woman sat down, adjusting the umbrella a bit. Now the water was hitting Katherine’s left side, but she did not care. “Did that just happen or are you regretting accepting it?”
She glanced down at the diamond solitaire on her hand and sighed. “I don’t regret it. I still love him. We might have to call off the wedding, though.”
“Family problems?”
“Money. He lost his job last month. The economy. Downsizing. Same old story. Everyone’s saying we should wait until he finds a new place, not a temporary job but a real one. I agree, and yet I don’t. I don’t know what to do. That’s why I keep sitting out here, waiting in the rain for someone to tell me that ‘Life is like a box of chocolates’ or something.” Katherine had to laugh at herself. She turned the ring around on her finger. “I am not expecting someone else to solve my problems. I just needed some time to think about it. Do I gamble that we can make it, or do I wait? Will the money issue destroy us, or can we work together and overcome it?”
“Tough question.”
Katherine looked at her. “Sounds like you have one of your own. You worried about family problems?”
The blonde nodded. “Yeah. It seems like something out of a television drama. My family hates him. He tried at first, but now he doesn’t want to bother. They don’t—I’m one of those ‘lucky’ only children, and I’ve got more money than he does. He’s not good enough for me in their eyes, but no one would be. If he would keep trying, he might win them over, but they’ve been so obnoxious that he doesn’t see the point. I feel caught in the middle—do I choose the man I love or do I stay loyal to my family? Is there any way to make them get along or should I stop trying? I might find I’m happier with someone else, and I can’t lose my family, but I will be miserable if I continue to be stuck in the middle.”
Katherine knew the feeling. She twisted the ring again. “My family didn’t think much of Fletcher in the beginning. My parents wanted someone better for me—a doctor or a lawyer or something like that, you know how it is. It was the little things that won them over. He helped clear the table after dinner. He stopped to grab my mother’s glass when he went for a refill for himself. It was just Fletcher being Fletcher, but one day my mother stopped and looked at him and said, ‘You are the most considerate young man I have ever known.’ My brothers were none too pleased, but he got past my mother and shortly after that, my father. A few sports games later, and my brothers consider him one of their own. He’s already family.”
“Sounds rather wonderful.”
“All I am saying is that maybe your boyfriend doesn’t have to make a big gesture. Maybe he just needs to keep the peace and let the little things build up until they’ve won your family over.”
“Maybe.” The other woman sighed. “I would love it if it did. If we could only convince them that we could all get along… You know, it’s not about the money. So what if I have a bit of savings? I don’t need it. I could give it away and be just as happy—as long as we were able to work out this issue with my family. I like having my own work, and so does he. It’s probably the key to us being happy. I’m fortunate. My work was a hobby first, and I built it into a business. I do all right, and if he’s a bit short, then I can cover him and vice versa. It works itself out.”
Katherine frowned. She held her arm out, pulling up her sleeve. “What do you think of that?”
“The bracelet?”
“Yeah.”
“That is something else. I’ve never seen anything quite like it.”
“You don’t like it.”
“I didn’t say I didn’t. It’s very unique. Where’d you find it? It is a custom made piece, isn’t it?”
“I made it.”
“Then I think you have the solution to your money problems right there,” the woman said, tapping the bracelet. “This is talent. You could sell these and get a good price for them. I’m sure of it.”
Katherine smiled as the bus pulled to a stop in front of them. Maybe this could work after all. Maybe she had the solution. Even if she didn’t, she knew she didn’t need to sit in the rain any longer. “Thank you. And not just for sharing the umbrella.”
“You’re welcome. I’m glad I did.”