prompts Contest #157 winner 2 Wish You Were Here Submitted into Contest #157 in response to: Write about someone deliberately trying to make somebody else envious.... view prompt @ Zack Powell uh 228 likes ® 173 comments CONTEMPORARY FUNNY SAD Bonjour from the city of love! I don't have much space on this postcard, so I'll keep things brief. I'm heading to the all-you-can- eat crépe buffet soon anyway. My new lover, Jacques, doesn't mind a woman with a few extra curves. More cushion for the pushin, you know? Oh, you should see him, Jacques is quite the looker, a total zaddy. Like George Clooney without the drug problem. I'm talking high cheekbones and a strong jawline. An accent that can turn cheddar into gouda. Washboard abs you could do two and a half loads of laundry on. I'm pretty sure the Paris Match magazine even called his body the eighth natural wonder of the world. And he's so creative with whipped cream! Anyway, I just wanted to say that I hope you're happy with your new girlfriend. Oh yes, I've seen the Instagram posts, the videos of the two of you doing the Electric Slide on rollerblades, the pictures of you donating plasma together. I saw the change in your relationship @ = a @ Menu Prompts Contests Stories Blogme the links the other day. I think it was when Jacques was taking me to the Eiffel Tower. He's thoughtful like that. Well, just do me a favor, would you? Don't bother calling me. I won't be coming back to you. I'm too busy having the time of my life. Wish you were here. wee Ciao from the land of pasta and pizza! Forgive any misspellings or chicken scratch in this letter. I'm currently writing this from a gondola, because Lorenzo absolutely insisted. I swear he adores the water almost as much as he adores me. Oh, that's my new lover, by the way. Believe me, he's very handsome, with abs and cheekbones too. The total ninth natural wonder. Tall and dark and mysterious, like the kind of guy you'd find on the cover of a pirate romance novel. Or like George Clooney with the drug problem. Don't worry, back in Paris I let Jacques down easy. Gave him the old “It's not you, it's me" line, Remember that one? I'm sure you do. Irregardless, Jacques is so last month, and when in Rome, right? We visited the big art museum here yesterday, the Accademia Gallery, Lorenzo and I. Trekked past marble sculptures and oil paintings and a weird urinal structure that I'm pretty sure is only there as an emergency toilet and isn’t actually art at all, It was really quite lovely. When we came to the last room, the one with the Statue of David standing in the center like a nude superhero, it made me think of you. I'll give you one guess why. Anyway, that's why I decided to write you now. Not because I oo ° a 5 Menu Prompts Contests Stories BlogSnapchat story about reopening the cockles of your heart after all this time. After all, I've moved on and so should you But I suppose you can call me if you really want to. Just know I've got my hands full with the love of my life Lorenzo, so the chances of my responding are about as anemic as your new girlfriend, And what kind of name is Brittanee anyway? Whatever. Wish you were here. wee jHola from the sunny state of Jalisco, Mexico! Hey, you know how I've always wanted to go horseback riding? Well, I'm halfway to living the dream, baby, because I'm writing this from the back of a donkey. Santiago says it's just like being on a horse, only a donkey is smaller and a little more slobbery and it has one extra letter in its name. He's very intelligent, my new lover, my Santiago. Trust me, the less we say about Lorenzo, the better. Some advice: Never trust a man who takes you to an art museum to see a urinal and a nude male statue. Santiago isn't that type of guy. And get this: He can cook. And not just spaghetti and minute rice and Lunchables. Real food. He loves making all our meals, and he never complains. In fact, the funniest thing happened the other day. As I was scrolling through your Twitter, reading through all the old "I just want a girl who's honest" comments