The Wedding Anniversary
How to write flash fiction
Last year he forgot their wedding anniversary, and she was so upset that she accused him of thinking that their marriage meant nothing to him. He denied this with great vehemence, of course, and swore that it was in fact the most significant thing in his life, that he had been preoccupied with a case, and promised that, come hell or high water, he would organise a feast to remember next time.
She made it a point not to mention the approach of that auspicious date, because she suspected that he would once more forget it. He, on the other hand took great care not to talk about the plans he was making, in order to spring a surprise upon her.
He had reserved a table at The Double Helix, had bought her a Coin Cento diamond-encrusted pendant, and said nothing to her on the morning of the twenty-fourth. The first thing he did when he reached his practice was to give her a call.
‘Hello darling, do you know the date today?’
She had laughed. ‘Is that why you called? To find the date.’
‘It is the twenty-fourth…’ he said. And he told her about the table that he had booked, and that she should be ready for quarter past eight.
‘And of course I want you to wear your finest,’ he added.
Everything went as he had planned, and after their copious feast, he put his hand in his pocket and found the ring. With a triumphant smile, he presented it to her with a, ‘Happy Birthday to my lovely darling.’
‘And why,’ she asked, ‘are you giving me a wedding anniversary gift on the twenty-fourth of June, a whole month early?’ she asked.
