Living Our Lives

by Dawn DeBraal

orange juice

 Gertie rolled her eyes. She couldn’t believe Drake walked out on Olivia again. She was angry. Why couldn’t the two of them ever get together? She was sick to death of it. She had a good mind to write to the producer of Living Our Lives, a daytime soap opera. She had her pencil in hand as the credits at the end of the show started rolling. She jotted down Seth Andrews on paper. She was going to give him a piece of her mind.  How, long did Mr. Andrews feel the followers of Living Our Lives, would put up with this nonsense?  They did this every month. Olivia would get into a car accident Drake would rescue her taking her to the hospital. He would be at her side the whole time she was relearning to walk, and just when they could finally be together, Drake leaves for some noble cause leaving Olivia in the lurch, again. Gertie was fuming, she pulled out the spiral bound notebook and started to write.

Dear Mr. Andrews,

I have been a fan of Living Our Lives since the beginning, and I am sick to death of the Oliva and Drake merry go round you’ve put us on. Just how long do you think we are going to stand by waiting for the two of them to get together? I am finished waiting as of today. You will not toy with me any further. I hope all the other fans tell you the same.

Sincerely,

Gertrude C. Clemens

            When Hank Clemons came home, he asked Gertrude why there was a letter taped to the front door? She told him she was sending the letter to the producer of a show Living Our Lives. She was sick of them messing with the plot. Everyone knew Olivia and Drake were meant to be together, except the person who produced the show. She was done with it.

Hank looked at his wife incredulously. Was she serious? They couldn’t go anywhere between one and two p.m. Monday through Friday because Gertrude had to watch Living Our Lives. Hank knew his wife had to be extremely angry to abandon her show. It was an addiction.   

Hank decided to test his wife the next day. He asked Gertrude out to lunch at twelve-thirty. Gertrude immediately started to refuse to go, when she realized she had given up Living Our Lives.  This might be a good distraction for the first day, a luncheon date with her husband. Gertrude agreed to go. Hank was impressed with her resolve. They went to Loretta’s Diner. Walking in they sat down at a corner table when the theme song of Living Our Lives came on the television in the other corner. Gertrude hid her eyes.

“Hank!” Gertrude hissed.

“Yes?” he responded.

“We have to go!” she gathered her purse and stood up.
“Why?” he asked confused.

“They are watching the show. I can’t bring myself to not watch it!” Hank looked up. Everyone in the diner turned facing the television with their eyes glued to Living Our Lives. Would Olivia and Drake finally get together?  

Hank followed his wife out of the diner before anyone waited on them. He drove to the nearest fast-food place ordering their food through a speaker shaped like a dorky-faced boy.  Setting up a picnic lunch at the nearest park, Hank laughed when Gertrude talked about the desire to watch that stupid soap opera today after her resolve to ditch it. Sitting under the shade trees talking and eating lunch with her husband was a much more than watching Olivia cry over Drake another day. Gertrude had made it through her first day of withdrawal from the Living our Lives show. She would have to make that choice every weekday for the rest of her life to break her addiction.