you posted and retweeted, ent of cinnamon. Santiago's sweltering apartment filled with the And when he waltzed into the living room and offered me the plate of churros behind his back, I took one look at them, all floppy and shriveled, and I thought of the Statue of David, and then I thought of you. And I laughed until | fell off the couch and hit my head against the coffee table and had to get eight stitches. @ 2g @ @ Menu Prompts Contests Stories BlogThat's why I'm writing you now. To tell you how painful true love can be. To tell you it's worth it. No other re son. How's that for a girl who's honest? But just so you know—and maybe it's the concussion talking—I'll be back in the US next month. And I guess if you want to beg for my forgiveness and ask me to reconsider our relationship, I might be willing to hear you out. Say, over dinner at Olive Garden. In the meantime, Santiago and I have some burros to ride and some churros to eat. Wish you were here. wee Hey from the Starbucks down the street from our home. Your home. Brittanee's and your home. I have to admit that was a shock just now, pulling up to the curb and seeing the two of you through the picture window, nestled together on opposite ends of the loveseat with your legs tangled together like the infinity symbol. You say you want someone who's honest? Well, here goes. ‘They never existed. Jacques and Lorenzo and Santiago and Olaf, whom you never got to second guess because I didn’t make it to Russia. I think you know why I did it. But maybe you saw the pictures I posted on Instagram, the ones of. me skydiving and parasailing and saving those orphans from that burning building, and you wondered. Maybe you stared at them the way I stared at the pictures of you and Brittanee in the opera house, or your Tweets about finally finding “the one’ or the video of you getting down on one knee in our favorite restaurant. I doubt your moments were photoshopped, though. @ 2g @ @ Menu Prompts Contests Stories BlogIrregardless, this message should be finding you soon. I've just paid some acne-crusted freshman a double blended venti white mocha with four shots and almond milk and fifteen Splenda packets in exchange for delivering this postcard to you. Maybe we can still have that talk. I was honest about that. I mean, I know this place isn't exactly Olive Garden, but hey, it isn't Chili's either. Until then, I'll be here sitting at the corner table for a while, maybe ten minutes or an hour or until this place closes. I don't mind the waiting. I've got nothing but time now. Time to think about you, and her, and the memories of a life I thought I knew, a house I may never inhabit again. But I wish I were there. eo 6 @ Twitter Facebook Pinterest Report August 05, 2022 09:41 Zack Powell 33 submissions @ 2g @ @ Menu Prompts Contests Stories BlogMenu 16 228 likes 173 comments Tpoints 2.0. Lovero 01:49 Aug 07, 2022 Digging how you throw in zaddy here for us, btw :) Hove me a good epistolary story, and | enjoyed the construction of this one. Your MC has such a quirky voice in here, very larger than life and | am here for it. And anyone who uses “irregardless” immediately gets judged @ @ © Yeah, yeah, according to Google it is a word. But fight me. Though, there is a sadness at the end, one of loss. And sometimes, we use humor and grandiosity as a defense mechanism, don't we? Because it is. easier to hide against the shield of laughter than to sit vul... Read more Reply 4 points Zack Powell 03:15 Aug 07, 2022 Pen pall Confession: | definitely thought of you and Riel when writing that zaddy line. @ Shameless Easter eggs are my weakness. Glad the formatting worked here. Monologue-style pieces are definitely a dark horse favorite of mine, both to read and write, because you can just let loose with the character voice. (Side note: | also am in the “irregardless = instant judgment" camp. Just no.) Hope your week off was good! | know I loved mine last week. Totally recharges your batteries, amirite? Reply 3 points J.C. Lovero 23:12 Aug 12, 2022 CONGRATS ON THE WIN! So