The Search for Prince Charming – Published in Pure Slush Vol. 6: Marriage Lifespan – September 2022
Evie squealed with delight watching her new princess dress twirl about her as she spun circles in front of the full-length mirror. Loose pink sparkles clung to her cheeks, and her mother snapped the keepsake moments. Someday, Evie imagined, she would be a real princess living in a castle where she would host a magnificent ball, and at the end of the evening, she’d sit upon her golden throne pondering her choice of princes with whom to live happily ever after.
Years gone by, Evie morphed into Evelyn, a single woman who traded social time for career building. After one mind numbing day she sat alone on her plush white sofa sipping wine wiggling her tired pink painted toes. While she maintained her princess-like beauty, turning heads as she passed, there was no prince in her life, no little girl to pass along the child-sized trousseau of ball gowns stashed in her parents’ attic. It had been too long since her mother had passed while still pining for grandchildren to photograph, and her father had expressed his regret of her unfulfilled dreams. “Enough.” Evelyn told herself. “Only one time around in this life,” and she was not going to go through it alone any longer. “Match.com to the rescue.”
Lunch dates followed. Meet ups for cocktails, speed dating, and blind dates. None that offered Evelyn the relationship of her dreams. Try Catch or My-Date, Swipe-Left, her friends suggested but nothing proved successful. Then one evening, a friend who trolled the sites for her phoned. “I found him. The guy for you! He responded with the pseudonym and emoji of Prince Charming to mine of you as Cinderella. He’s everything you are, hardworking but longs for a companion. He’s athletic, enjoys fine food, wants to travel, …” “Too good to be true,” Evelyn said, “but ok I’ll meet him.” “Good, I’ve set up your date for tomorrow, 7:00 PM at Tess’s on 49th Street. Evelyn arrived a few minutes early, and precisely on time, her eyes met Prince Charming’s. “Dad,” she said, “what are you doing here?”
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