Glasses clinked as the champagne flowed freely, the sound mirroring the laughter on the lawns.
It was certainly a huge turnout, bigger than what Natalie had expected. Turning away from the window, she looked at herself in the mirror once again. The dress fit her form perfectly and her hair was pulled into a beautiful bun.
Walking down the staircase, she stretched her arms out in greeting, ‘Darling Maya, you came! How lovely!’
A couple of air-kisses later, Maya exclaimed, ‘Natalie, congratulations! Seems like yesterday!’
‘Happily married for 23 years , darling.’
Five feet away, her husband snorted into his drink.
***
Welcome to The Moving Quill!
For this year’s A to Z Challenge, I’ve taken up the theme of
An Oxymoron rendered in micro-fiction.
Each day’s title will have one half of the oxymoron while the second half will be revealed towards the end of the post.
Follow me as I unravel each tale in exactly 100 words.
Follow me on Facebook or Twitter to keep track of my updates
***
Did not click on the link originally, but then did on re-reading it.
Quite detailed description for a very short piece..Nice one, Shailaja. This is clearly your niche 🙂
Aw why should happily married be an oxymoron? Sad, this is.
I am just a tiny bit sad that happily married should be an oxymoron! 🙂 Nicely done, Shailaja!
Oh God! :O
But such a short story that says so much!
An oxymoron with an adverb today! And the ending was too hilarious 😛
And judging from the comments, this oxymoron does indeed have traces of truth in it 🙈😂
Hahahahaha.. Loved the ending 😀
This (and the comments below) made me giggle 😀
I can imagine how the guy feels 😀
Men, tactless, as always. Especially the ones who have been married 23 years! Such a clever denouement.
Hahaha…the baap of all oxymorons!
ha ha! that was funny on how you ended it 😉
Oh, no! Happily married shouldn’t be an oxymoron! 😛
Happy Married??? Are we actually..Oh what masks we wear today for the society..Loved the ending where it gives a pinch to the reality
This charade is played out in so many households. Very nicely done.
Wonder why people indulge in this charade sometimes…
A good one Shailaja. True in most cases today 🙂
Excellently penned. Happily married is an oxymoron for many 🙁
Ending had a wow element in it. Beautifully written!
Hehehe Now that’s something 😅😅 What an oxymoron you picked for today 😂
You know that I know of this oxymoron very well. 🙂 And yet, I’m hopeful it need not be one. I would like to believe that ‘Happily Married’ can be a true state of mind (and heart).
Good one!!!! The universal truth…. especially loved the typical response from the husband. Someday, we all are going to face this😄
Haha, this one’s my favorite oxymoron. I had a feeling this is what you were going for right from when I read the title.
Hahahaha! I will be “happily married” for 20 years soon! 😜
Loved this one too!
LOL 😀 Happily Married is indeed a wonderful oxymoron. Great twist in the end, Shailaja 🙂
Ha. The last line really cinched this tale. Brilliant.
Happily married is an oxymoron? Oh dear!!! 😀
Hehe…I think this is my favourite oxymoron! Love the narrative and how true it can be. Ah the masks we wear….
The ending got a smile. 🙂 Nicely narrated!