happy for you! And Ri Ri shortlisted this week! @ 2g @ @ Prompts Contests Stories BlogReply 2points Zack Powell 04:26 Aug 13, 2022 BIG thanks! The week was very good to the #hotmessexpress crew! Happy to have now shared a list with both of you! Reply ‘points Riel Rosehill 12:57 Aug 18, 2022 Now we just need a week when we all share the same one! Doable?! DD Reply 2points Zack Powell 14:21 Aug 18, 2022 “Totally doable, right, Reedsy judges?” | say while looking at the new prompt about someone accepting a bribe. #s) @ Reply Load more threads 4 points Suma Jayachandar 14:20 Aug 06, 2022 Zackl So you took Zaddy from J.C and Ri Ri and coined it here, | see @ This story is a bit short compared to your other ones, but boy! does it pack a punch! You have this pathetically needy, hopeless yet hopeful character going through her strong yet probably futile mission of enticing her lover back into her arms. As always you made the reader thoroughly empathise with her. I missed reading your story last week and wondered what happened. Glad you posted this week! Reply 3 points Zack Powell 02:29 Aug 07, 2022 Thank you, Suma! | shamelessly love Easter eggs and references in @ 2g @ @ Menu Prompts Contests Stories BlogHappy to hear this one had a punch, even with its short length. | was worried there weren't enough postcards, but then | was worried that | was dragging the joke out too long, so this was the compromise. Thanks for the concern too! | tried writing quite a few stories last week, but they either felt forced and/or meandering, so | decided to skip that contest with the hop... Read more Reply 2points Tommy Goround 09:34 Aug 13, 2022 What a wonderful tribute. Reply 3 points Faith Ogedegbe 15:26 Aug 21, 2022 You worth the win. Weldone, Zack. Reply ‘points Zack Powell 18:40 Aug 21, 2022 Thank you, Faith! Reply 3 points Kelsey H ‘1117 Aug 10, 2022 Love the letter format first of all, | always really like diary/letter/ postcard entries used as the structure for a story ... though I have never been able to write one myself (might have to try and force myself tol). Also love the use of happy/sad. You have a talent for that style of humour used as a way of concealing sadness or vulnerability, and | always find it enjoyable, it gives depth and realness to a character and their story. Without it the narrator would probably just come across as bragging, but instead, there are lines which g... Read more Reply 2points Zack Powell 44:52 Aug 10, 2022 @ 2g @ @ Menu Prompts Contests Stories Blogexercise in practicing character voice. You got exactly what I was going for too, with the character using humor to deflect and conceal. Reminds me of the concept of the people who are the funniest on the outside being the saddest on the inside. Thanks for highlighting the plasma line too! Originally it was "the pictures of you giving blood together.” but then | thought plasma was a little... Read more Reply 2points Kelsey H 21:43 Aug 12, 2022 Congrats on the win, Zack, enjoy! Reply ‘points Zack Powell 16:43 Aug 18, 2022 Thanks, Kelsey! Will definitely be celebrating this weekend. Reply 3 points LM. Lydon 00:54 Aug 10, 2022 Oh my goodness: the fictional descriptions of Jacques and Lorenzo and Santiago were spectacularly transparent and as entertainingly cringe- inducing as | suspect you intended. This story was just so much fun to read. But the fleeting moment in the final postcard from the temporarily self- aware narrator is beautifully poignant. Before the narrator moves on to. Carlos or Ahmed or Kenji, anyway. Reply 2points Zack Powell 01:22 Aug 10, 2022 Thanks, L.M.! Glad to see your name back on here; it's been a while. Happy to hear the transparency and the cringe came through here - it was indeed my goal! And | wouldn't put it past this woman to move on to others, even after this, haha Thanks again, and I'm on my way to check out your newest story. ~ °@ 2 wo o Menu Prompts Contests Stories Blog3 points Kai Corvus 19:46 Aug 08, 2022 Irarely see a story tagged as both “funny” and “sad” so even before | started reading, | knew