The Emotion Game: A Short Story

I was in a virtual writing class, and we did this thing called the emotion game. The Emotion Game is the title of my short story, too. The emotion game is where someone gives you an emotion, and you write a story off of that. Can you guess what emotion I got?

SLAM! The door felt like a weight lifted from my shoulders but then, a few more bricks added. Tears streamed down my face, quietly, clouding my vision. It seemed as though the world had lost its color. Everything turned gray. My face grew hot, and I just wanted to sit and do nothing. Like nothing was worth it anymore. I closed my eyes and wished for it to end. I never felt this way before. Even the bright yellow poppies seemed dull. So, I set out to do the thing I wanted to do most. Eat crappy chinese chow mein, lather it in soy sauce so it tastes horrible, drink a coke, sit alone with the lights off, in my bed, and watch boring, endless, shows. I did this often. But once, when I actually had a tiny bit of happiness enter my now black heart is when I punched him. Ha! I really did. I did it! Yay! I wasn’t always like this. No, no, no, no, no. I used to have a neon pink heart. My wardrobe was filled with pink dresses with yellow flowers and ruffles. White shirts with blue flowers and lace ribbons, rainbow hats, and striped socks, plaid shoes, and fuzzy jackets! Now its black wool sweaters, velvet gray pants, black sneakers, and brown socks. No dresses. I do have one dark blue skirt. But, come one just because someone gives you something that they say will “compliment your pretty face, darling” doesn’t mean it will, and doesn’t mean you have to wear it. I live in the busy streets of the Big apple! And I’m the dried out mini apple. I miss candy. I wish I could have it, and technically I can, but I force myself not to. Everything but super spicy black liquorice with little sugar. And here, and there a jelly bean or two. Okay! Okay! Maybe not all candy. But who can resist jelly beans! I eat them all the time, in fact, half of the food in my cabinet is jelly beans. Now, you are probably wondering how I got to this state. It’s a long story, but it all started two years ago in Hollywood, I have always wanted to be an actor, and for a while I was. I guess you could say I was famous. Paparazzi followed me everywhere. My name is July Davis-Moore. Yup, that July. Well, I guess I still am famous. I’m 29 and have been in numerous plays and movies. Ummm, for example: I voiced Princess Mononke, I was Luna Lovegood in Harry Potter, I was Tammy in Oceans 8, I was Bumbalurina in Cats, and I was also Glinda in Wicked. Yup, that’s me. Many people have said that they would recognize my “golden locks” anywhere. When we were filming Mama Mia, I met the handsome man who played my lover, Sky. I played Sophie. His real name was George. I know, I know, my story is so predictable. We played lovers, and fell in love. He had been in other things like Hamilton, and Charlie and the chocolate factory, and Marry Poppins. We bought a lovely house near a rose garden and a beach. We laughed a lot. He had deep blue eyes, a lovely smile, and straight black hair. I remember how I always got lost in his eyes. How, we would just stare at each other, under the starlit sky. A couple months after we settled into our house, he proposed! It was on a beach, in the sunset, he held a rose in his hand, and he got down on one knee, and it was just perfect! Later, he asked me to put over 25% of our money into investments, when he knew they would fail, but somehow, he convinced me. Two days later it did crash. It was like all of our money just flew out the window. He used this as an excuse to break up with me. SLAM! The door felt like a weight lifted from my shoulders but then, a few more bricks added. I later found out that all of that money was MINE and he used it as an excuse to marry another woman. Now, I have to pick up my life, get out of this mess, in nine months before my daughter is born. But, I am determined to raise this little girl, all by myself. Oh, did I mention I got the house? And the car? Things aren’t as bad as they could have been. In the end, really I got the better hand. All except for losing 25% of my money. I’m actually excited to raise this baby by myself. 

I have started to go to a therapist, and my depression is getting better. I went baby shopping with my best friend Josie, who has now moved in, and we have dedicated our lives and our love to this baby. January 30, I’m three months pregnant and it's time to find out the gender of my baby! Me and Josie walk into the room, and we see not one, but two baby girls! And, Josie is practically jumping off the walls because their due date is July 25! ( Because it’s in July, and my name is July.) I’ve picked back up my life, and resumed my acting career. Life couldn’t be better, all of the depressing things and clothing items are gone from our house. February 5, its time to furnish the nursery! We went to IKEA, and the nursery looks AMAZING! The walls are painted blue, with clouds, the rug is so soft, and it has the alphabet on it. The two cribs we picked out are so adorable, and they are made out of birch wood, and have pastel blue paint on them. There are so many toys I can’t even imagine having this many toys when I was a kid. We bought a really cute white bookshelf too! We bought some of our childhood favorites like Goodnight Moon, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Giving Tree, lots of Cat In The Cat Books, and Where The Wild Things Are, and of course Press Here. 7 months: 

“Hey, Josie can we get some coffee & donuts?” 

“Yeah, where do you want to go, I mean don’t bother me, it’s just 5:30 in the morning?” 

“Sorry, Its not the most comfortable thing sleeping with two kids inside you” 

“I know, I know. Where do you want to go?” 

“ Can we go to Third Culture? I want there matcha latte, and uzu lemon donut.” 

“Okay, on the drive we can start thing about names.” 

My face went blank. Names? I had totally forgotten. 

“J, it’s okay, I totally forgot too!” 

We get in the car and start the drive. 

“ Anyways, we have two months to think.” Josie says, while she pats my belly. 

“ I really want one of them to be a month, but the only one thats sounds good to me is April” I exclaim 

“ Well, what about June? You could do Junie or something” 

“Don’t you think the other one will get jealous, because then it's Josie, July, Junie, they are all Js and she will get jealous that she isn’t a J.” I sigh. 

“Then do April, it is a very pretty name, I approve!” Josie says. 

