A boring life, adventures needed.

pretty much a short story of a life of a 25 year old girl who has daily routines, suspects boyfriend of cheating and on verge of breaking up. what she does next surprises him.

A Boring life, Adventures needed �" A Short story.

 Melbourne

Maddison McKenzie was just an ordinary 25 year old. Living life by routine had bored her. Her boyfriend Meric was starting to get sick and tired of it and wanted adventures in her life. Controlled by anxiety Maddison was at risk of losing him. Not much of a city girl Maddison just always preferred a quiet night at home in front of the television with a glass of red wine and eating pizza or curry.

Her office job was getting boring too, something had to be done about it. She thought to herself Maddison are you having an early midlife crises? She has heard many of her friends talk about them and knew that they existed but she never thought she could be in the middle of one herself.

Maddison arrived at home exactly 7pm on the dot.  Meric was sitting on the couch, he had just switched the television off.

“S**t” Maddison said to herself. This was not a healthy sign. Meric never turns the television off his favourite show was on.

“Maddison, we need to talk.” He said at once.  Maddison started to feel uneased. Her bags dropped in the one spot in shock. Keys fell down with them and not in its usual key bowl.

“Meric, you’re not breaking up with me are you?” The words just came straight out of her mouth with no hesitation. Meric didn’t respond straight away. He gestured her to sit down and patted the seat in front. He had on the coffee table 2 glasses both topped up with wine.

“Maddison, No. Not yet honey I need to discuss something with you. I got a promotion at work today, a really good one and well it’s too good to pass up. It’s an opportunity of a life time and well without hesitation I said yes straight away.”

“Baby, that’s great news!!” Maddison took her seat. She felt slightly relaxed and took a sip of her favourite wine.

“I Need to move though, To Brisbane, They opening up an office in the CBD area and well apparently there is a neat apartment already designed for this particular person. The rent is taken out of each pay check, it’s fully furnished they say I don’t need a car but they are putting me on a 3 month trial base to see if I like it there”

“What about me? I mean Melbourne It’s my home how can I move away Mum, Dad, Joshua and little Emily I mean you want to me to come do you?”

Meric looked at Maddison shocked by this reaction, This girl was always impossible to get her to come out camping and moving to a complete different state all together was going to be impossible for her to agree.

“Maddison I love you, but I need to get away from this, this life down here it’s eating me up. I need something different, I need a challenge. I’m 28 years old. Everyone is settling down, having kids, This promotion is good, I can start fresh again.” He did not answer her question trying to avoid it all together. If he really knew her she would break up with him.

“I’m coming” Maddison decided then and there.

Meric’s jaw dropped in shock, he thought she would want to break up. “I need to get away too. It would be good. I mean 5 years together is really good for us and we need this change and I know I need to change. I’m draining down here.”

Meric stood up and pulled her up and moved her closer to him. He couldn’t believe his luck.

The next day at work Maddison gave her boss a resignation letter. He was sad to see her go and so were her work colleges. That Friday everyone stayed back in the office and had a small going away party for her. With a lovely reference letter in her hand Maddison looked back at her work mates and waved goodbye to them one last time. Good bye old Maddison hello new Maddison.

Maddison’s new adventures had started right then and there. It was time to do something different.  Instead of getting her usual train back home she popped into this trendy bar not far from home and hopped in the door. It was packed with loads of people. People she knew from school had always talked about this place. It was the meeting joint for Meric’s friends.

There she spotted at the bar talking to a tall legged blonde girl was Meric. He was laughing, beer in one hand and his hand was on her shoulder. She was flirting with him big time.  Meric hadn’t noticed Maddison approach him, he had been too engrossed with this blonde chick he failed to notice her in front of him. With that Maddison grabbed out her phone and texted him right then and there.

He heard his phone buzz and took his phone out of his pocket.

“Thanks for even noticing me that blonde chick must been really interesting if you fail to notice your girlfriend was right next you her. Goodbye.”

“F**k” Meric said out loud. She had stayed long enough to notice his reaction. She bolted out the door and headed down the street. Their house wasn’t too far and by the time she had gone into the bedroom Meric had entered the house.

“What the hell was that?” He said out loud.

“We are over” Was all Maddison can say.

“Mads, Come on she was a work mate we were having last minute drinks before I left.” He protested.

“I don’t want to know about it, I just want to be gone.”

“Babe, come on let’s talk about this, you never go out why tonight of all nights?” He tried to change the subject.

Maddison stopped packing her suitcase and flopped on the bed. She started crying in her hands. Moving was just as bad enough as it was but now she couldn’t help but think if she could trust him anymore.

“I know I haven’t been the best girlfriend but I did try… I really did.” She sobbed.

Meric came to her to where she was sitting on the end of the bed and pulled her closer to him.

“Nothing happened with Clair, honestly she always tried for years but she could never win me. Tonight was the first time I took her up on the drinks because it was the last day of work.

“Promise?” Was all Maddison could make out.

“I promise, look when we get to Brisbane we will make a fresh start, a new change for the both of us. It’s a new place for the both of us we can be anyone we want to be, you still trust me don’t you?” He asked her.

Maddison wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled back at him.

“Of course I do, you dumb a*s. I just… It’s just all this change it’s happening too quickly for me.” She finally said.