that this was going to be an entertaining story. By the fourth paragraph, the jealousy of the main character just comes seeping through, which completely turns the perspective of the story upside-down. The ending was definitely a twist. | felt like | was engaged in her ex's story as well - he PROPOSED? You must be kidding me. After she went out of her way to purposely make him jealous, and then confess that she still had feelings for him? | thi... Read more Reply 3 points Zack Powell 24:17 Aug 08, 2022 Thanks, Kail | was debating with myself if | should even use the "Sad" tag, but | figured the ending might justify it. Good to see it caught your attention early in a positive way. This was definitely a fun character to write. Jealousy is one hell of an emotion, and it's fun to explore how people wield it. That said, I'm also hoping for the best for this woman, despite her baggage. Thanks again for the read and the kind comment! Reply 2points Kai Corvus 19:19 Aug 12, 2022 Congrats on the win, Zack! So happy to see you on the Recently Featured page! :D Reply ‘points Zack Powell 04:28 Aug 13, 2022 Thank you very much, Kail Always glad to have your support! Reply @ 2g @ @ Menu Prompts Contests Stories BlogHi Zack! | ong time! | enjayed this one - it must be one of your shartast pieces?! | thought you balanced the MC’s superficial/lighthearted tone with their underlying anguish quite well. | also caught ‘zaddy’ (let's be honest, it was hard to miss lol) and the naughty jokes were great throughout. | found “and Olaf, whom you never got to second guess because | didn’t make it to Russia" really funny too hahah Critique-wise, | do see why you did it, but the “Wish you were here/Wish | were there" repetition didn't quite work for me - | guess it f... Read more Reply S points Zack Powell 21:14 Aug 08, 2022 Glad to see you back on here, Shuvayon! Your presence has been missed. Yeah, the slump is real, hence the shortness of this piece (though I didn't want to run the joke into the ground either). | had to force myself to crank this one out. No one ever tells you how agonizing writing can be, do they? Thank you for the critique! It's totally valid, and something | was wondering about halfway through writing this (I think | justified it to myself by claiming that she was saying it sarcastically). | swear, though. when | know how | want to end a... Read more Reply 2points Shuvayon Mukherjee 02:24 Aug 13, 2022 Look at you go! Another win, and during a slump no less! Congrats, my friend. 3) Reply 2points Zack Powell 21:09 Aug 13, 2022 Thanks, friend! Absolutely adored your newest piece. Wishing you good luck! Reply 4.¥ 2points Kaitlyn Wadsworth 01:87 Dec 02, 2022 @ 2g @ @ Menu Prompts Contests Stories BlogJust read this stary again. | think | forgot ta comment. Or | just can't find the comment among so many! Well done on your hilarious story though written with all seriousness. Very insightful. You deserve to be a winner. But oh dear, so sad. Will she ever learn? Definitely what not to do after a relationship ends. Reply 2 points Wally Schmidt 05:03 Nov 17, 2022 Loved everything about this story-the tone, the snarkiness, the humor, the contemporary ‘I Love Lucy" MC, the awkwardness, the holding out hope & the flickering flame. Fun read. Reply 2 points Dawn Kaltenbaugh 20:01 Oct 04, 2022 Ihad a feeling all those lovers were just to try to make her ex jealous, but you handled the descriptions very well. It brought her fantasies to life. You can almost taste the cinnamon. Personally, | would never have wanted to see him again, never mind asking him out for a chat. Yet it fits the character and her motivations perfectly. Well done. Reply ‘points Zack Powell 20:48 Oct 04, 2022 Thanks, Dawn! Description is definitely my Achilles’ heel, so it's always nice to hear when they worked. | don't know that | would've wanted to see him either, but | suppose desperation can make us do some crazy things. Thanks again for the kindness! Reply 2 points Angela Huang 19:41 Oct 02, 2022 Ikindalketebeeeeoeeoeeoeececced Ceeeeeesssssase