“Okay, one down, one left to go” I say as the car parks. 

“Let's get some donuts first,” Josie steps out of the car, and so do I. 

“Can I please have one Uzu Lemon donut, one Chocolate Rose donut, and two matcha lattes please.” Josie says to the waiter. 

“Okay, that will be $24.39 please.” 

I pull out my wallet to give him the money while Josie grabs the donuts and drinks. Back home I sip my latte while scrolling through lists of baby girl names. Searching desperately for a perfect one. By now, news has spread of my pregnancy and paparazzi is always at my door, and fans are sending me baby stuff. Sometimes I let them take a picture, sometimes not. 

“ Oooh, I found a couple good ones” says Josie

“Let's hear it” 

“Emma, Olivia, Ava, Isabella, Sophia, Charlotte, Mia, Amelia and Riley!.” Josie says enthusiastically. 

“Sorry to break your heart but, I don’t like Mia, Charlotte, and Ava. But I Love Riley!” 

“Oh, it's totally fine. Riley was my favorite anyways.” 

“Well, then it's settled. Riley and April. Our two little girls” 

“We can cross that off our list!” Josie says

“What do we have left?” 

“Make a hospital bag & shop for baby clothes” 

“ Oh, I already made a hospital bag” 

“ You did? When? Where?” 

“ When you were asleep, I couldn’t fall asleep, so I made a bag. It's by the door.” 

2 months later…

June 30, 7:30 AM.  June 30, 7:40 AM. 

April Martinez Davis-Moore Riley Martinez Davis-Moore

6 pounds, 8 ounces. 5 pounds, 6 ounces. 

Martinez is Josie’s last name, so our two little girls are called April Marinez Davis-Moore, and Riley Martinez Davis-Moore. I was so happy the day we took our girls home. We set them up in the nursery and watched how peacefully they slept. A few days later, while Josie & I was feeding them, a knock came at the door. I looked through the door, and there he was. The nerve of him! I closed the shutters of the nursery and told Josie to hide the girls. He was not going to take them from me. I hid everything baby-related so that he didn’t know I had his kid. I came up with a liable excuse for if he brought up the press stuff. Josie called all the press companies that had articles & pictures on & about me pregnant, and told them to take them down temporarily. This all happened within a minute, as our motherly instincts to protect our girls kicked in. I opened the door, and said hello, politely. 

“Wow, July, you look great!” He said. 

“You don’t” I reply 

“Listen, I want to talk about my visitation rights with my kid.” 

“What kid?” 

“The one you gave birth to?” 

“Uhhhh, I wasn't pregnant.” 

“July, don’t play that card. I know you're lying.” 

“Ha, ha, ha, yeah, you got me! What I was going to say is, I wasn’t  pregnant with your kid! Ha, Ha, ha,!” 

This was totally not the plan, but I’m going with it anyway! 

“Oh! Really? Who’s is it? What gender is it?” 

“They are being raised without a dad, and with two moms. Me and Josie.” 

“Wait, your lesbian?” 

“No, technically Josie is their godmother, but she is living with me, and we are both raising them.” 

“You had twins? Or are you not telling me their genders or gender” 

“Why do you need to know? They aren’t your kids.” 

“I’m just curious. You know, I still love you.” 

“1. You're married 2. Your creepy. 3. I’ll tell you their genders but not their names. 4. After what you did to me, NEVER. 5. I can’t believe you have the nerve to actually come to my doorstep” 

“Well, technically I bought it but you got the house and the car, when we divorced. And, I have all the nerve in the world, so you should get back together with me. Also, I want to know the names.  ” 

“Nope, take it or leave it.” 

“Fine,” 

“They are twin girls.” 

After that, I just slammed the door in his face. I probably shouldn’t have told him their genders, but whatever. The important thing is that he was convinced that they weren’t his kids.

1 year later.....

“Moma, toy-toy?” Riley says, clapping her hands. 

“Toy-toy! Toy-toy!” April screams along. She has a very impressive set of pipes for a 1-year-old. 

“Yeah, you guys want a story?” 

They nod their heads vigorously. 

“Josie? Will you read them, a story? I’m busy making lunch!” 

“Okay, girls!” Josie says 

I smile. Josie takes their hands and leads them to the couch. April falls and bring Riley down with her, they land with a little thump on the carpet. They start to cry. Thankfully, their not hurt, but they got scared. Josie picks them up and and plops them onto the couch. 

“What do you girls want to read?” 

“Capi-teena! Capi-teena!” Riley shouts.

“No! Kitty! Katty! Kitty! Katty!” April shouts over her. 

“Kitty! Katty! Kitty! Katty!” Riley says. Persuaded by her sisters continuing yelling. They have fights like this all the time. One always sides with the other. 

“Cat In The Hat? Okay!” Josie goes off to get the book, comes back and snuggles between the two girls. I almost forgot I was cooking. 

“the sun did not shine,it was too wet to play, so we sat in the house, all that cold, cold, wet day…………”

“He-He!” They giggled. 

After lunch, they fell asleep on our laps while we were watching octonauts. 

Our kids grew up happy, polite, and they didn’t care that they didn’t have a father. Some time ago, they asked about him, and I told them. They understood, and were glad they had never met them, and that they weren’t raised by them. I didn’t care, and they didn’t care about him. April grew up to be an accomplished author, who wrote many children's books, novels, and biographies. Riley grew up to be an actor, and she volunteers in lots of different animal shelters and donates to charities! My girls are so amazing, and they are the best they could be. They saved my life, brightened it, and changed it for the better. I have a granddaughter named Clara, and and two grandsons named Jack & Will. Josie & I still live in the same house, we play with our grandchildren, and once in a while we still get Uzu Lemon & Chocolate Rose donuts.