© Jan Wayne Fields
All’s Fair in Love and Camping
(Fiction; 99 words)
“How much longer? It feels like we’ve been driving through this park forever.”
This may have been a mistake.
“Up around the bend here. Home sweet home for two nights.” Hayden forced a light tone and an exaggerated grin.
“It’s a tent.”
“Um, yeah. We’re camping.”
“You want me to sleep in a tent?”
“Well…where else would we sleep?”
“In a pop-up, maybe, like all the civilized campers we passed getting up here?”
Hayden stared at the elaborate campsite she spent hours erecting that morning and thought of the ring box she’d buried in her backpack. Definitely a mistake.
***
Friday Fictioneers is a weekly challenge hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. The above is my 99-word fictional story. Each week, writers are offered a photo prompt, from which we are challenged to write a complete story, in 100 words or less. Then we post, share, comment and critique with dozens of other writers. Click the blue frog button to find more stories, and join in!
The Mom Who Runs: 
I can only add what others have said: all that effort unappreciated. Hayden may just have found out in time that they aren’t as compatible as she thought. Great story.
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Thanks for reading and your comments! Better to figure it out before she gets too far down that path, though, right?
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Exactly.
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Great story and I also enjoyed the comments as well. It’s definitely not the glamorous setting for a proposal some would want.
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Thanks! No, indeed. Good for her to figure out now it’s a bad match!!
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So difficult to get things right, but your story was just perfect
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WOW! That’s a tremendous compliment. It made my night! Thanks so much! 🙂
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You set this up nicely. Interesting how it’s the woman presenting the ring.
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Hello, aliciajamtaas! Thanks for reading and your comments. It worked out very naturally that way when I wrote the story last night, and I really liked the role change up. I hope you enjoyed it! Happy trails 🙂
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I did! I asked my husband to marry me – no ring. “Bad idea,” he said. So, I waited for another three years. Finally, the crazy guy decided it was a good idea. He had a ring when he proposed.
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LOL! Glad he finally figured out what you knew all along!
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Reminds me of something similar with my wife. I didn’t get to get to know her properly before we got married.We married 4 months after we started dating,and eight months after we met. That was 21 years ago and we have two fantastic kids. 18 and 20 but still kids. Oh, and she has two other kids with her second husband, she traded me in for a younger model on our 13th anniversary. So, yes Hayden, get to know her properly first and go sell the ring lol
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Oh, my! I’m sorry to hear how it turned out for you. Glad you ended up with two fantastic kids! I was very much still a kid at 18 and 20, but think I’ve come a long way. Like a fine wine! 😉 Happy trails!
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It was years ago. Kids and I are happy 🙂 I was a kid at 18 as well. Albeit one who stayed in listening to Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Girlschool. Oh how things have changed. At 49 I stay in and listen to Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, and AC/DC lol
Have a fun run 🙂
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LOL! Happy listening!
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I thought it was a mother and child all the way through until you pulled the rug out from under with that last line
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Ha! I didn’t think about that angle, but see how it reads that way, too (until the last line!). Thanks for reading and your comments! Happy trails!
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Once we release a story it makes its own living in the world. It becomes as many stories as there are readers
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Indeed! I’m always intrigued by what others take away from my work. 🙂
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Dear Sara,
Definitely time to rethink this relationship. Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Indeed, I agree! Thanks, Rochelle. 🙂
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Keep that box hidden Hayden! Nicely set up and structured and you keep us on Hayden’s side all the way. Maybe they aren’t as compatible as she might hope!
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Thanks, Lynn! I think this was her wake up call and she will. 🙂
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My pleasure 🙂
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I think Hayden perhaps needs to get to know her partner better before proposing. Nicely done.
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Indeed! This seems to happen so often…the rush to marriage for the wedding and idea of what long term partnership really is, without knowing yourself (or your partner!) well enough. Thanks for reading and happy trails!
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