Jamie Carleton threw her purse down on her desk and pushed the power button on her computer. One glance at her full in-box confirmed the feeling she’d been harboring since her eyes first opened.  This was going to be a bad day. Not only was it Monday, and not only was there a mountain of work waiting to bury her, but it was her birthday. Normally, she had nothing against birthdays, but this year was different. This year, Alex forgot.

She raked a hand through her blonde pixie-cut hair. It really wasn’t like her husband to forget something so big, but she knew he was preoccupied with work. Alex was a roving reporter for a major TV news network, and his work took him all over the globe, which meant he was gone a lot. 

It didn’t usually bother Jamie too much, but when he’d told her this morning that he would be leaving today for Washington, with no mention of her birthday, it had bothered her. Of course, she hadn’t told him it was her birthday. That would be cheating. It was his job as her husband to remember. But, for the first time in three years, he’d failed her.

A tower of red poofy hair and a sunny face popped over the side of Jamie’s cubicle. "Hi, birthday girl!" her best friend, Carol sang. She walked around the side so she could visit with Jamie.

Unfortunately, Jamie wasn’t in much of a visiting mood. "Oh, hi Carol," Jamie said. Her posture was visibly droopy.

Carol’s face clouded at her friend’s dismay. "What’s wrong? You can’t be depressed about turning 32."

That brought a smile to Jamie’s freshly glossed lips. "No, it’s not that. It’s just…." Jamie motioned Carol to lean in. "It’s Alex. He forgot."

"Whoa, what do you mean, ‘he forgot?’ Like, forgot to put the toilet seat down?"

"No," Jamie whispered, "I mean like, forgot all about my birthday. He left to cover the president’s speech today, and didn’t even mention it."

Carol’s eyes widened. "I’m sure he didn’t mean to. He must have just gotten the dates confused. He’s a pretty busy guy."

"Yeah," Jamie snorted, "it seems like lately he’s always busy with everything except me."

Carol shot her a sympathetic look. "Don’t worry. You guys love each other. Everything will work out."

Jamie nodded, but she wasn’t so sure. "Anyway, I’ve got to get these reports finished. The meeting’s tomorrow, and I’m barely started."

"I’ll leave you to work. If there’s anything I can do…."

"Thanks, I’ll remember that."

♥♥♥♥♥♥

Three hours later, Jamie was still trying to get her mind on her work and away from Alex. But it was too tempting, like a scab that needed picking. Why had he forgotten? Why had he been so distant the past few weeks? She thought maybe she and the life they’d built together wasn’t exciting enough for him now that he was moving up in the world. Still, there were times when they’d look at each other, and she felt like a teenager again.

Like the teenager she’d been when she and Alex had been at the pier the day she turned 17. That had been a much different birthday. It was one of the reasons his forgetting hurt so much; that had been the first time they’d kissed. 

She remembered sitting with her feet dangling in the water, drinking in the sea air that mixed with Alex’s own musky scent when he pulled close. The feeling of anticipation, of wanting to feel his lips on her own, but being so scared of what she felt. She’d known from the moment their lips first brushed that she wanted to be with Alex forever. And, until recently, she’d thought that was what Alex wanted, too. Now, he was being so different from the Alex she knew.

She hadn’t told Carol what else had happened because she didn’t really know what to make of it yet. Last night, she came home earlier than expected and saw his car in the driveway, which was strange because he usually worked at least an hour longer than she did. He was on the phone when she walked in, speaking quickly in hushed tones. When he saw her, he acted flustered, and hung up suddenly. 

She asked him who he was talking to, and he said it was a wrong number. She didn’t think he was cheating on her. But his actions did seem suspect. He was definitely keeping something from her. And forgetting her birthday didn’t do much to assuage her fears.

"Can I take the birthday girl to lunch?" Carol asked. Jamie hadn’t even realized she was hungry until her stomach started rumbling.

"Why not?" Jamie said, "I need to get out of here for a while."

Her Day of Birth - 2 >>>(Continue)