“Babe, we can do this as slow as you want. We can Google places to visit when we get up there, it will be a challenge for the both of us.” Meric kissed her lips and she kissed back passionately like the fight had never existed.

 

Brisbane

It was a week into the move. Meric had settled into his new job fine, Maddison still hadn’t found any work but constantly found time to go to the local Library for a couple of hours. By the third day in Brisbane Maddison had took mental notes and wrote down coffee shops, restaurants that were in the CBD. She had joined a meet up group online to try and make some new friends. She wasn’t in a rush to find work straight away.

 On the first Friday, Meric had been asked to come to a house party. It was in Northgate. He looked up they weren’t too far away. They were living in Sandgate. He told Maddison the day before about the party. She had promised him back in Melbourne she would make an effort this time around. It would be nice for her to meet some people. The meet up site she joined there weren’t anything interesting for her. Except Sunday morning there was a walk across this bridge that was near her place. She pressed yes on the screen to go to it.

By Friday morning, nerves took over Maddison. Meric had gone to work and she was left all alone.  She found out Thursday morning where the water front was and spotted a couple of café’s along the water front and near the library. So much to choose from she thought.

There was a discounted store near one of the café’s and decided she might try and get some artsy stuff for one of the walls and got some supplies. She was bugged from the shopping and sat down the first free seat that was available.

It was a busy café, 3 staff were in the café working, one taking orders, one making coffee and it looked like a chef in the kitchen. There was a baby crying in front of her. The mother was talking to her friend upset she couldn’t get a baby sitter for Friday night.

Maddison couldn’t help but over hear this. The baby would be easy to baby sit. The extra cash would come in handy since she wasn’t working at the moment. She got up and walked over to the lady and introduced herself.

“Sorry I couldn’t help I just moved here, you were after a baby sitter? I just left my job and am looking for work. I live just around the corner close by if you were interested this is my mobile number, email and facebook.” The lady was in shock at the kind offer from Maddison.

“Thank you, I will have to talk to my husband and I’ll email you back later tonight will that be a problem?”  The friend that was sitting opposite her was in shock but couldn’t help but pull a polite smile.

“Hayley that lady will be perfect I mean, you can come to my hen’s night at last” The girl was saying.

“Harriet, I can’t she’s a complete stranger, Jeff he would go crazy if we just invite a complete stranger to our house, you know what he is like I mean seriously he would go bonkers and boom there goes my marriage

“Let’s create a book club right now, say that we met her through book club. Look she likes Stephen King like us I mean this could work out really well, you always wanted to start a book club didn’t you?” Hayley smiled.

Harriet hesitated for a few minutes. Hayley was right. A book club would be a great idea, and she wouldn’t mind a new girlfriend to chat to. Harriet got off her chair and walked over to Maddison who appeared to be reading intensely into the book. 

“Maddison. I’m Harriet, and my friend over there is Hayley and the little fellow is Clinton. We were thinking for a while we were wanting to make a book club and well you like to read I assume?” Harriet smiled at her new friend.

“Yes, I love to read” Maddison said smoothly.

“Great, well come over and join us.” Harriet said and moved her seat around to make room for Maddison. 

     ….

 

Just before Meric got home Maddison checked her inbox for any news on tomorrow. There was none, however on Facebook she had 2 new friend requests Hayley McCarmen and Harriet Kellop. There was a new inbox in her facebook mail too from Harriet. Saying okay for the baby sitting job. She had left her home address and mobile number and straight away she put them in her phone.

Maddison new he would be mad about Friday night if Maddison didn’t join him. But this was a fresh start for her and already she was making plans.  

When Meric walked in he had smelt his favourite Butter Chicken Curry. The table was romantically set with a candle light dinner and soft music of Michael Buble was playing in the back ground.

“Maddy, Where are you?” He called out to her.

“In the bathroom. Hold on I’ll be out there in a sec” she said.

Feeling gitty and a bit sexy Maddison walked out to the lounge room wearing a new sexy black dress.

“What is going on?” Meric was surprised he had walked over to Maddison and pulled her in and kissed her neck.

“I, have some good news” she said. After a few more passionate kisses she pulled him off and ordered him to sit down at the table and poured a bottle of red wine.

“I made some new friends today.” She said excitedly.

“Babe that’s great news, I’m so happy for you.” He sounded sincere about it.

“But, I can’t come tomorrow with you. Harriet, she needed a baby sitter to go to Hayley’s Hens night. I said I can do it.  A little money wouldn’t help. Both girls are in a book club it’s just getting started. I said to them I can create this blogging group online for this book club and we can try and get more members” by then Maddison was rambling on with excitement.  Meric had not seen her look this excited in such a long time. This was the Maddison he fell in love with 5 years ago, the move to Brisbane had been the best choice that he could ever make.

After they had dinner and washed up Meric had pulled her into a slow song. They were dancing to Falling in Love. Michael Buble’s cover of the popular Elvis Presley song.  In that moment he pulled out of his pocket a small box and got down on one knee and asked her the question she had been wanting to hear for the past 5 years.

“Maddison Mckenzie  would you be my wife.” He pulled her in closer to kiss her. She whispered in his ears “Yes Meric I will”.

 

The End. By Bec Lonsdale.