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Dirty Little Secret

October 31, 2023 20 Comments

By Linda Chandanais

As always, the movie has already started. He slides into the seat next to her and discreetly offers his hand. Their fingers weave together.

For ninety-three minutes he’s hers. Not his wife’s, not his sons’, not his constituents’, but hers alone.

He’s a party big shot with presidential aspirations. That’s why their relationship has to be hidden. She’s been his dirty little secret for thirteen years, but he tells her someday that will end. Her mother tells her not to hold her breath.

As the credits roll, he whispers, “See you next month, honey.”

“Okay, Dad. I love you.”

“Ah, ditto.”

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Mary A Gorman says

    October 31, 2023 at 8:23 am

    Love the twists bringing forth an emotion of sadness. Great writing

    Reply
    • Linda says

      October 31, 2023 at 8:55 pm

      Thanks

      Reply
  2. Cathryn says

    October 31, 2023 at 11:24 am

    Hello Linda,
    Timely, and sad; the strained relationship and the fact some reporter will soon scoop out the” dirty little secret”. Nice piece of flash fiction!

    Reply
    • Linda says

      October 31, 2023 at 8:57 pm

      Thanks!

      Reply
  3. Yolanda Joosten says

    October 31, 2023 at 12:09 pm

    Very poignant. Great twist. You did a lot with very few words.

    Reply
    • Linda says

      October 31, 2023 at 8:56 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  4. David says

    October 31, 2023 at 5:51 pm

    Agree with the above comments. Well-written with a great twist.

    Reply
    • Linda says

      October 31, 2023 at 8:56 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  5. David Higham says

    November 1, 2023 at 7:37 am

    Ooh, lovely writing, I wish I had written that!

    Reply
  6. Jane Hirschhorn says

    November 1, 2023 at 7:57 am

    Wow! So much packed into so few words!

    Reply
  7. Eric says

    November 1, 2023 at 10:01 am

    Awesome working catching the hope and disappointment in so few words. Very well written!

    Reply
  8. Paul Scott Wood says

    November 1, 2023 at 10:25 am

    Very well written, I loved the twist at the end.

    Reply
  9. Pamela Cartlidge says

    November 2, 2023 at 2:37 pm

    Great writing. I didn’t see the end coming. Well done.

    Reply
  10. K F Lerner says

    November 2, 2023 at 4:21 pm

    Did not see that coming. Even better on the second read. Well done.

    Reply
  11. Kelly Louisa Balliu says

    November 2, 2023 at 4:48 pm

    Not the twist I was expecting, so technically, a good one 🙂

    Reply
  12. Robert Bishop says

    November 2, 2023 at 7:14 pm

    Good story, Linda…enjoyed it. And you got me to disliked the politician, so nice work!

    Reply
  13. Lauren says

    November 2, 2023 at 7:51 pm

    I enjoyed the twist. Good job

    Reply
  14. Carla Talbot says

    November 4, 2023 at 9:25 pm

    Once again so show us how very clever you are. This is great.

    Reply
  15. Debra Barkley says

    November 7, 2023 at 7:45 am

    I was setting myself for the ending of a sad truth of unrequited love but loved the surprise ending. So witty with just a few words. Great read!

    Reply
  16. Linda says

    December 11, 2023 at 2:38 am

    Thank you everyone.

    Reply

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