Love, Torture, and Happily Ever After: A Hallmark After Dark Movie (Part 1)

Posted November 8, 2017 by Prairie Wife - 2 comments

Instead of a regular blog post telling you all about our girls’ trip this last weekend, I invented the idea of a Hallmark After Dark Movie. Our trip wasn’t gritty enough for Lifetime but some parts you won’t want the kids to know about….I hope you enjoy and let me know in the comments if you’d like me to keep on going!

As Tiffany stepped through the automatic doors onto the sidewalk, she tilted her head up and smiled. Even the harsh airport lights and 5 hours of travel time couldn’t put a damper on her spirits as she saw her first palm tree of her vacation.

She heard screams to her right and turned to see two grown women jumping up and down like teenagers. She ran towards them, echoing their joy with a squeal of her own. They lumped together, a tangle of laughter and arms and celebrated the beginning of what was sure to be a girls’ trip to remember.

“How do you like the car?” Sarah asked with a sexy smirk.

“A convertible?! Oh my gosh I love it…but will our luggage fit?” Tiffany, the ever practical mom of five, asked as she glanced at the sleek BMW.

“Let’s check, and see.” Natasha was always ready to find a solution to the hardest problems. Despite a hard few years, the sexy Russian divorcee and mother of two, always charged forward with her head up and her heart open to new possibilities.

When it became obvious that the suitcase would not fit in the trunk, Tiffany hucked it into the back seat. With a wink at the other girls she vaulted into the back of the convertible and buckled herself in, declaring at the top of her voice “Let’s get this weekend started!”

They roared down the freeway with the wind blowing their hair into decidedly unattractive birds nests. Shouting over the radio and the noise, they made plans for the weekend and marveled at how 22 years after they first met, they found themselves in this completely amazing position. Who’d have thought that three friends from High School would still be in touch, and be headed for a weekend of relaxation and fun in the Arizona sun?

Thanks to GPS finding the hotel was easy but, Tiffany was a bit snippy by the time they arrived. As they headed for the front desk she attempted to straighten her windblown locks. Perhaps it was because she was in the back of the convertible, or maybe it was the fact that her hair never truly behaved anyway. Whatever the reason, it’s safe to say she looked like a train wreck.

“Why is it that I’m the only one who looks a mess?” She asked, while trying to put her hair up in the hopes that it would make her look a little bit less like a mad scientist. Natasha simply shrugged her shoulders and ran her fingers through her chic bob, which still looked glossy and perfect.

Sarah and Tiffany exchanged a glance and giggled as they strode into the hotel.

They checked into their suite, and received a few recommendations from the staff about places to eat. The always prepared Sarah nodded as the concierge listed off a few happening bars and restaurants. They aligned perfectly with what her local foodie friends had texted her earlier that week. They hopped back into the convertible and drove the few blocks to their room, put the top up on the convertible, and dragged their suitcases up the steps to the door of their room.

The friends settled into their rooms and changed into pajamas, gossiping across the suite about their trip, and trying to decide the answer to the most important question of all. What time should we wake up?

“I’m a big fan of doing absolutely nothing at all productive until dinner.” Tiffany flopped down on the end of Natasha’s bed and stretched out.

“I agree, let’s just take it easy, get some sun and then have a fabulous dinner!” Sarah snuggle under her covers and rearranged her luscious dark hair so she could see better.

“I can’t wait for some sun. Girls, this weekend could not have come at a better time. I am so exhausted with all this grownup stuff, let’s just relax and have fun…no pressure, just good times.” Natasha stretched her small frame to its limits, reaching up to the ceiling and settling back into her pile of pillows with a smile.

The three chit chatted about relationships…Tiffany the “joys” of a family of 7 and 13 years of marriage, Sarah about being a newlywed and the pressures of work and travel, and Natasha the struggles of finding a stable relationship after a divorce and the balancing act of family and work.

As night turned into day their responses became fewer and farther between until Tiffany final gave one last yawn as she stood up.

“Good night girls!” She whispered as she made sure the front door was locked and walked through the suite to her bedroom. As she turned off the last light and sighed at the luxury of crisp clean sheets and a king size bed, she glanced at the clock and noted that it was 3am…

**********************

Tiffany sat straight up in bed and cursed the hotel staff.

She crawled across the expanse of bed and slammed her hand randomly down on the room’s alarm clock. The bright white numbers boldly stated that it was 6:00am. She sighed and rolled over in bed automatically grabbing her phone but, resisted the urge to hit the home button and scroll through the alerts. She forced her heartrate to drop down and just as she was dozing off again, she heard a soft chime in her ear that steadily grew louder.

Groaning, she grabbed her phone and through bleary eyes she turned off the 6:30 “school day” alarm. Giving up all hope of sleeping in she scrolled through her phone, liked a few pictures and then tossed it aside in frustration. Staring up at the white ceiling she listened to the quiet and contemplated how to spend the next few hours until the others woke up.

Natasha lay in bed across the suite furiously texting her ex husband. A sick child had him in a panic, and now thanks to his texts, she too was feeling the stress…even though she was 1,000 miles away. She quietly cursed under her breath when she saw that the time was 6:00am and as her phone lit up yet again.

Sarah, oblivious to the two sleepless mothers, slept peacefully in her bed…Occasionally letting out a soft snore.

Names have been changed and some details have been modified for the protection of the innocent and enjoyment of our readers.

Let me know if you’d like me to keep going with a part 2 😉

Categories: Life As It Happens, Prairie Life

Tags: , arizona, Fiction, fun, girls weekend, hallmark after dark, high school friends, trip, Vacation