Write Brained Girl

Another flash fiction challenge. Genre was romance or romcom (can’t remember for sure), and we had to mention a stork. As always, there was also a word limit, making it even more challenging.

First Comes Love

A clerical error wreaks havoc for an unsuspecting young woman.
But she finds it may not have been the worst day ever, after all.

Exactly an hour and two cups of coffee after turning off his alarm clock, Matt climbed into the passenger side of the company van, clipboard in hand. Gabe leaned forward, his hand on the keys, but he paused and squinted at Matt.

“You didn’t do it, did you?”

Matt looked up and blinked. It was way too early for this. Gabe fell back against the seat, grumbling under his breath.

“You gotta’ do it, man. I ain’t starting the van until you do!”

“Are you seriously going to make me follow your supersti-”

“No, no, now don’t go callin’ it that. It’s tradition, and I’m not gonna’ be the one whose assignment doesn’t go well, just because the new kid thinks he’s too good for the traditions of our fine institution.”

Matt rolled his eyes, held his hands up in exaggerated surrender, and tossed the clipboard onto the dashboard. He hopped back out and walked the few steps to where the large mascot of the company smiled from the side of the van with a raised wing and the promise, “We Deliver!” in bright, bold lettering. Shaking his head, he raised an arm and high-fived the stork, before stocking back and climbing into the cab again. With a satisfied grin, Gabe started the engine and pulled out onto the highway.

Matt glanced at the address on the day’s itinerary and frowned. He flipped the paper up to look at the order sheet and studied the customer’s information.

“Uh, Gabe? I’m not so sure we’re going to the right place.” He held up the clipboard. “The customer is Jennifer Smith, home address: 103 Poplar Street. But this has us going to a Jenn Smith at 103 Poplar Road. That’s got to be a mistake, right…?”

Gabe waved his hand in dismissively. “Nah. We’re good.”

“Are you sure? I know I’m new and all, but . . .”

“Look,” Gabe said. “We’re going where we’re supposed to go. Trust me!”

As they pulled into the town’s small airport, with a special field for their launches, Matt looked at the order again. A pregnancy announcement. This was only Matt’s second week with Stork, LLC, though he felt he was getting the hang of things pretty well. It was a small company, but it was the only specialty delivery service of its kind – offering the unique method of delivering the big news of pregnancies, birth announcements, or gender reveals by hot air balloon, all over the county.

After getting everything set up, it was time to launch. This assignment included a banner which would be hung from the basket as well as small gift baskets with themed items which would be delivered by being dropped with small parachutes. These were some of the most entertaining, as the recipients often never saw it coming, and the reactions ranged from shock to hilarity, to outright hysteria and the occasional dramatic meltdown.

* * *

Exactly one hour and one cup of coffee after turning off her alarm clock, Jenn headed from her front door to her car. She was surprised by a bunch of neighbors milling around and rushing to her with wide smiles and arms open. She greeted them warily.

“Ohhh, congratulations!” oozed Sarah, her next-door neighbor. Jenn frowned, opening her mouth to ask what she was being congratulated for, when her neighbor from across the street grabbed her up in a too-tight hug, saying she was so very happy for her. By the time the next person squeezed her arm and started chattering about having playdates, Jenn felt like she’d seriously lost her mind.

“Wait, what? I’m sorry, but what are you all talking about?” she finally managed to ask. They all looked embarrassed for a moment, before pointing up. Looking up, Jenn saw a hot air balloon with a giant stork on its side and barely registered the words “JENNIFER IS EXPECTING!” on the banner fluttering below it before a small parachuting basket collided with her head.

* * *

After trying to convince her neighbors that she was not, in fact, pregnant, Jenn stormed back into the house. “Sasha!” she yelled. “Do you know anything about this??”

Sasha stepped out of the bathroom, toothbrush frozen halfway out of her mouth, as she stared in surprise at Jenn. “Know about what? What’s wrong?”

“Oh, nothing’s wrong. It’s just that the whole damn neighborhood now thinks I’M PREGNANT!”

Sasha’s jaw dropped, her toothbrush falling to the floor.

* * *

By the time Jenn got to work, a bruise on her forehead from a basket full of cookies and a mini bottle of sparkling cider which all said “JENNIFER’S EXPECTING!” she had already received calls from her mother, who was friends with one of her neighbors, and about a billion people who’d seen the balloon over her house this morning posted by just about everyone on Facebook, Instagram, and even TikTok. After finally convincing everyone at work that it was a mistake and she was not expecting the stork to deliver anything, Jenn left early and drove to the office of Stork, LLC.

“Excuse me, but I’d like to speak to a manager, please! Do you have any idea the mess you guys have made for me?” she said to the young man closing up the van parked out front. He turned and flushed, suddenly sure, as he took in her face, that he had been right about the mistaken address.

“Let me guess, your name is Jenn?” he asked. At his kind tone, her bravado and anger crumbled, and she struggled to hold back tears.

“Oh, man. I am so sorry,” Matt said.

* * *

Gabe watched from inside as Matt and Jenn leaned against the side of the van, Matt offering her a tissue and listening as she vented about her day. A day they had admittedly made ridiculously hard for her.

“You think babies are the only thing storks deliver?” he muttered and chuckled to himself. “Nah. Sometimes love comes first.”