His blocked bowel was the last straw.
They were on vacation, their first ever, in the Bahamas. If you asked her, the weather was perfecto, the food at their all-inclusive abode was outstanding, the bed was the most comfortable bed she had ever slept in, and boy oh boy was she ever happy to get away from her kids.
Her new boyfriend and she had been dating for three months. Of course, there could be no sharing of homes during that time because, you know, it was best not to let the kids know about your relationship until it was, you know, serious.
She finagled a few situations and told a few little lies before she and he took off to their first getaway together. Both of them were looking at three days of bliss: together, making love, sunning and loving life.
She got a small paper cut on the plane. Funnily, he soon cut himself quite badly with a plastic knife, so she had to carry some of his luggage.
She twisted her ankle slightly as they waited for a cab. As he got into the cab, he managed to slam his foot in the door, and could barely walk for several hours after that. She navigated all the drop off details, helped him limp into their place, and breathed a sigh of relief that they were finally there.
"Where's the bidet?" he asked, scowling a little. She figured no response was needed.
"The ocean is on the north side here. What good is that?" They were fifty feet from a bayside and pristine shore. She started to wonder.
At 4pm, he asked "Where's the gym? It's 4pm." Did she forget he always went to the gym at four pm on the dot, or had she hoped he would forget? He sulked at the news that there was no gym.
Their dinner that night was superb. Local fare, expertly cooked and presented. She'd set them up outside on the beach, but he complained that he was too cold, and asked "did you not know I hate to eat outside?"
By then, she no longer cared to know.
One difficult stomach ache of hers later (spicy foods always did that to her) he proclaimed that he was going in search of some Kentucky Fried, and he stormed out, leaving her sitting painfully on the toilet, wishing she had a bidet.
An hour later, she got a call from the local hospital. He'd been admitted with a blocked bowel.
This is my entry to 
OK so I didn't really time this. My internal freewriting clock told me it was about ten minutes of writing before I went back to proofread.
Some context:
I've started seeing this really cute man, a great musician, healthy and fit, smart, politically as incorrect as I am (hard to find!), definitely as single as they come, and just a couple years older than I am. Absolutely perfect! Fabulous potential! We are really into each other!!!
I'd forgotten how alive love makes me feel.
But we barely know each other. Our first overnight is tomorrow. What is he really like?
More importantly, what am I really like?!
We'll know by Friday. Stayed tuned.
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