An Unpopular Question (Fiction)

Disgusted by what appeared to be a perfect life, she packed her three suitcases and rushed through the door without saying goodbye to anyone in the house. She left her car parked in front of the porch and headed towards the main road dragging her luggage along. After standing at the side of the road for almost an hour, a truck driver stopped by and she happily agreed to the lift.

She had been planning to leave everything behind and start a new life for several years but she never had the guts to do it. Looking at her life from the outside one could only shake his head as to why she decided to leave. She had two wonderful boys and an older daughter, a handsome husband who loved and cherished her, and a fulfilling job that allowed her to work from home.

Ten years prior to hitchhiking with a stranger into the unknown she had a mysterious encounter with an older man double her age. The kids were watching a movie in the shopping malls cinema complex while she was doing her weekly purchases at the supermarket when this gentleman appeared asking her whether she was living a blissful life.

Marcy stopped the shopping cart, looked at him and wondered whether the question was really addressed to her. The man nodded and asked anew: “Are you living a blissful life?”

She stood there, petrified, not knowing what to answer or do next. The older man smiled gently at her and continued his shopping tour. When Marcy looked at her watch she knew she had to hurry up. The kids were surely waiting to be picked up and she had to pay for the groceries first before heading back to the cinema.

What appeared to be a couple of minutes of standing there in the aisle of the supermarket desperately looking for an answer to this unusual question, turned out to be almost half an hour.

How was that even possible? How could a question leave her speechless for such a long period of time? Marcy was witty and quick with replies. She loved jokes and always seemed to have an answer ready for everyone. Well, not this time.

The truck driver looked over to Marcy offering her a hot tea from the thermos. They haven’t spoken a word since she joined Jacob in his truck. All they knew where each others names and the direction Jacob was headed. After a couple of hours went by, Marcy opened up the conversation.

“Is the lady in that picture your wife?”

“Yes, madame. That’s Annie. We’ve been happily married for eight years now and we have a beautiful baby boy. I want to be at home for Christmas cause we’re going to celebrate his birthday.”

While Marcy was pondering about the detailed information Jacob delivered without being specifically asked for it, she replied in a soft tone:

“That’s lovely.”

Before letting Jacob continue, she added:

“Are you living a blissful life?”

Without hesitating a second, Jacob replied:

“Madame, I have the most amazing life I could ever imagine. Since I was a little boy, I always dreamed of having my own truck and being able to drive across the country. I married my high-school sweetheart which is definitely a bonus and I have a charming son. What’s not to love about my life?”

Marcy looked over to Jacob with tears running down her eyes and nodded in silence:

“I guess, you’re right.”

Ten years ago when she was asked the very same question by the old gentleman in the supermarket, she couldn’t come up with a reply. Today, if asked the same question, she could answer immediately. But nobody ever asked her again. Not in the past ten years. Jacob the truck driver didn’t ask her back this question either.

The hotel lobby was empty. There were only a couple of gentlemen sipping a glass of whiskey at the bar having a heated discussion about the financial markets. Marcy rushed to the stairs covering her beautiful red dress in a white coat. All she wanted is to get to her room as quickly as possible. Tomorrow she had to perform a very difficult surgery on a nine year old who lost her vision due to a car accident. She was considered one of the best eye surgeons in the country and people from all around the world would seek her for medical advice.

Some decide to bury their past because only then can they build a new, carefree life that corresponds to their own dreams. Living a life that conforms to the expectations of others will most likely lead one to not be able to answer lives unpopular questions.

💎💎💎 Krisz Rokk 💎💎💎

Creative art by Daniela S.

Originally published on the Hive blockchain at @KriszRokk.