Reply A. ¥ Annints. Zack Pawel 28-91 Net 09.9099 @ 2g @ @ Menu Prompts Contests Stories BlogReply 2points Calvin Kirby 18:45 Sep 22, 2022 Zack, |. Loved this story and the way you presented it through postcards and letters, very unique! | belong to a Literary shorts group of senior citizens in Laurel,Maryland, and would like to use your story when | am the presenter in a few weeks. If | have your permission, | will be presenting it on a October 10th. | will send you my email so | can be in contact with you for some background. Please contact me at Ckirby59@comcast.net. Thanks Cal Kirby Reply ‘points Zack Powell 21:46 Sep 22, 2022 Thanks, Calvin! You're more than welcome to use this story for your literary group in any way you see fit. Ill be sure to shoot you an email soon. Reply 2points Souryn Lauv 22:52 Sep 12, 2022 | admire your ability to write such quirky characters. Our writing styles are very different and that makes it better, seeing as it feels like another voice, not my own. Funny as well, hahal Reply ‘points Zack Powell 23:51 Sep 12, 2022 Thank you very much, Hunter! That's my favorite thing about this site - so many different voices and writing styles to explore. | appreciate you exploring mine and am glad you got a kick out of this! Reply 2points Jamus Hanscom 23:27 Sop 1, 2022 | appreciated the “irregardless” not just once but twice. | sometimes say that jokingly, my fiancée doesn't think it's that funny. | do it irregardless. @ 2g @ @ Menu Prompts Contests Stories BlogReply ‘points Zack Powell 02:11 Sep 12, 2022 Thanks, Jamus! I've caught myself saying it too (mostly on purpose, but sometimes accidentally), so you're not alone there. Reply 2 points Kathryn Bryant 12:06 Sep 09, 2022 Hove, love, love what you did with the 'Wish you were here’ s and the ‘But | wish I were there: That last line caught in the back of my throat. Really well done. Reply ‘points Zack Powell 16:28 Sep 09, 2022 Thank you, Kathryn! | personally love when repeated lines get turned on their head, so it's nice to know that it worked for you too. Appreciate it! Reply 2points Ron Smith 18:17 Aug 29, 2022 Easy read. Well done. Reply ‘points Zack Powell 19:33 Sep 01, 2022, Alate thank you for this, Ron! "Easy read’ is exactly the type of writing that | shoot for, so I'm glad this fulfilled that. Reply 2 points Lily Finch 00:30 Aug 27, 2022 Humour and sadness go hand in hand, and you seem to have caught that bit of realism in a coy way. So true with the broken-hearted wishing for what was once. As our friend in the end is caught thinking wishfully about his life. Thanks for the great read. LF6 @ 2g @ @ Menu Prompts Contests Stories Blog2points Madison Wickham 07:25 Aug 20, 2022 This is amazing and made me laugh! Reply ‘points Zack Powell 17:39 Aug 20, 2022 Thank you, Madison! Glad the humor came through for you. Reply 2points Jocelyn Nelson 02:51 Aug 20, 2022 Loved this fun quick read! And it actually reminded me of a girl | knew once ° Well contracted and paced. | don't read many epistolary stories because | typically get bored fast, but this just made me giggle and move right along to the next line. Congratulations on the win! Reply ‘points Zack Powell 03:42 Aug 20, 2022 Thanks, Jocelyn! | also have known people like this, and the emoji they make me feel is more like ©, LOL. Glad you gave this story a chancel Epistolary formatting can definitely be hit or miss, so I'm glad this one worked for you. Thanks again! Reply 2points Kathleen Spalding 20:47 Aug 19, 2022 Congratulations on your win. | really enjoyed this story - great voice, character, and twist at the end - nice! Reply ‘points Zack Powell 22:18 Aug 19, 2022 Thanks so much, Kathleen! | really enjoyed writing this one, so I'm glad you had some fun here too. a) 2 a a Menu Prompts Contests Stories BlogLoad more comments Find the perfect editor for your next book Over 1 million authors trust the professionals on Reedsy, come meet them. ==) 6 Boe AE [Ereedsy logo TwitteFacebbinkedirust Terms Privacy Reedsy Ltd. © 2022 @ 2g a @ Menu Prompts, Contests Stories Blog