Golden Box Book Publishing Portfolio of author Erika M Szabo | Page 21

A short story: Nancy arrives home from a long day at work. She kicks off her high heels and walks into the kitchen. Bruce lights the candles on the dinner table and embraces her in a warm hug. Her two girls, ages five and six, are running from the playroom to greet her. Their handsome seventeen-year-old boy looks up from his computer and smiles at her. A beautiful picture, isn’t it? The man plays the role of the happy househusband and the wife is the breadwinner. Nothing is wrong with that. But, let’s just see how they got to this ideal picture of a happy home. https://books2read.com/Fake-It I wrote this short story remembering all the seemingly perfect families I've met in my life. They show a picture perfect family life but hide the struggles, heartache, compromises, and sacrifices they made to get there. People are not perfect and we all come with a baggage. We can live a happy life or a create a chaotic life. It all depends on the choices we make. They were in their early thirties when they met, and after a short courtship, Bruce proposed. They decided to get married and start a family. Nancy adored good looking Bruce who was five years her junior. Cathy—Nancy’s best friend—had a strong feeling and voiced it many times, “Bruce doesn’t love you; he admires your business talent and your fat paychecks.” Her woman’s intuition warned her about his lack of romantic emotions.