Short Stories Requested By Readers

A Story About A Middle-aged Woman Requested By Mariarosa Author  I stare at my reflection noticing the new wrinkles at the corners of my eyes and mouth. My eyes are as hard as they had been the day my husband left. Twenty two years of marriage thrown out the window as if it were nothing. He had stolen time I would never get back now and all because he was going through a midlife crisis, had he forgotten we were the same age? How am I supposed to go back to the life I left behind for him? I was an heiress and I gave up the company to stay at home with our kids. How had I not seen his true colors? How had he been able to trick me for so many years? Tears threaten to pour over but I fight them back. I promised myself, I wouldn’t shed another tear over this. My phone rings and I answer it. “Miss Grobbelaar, your bid on the building was the highest. Congratulations, it’s all yours for the taking, you can move in whenever you are ready.” “Thank you, Pieter.” He ends the call and a smile makes its way to my face. I might not be able to run my father’s company but it doesn’t mean I can’t start my own… The sun starts setting and I make my way to the window. It’s my favourite time of day because all the lights flicker on in every house and street, well when it’s not load shedding. The view of Johannesburg at night is quite spectacular from a skyscraper. A knock at the door has me turning around. “Hi mom, are you ready to go,” my daughter asks smiling. “Just about come take a look at the view.” She comes to stand next to me pulling me into a hug. “It’s so beautiful, mom. You made a great choice. I hear we made a great profit this year. I bet my aunt is kicking herself for not helping you out. You inherited Oupa’s business sense.” Annemarie is my oldest daughter and the heiress to my company when the time comes. She and her sister have been my pillars the last few years. My success is all thanks to them. My company has been a success and I’m opening another branch in Cape Town in the New Year. I quickly take a last look at the view and then turn to Annemarie, “How do I look?” “Like a superstar. Let’s get you to the Christmas Gala before Johan has a panic attack,” she says laughing. Johan and I met when I was younger. He was an heir like me and he too had a great mind when it came to business. We bumped into each other in Fourways Mall a few months after I moved back from Boston, which is a feat considering it is the largest mall in South Africa. We had, had coffee and caught up on everything that had happened since we last saw each other. He too was a divorcee. So for the last few months we had coffee dates every week and one thing led to another. So my life might not have gone the way I had hoped but I was resilient. I was able to rebuild my life with my savings and I had built an empire for my daughters to take over. I had a contract drawn up that stipulated that only the daughter of a previous heiress could take over. My ex-husband had taught me a lesson I wouldn’t forget and I won’t allow my company to fall into a man’s hands…