The Right One

By Summer Felix

The Right One is the beginning of a series, where thirty-something Marly has just been dumped for the fourth time, and it’s left her reeling. All she’s ever wanted was a husband, a house, some kids, and maybe, just maybe, a little acceptance. That it hasn’t happened yet perhaps shouldn’t come as a surprise: Marly knows she can be a bit of a control freak who suffers from just a touch of hypochondria.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jun 28, 2013
• ISBN: 9781939078162

Book preview

Chapter One

It’s been my philosophy that Google knows everything. So, when I looked up ‘falling in love’ and found the definition on Wikipedia, which also knows everything, I was a bit thwarted. According to its smart writers, falling in love is just a simple term used to describe the process of moving from feeling neutral toward a person to feeling love. The use of the term fall implies that the process is in some way inevitable, uncontrollable, risky, irreversible, or that it puts the lover in a state of vulnerability, in the same way that the word fall is used in the phrase to fall ill or to fall into a trap. More importantly, it is the term generally used to describe an (eventual) love that is strong, although not necessarily permanent.

Not necessarily permanent.

Let me first caution you that while this story is ultimately a tale of feat, if you look closely enough, it is also a vexing register of an archetypal thirty-something woman.

The Story

I couldn’t hold my head up once I heard the words. It felt like a thick rope was connected to my chin and that his words were a vicious tug that pulled my jaw to my chest and took with it all the surrounding muscles that could ever let me smile again. I just don’t feel the spark anymore. The words repeated in my mind like a skipping CD. He’d only just said it seconds before and still it had replayed a hundred times already.

The night air was turning colder and the season had just entered winter. Even still, I began to sweat and could feel my thighs sticking to my wool skirt. I looked so cute, too. My A-line skirt flattered my waist perfectly. It was just short enough that my tall suede boots could cover my legs and keep me warm enough during the transitional weather. My blouse was made of silk, and it flattered the shape of my small breasts. I looked classy, sexy and mysterious, everything that Mitchell said he loved about me. So, why now, was it suddenly not so hot?

And, wait, was this really happening? Maybe I heard him wrong or it was a joke. But, the silence after the words validated the awkwardness, so I didn’t laugh, and I didn’t respond. I just sat there sweaty and embarrassed and without a jaw.

I’m sorry. Are you going to be OK? He finally broke the silence, but the discomfort remained.

Now I felt stupid. Why wouldn’t I be OK? Shouldn’t I be? After all, he was lucky to be with me, right? I was like Jennifer Connelly with a shorter build and less silky hair, but still very much doable and he was … well, he was Mitchell. Yeah, fine. I’ll be fine. What was he saying, anyway? Was he breaking up with me? What did he mean asking