Unexpected

This was written for Trifecta’s weekly prompt, and is another entry in Constance’s Story.

A cold January wind drifted down the street, footling aimlessly about with the few leaves left over from the autumn. Amy and Steven, bundled up in jackets and mittens, strolled uncaring down the sidewalk, holding hands in blissful sentiment. They’d even gotten matching jacket colors, resplendent in green, which they’d given each other for Christmas.

Constance, several paces behind them, was getting sick of the whole thing. The Christmas Eve wedding had been cute, but now, all this sentiment was grating on her nerves. She had never been that bad, even with her loathsome squid ex-boyfriend Ben.

As they approached an intersection, Constance felt Winifred coming up behind her. “Hey,” Constance said.  “And no, before you ask, we are still not talking about Christmas Eve. Ever.”

“I wasn’t going to ask,” Winifred said sadly.

“Honestly, I’m not sure being a guardian angel’s is my thing. Maybe Death would be better. You’re in that; what’s it like?”

Winifred wasn’t looking at her. “You don’t want my job. Really. You don’t.”

“Oh, c’mon,” Constance said. “Yeah, it’s a bit depressing, but….wait a minute. Why are you here? You’re not…”

She whirled, suddenly frantic. It was too late. There was a sudden scream of brakes, and a sickening thud. Steven had chivalrously let Amy go first across the crosswalk. Now he was on the curb, shaking in his new Christmas jacket. Its companion, smeared with red, lay on the pavement, partway under a bus that hadn’t stopped in time.

Constance’s face whited in shock. “You didn’t. You couldn’t. Not now. Not her.”

“I’m sorry,” Winifred ventured, her voice shaking. “I can’t choose, you know I can’t, and I only just found out-”

“Forget it,” Constance said bitterly. “Do your thing. Whatever. Maybe you’ll earn wings for this. You’ve sure as hell scratched mine.” She stormed away down the street, leaving the stricken death angel behind.