This is the second part in a series, so if you have not already done so, you might want to read Part I before continuing.
“Good Goddess, what is that?”
“This is my soulmate.”
“Your soulmate looks like the kind of thing nightmares are made out of.”
Abbey pushed her laptop a few inches away from her and tilted her head, trying to look at her creation from a new perspective.
She had been trying to cobble together her idea of the perfect man from online pictures of celebrities: Patrick Dempsey’s eyes, Chris Hemsworth’s jaw, Chris Evans’s cheekbones, Chris Pine’s hair. At the rate she was going, she figured she might as well name him Chris.
She had to admit the whole appeared to be somewhat less than the sum of its parts, but she refused to get discouraged. The Powers That Be would know what she meant.
“It’s abstract,” she told her roommate.
“I’m an artist, remember? I know the difference between abstract and horrifying. That is horrifying.”
“Well, I’m not an artist. I’m just doing the best I can here, OK? Besides, it’s the thought that counts.”
“Don’t tell me this is a gift for someone.”
“It’s a gift for me.”
Kristin paused for a minute to look at Abbey like she feared for her sanity, but when Abbey refused to take the bait, Kristin just said, “If you say so,” and headed back to her studio.
Once she was gone, Abbey decided to take her computer into her bedroom where she could work in private. She moved away from the physical attributes and onto his personality. He would be rich (because why not?). He would love kids and dogs. He would be kind and patient, and confident without being cocky or full of himself. He would always do his share of the chores. He would give great massages and have other talents we can’t discuss in a family friendly story.
Once she had created the perfect man, Abbey considered her work. She was concerned she had made him too perfect, but the motivational speaker had said that if you focused hard enough on what you wanted, the universe would bend over backwards to make it happen. Besides, there was nothing wrong with listing all the good qualities she wanted and letting the universe insert whatever bad qualities it wanted. As long as he wasn’t a cheater or a serial killer, she could live with it. After a moment she decided to add “not a cheater” and “not a serial killer” to his list of qualities. When she was done, she set it as her home screen so she would be reminded of her goal every time she opened her computer.
To be continued…