Maggie stepped off the bus and looked up at the crisp blue sky and smiled. It was a perfect sunny day. And it was a Friday ... the last day of her work week. She worked as a secretary for a local shipping business. As it sounded, it was a busy job for a secretary. But she loved it.
She made her way down Main Street, occasionally looking down at the engagement ring on her finger. Kevin proposed to her a month ago and she had accepted. Their wedding was scheduled to take place next spring. Oh, she was so in love with him. He was, after all, her soul mate.
A gust of wind suddenly blew out of nowhere, causing her stop and make sure her skirt didn't fly around too much. After it settled, she straightened her blouse and skirt, then continued on her way.
Andrea stepped out of the office building with a scowl on her face. She just got off her cellphone with very bad news from a client. So far, her Friday wasn't off to a very good start. But it was a sunny and pleasant day, so maybe things might cheer up. Although, she doubted that. A sunny day can't bring back tens of thousands of dollars that were lost by a bad investment. Andrea was the CEO of a small, but up-and-coming, financial business. She knew things would be rocky for her company, but she was hoping for a much smoother ride.
Her cellphone rang and she looked at it. It was her boyfriend. She was always dating someone. This week it was Rick. She just couldn't commit to a steady relationship with someone. And marriage? Ha! That was a laugh. No, she'd be single til the day she died. But she was fine with that. She wasn't the type of woman who wanted to start a family. Her job was her life.
Suddenly, a gust of wind nearly bowled her over. What the hell was that? They didn't say anything about it being windy today. But then it was gone. She shrugged, then continued on her way.
Maggie kept walking, everything seeming perfectly normal and fine, until it seemed like time was slowing down. Then it seemed to stop. Her eyes turned ever so slowly to her left and saw a well-dressed business woman in a skirt suit just about to pass her. She had no idea who she was ... although she thought she looked attractive. That's an odd thought, Maggie thought to herself. And just as she had that thought, she felt a strange tingling sensation erupting all over her body. What was that? What was going on? How come she couldn't move?
Andrea was in the same situation. As she started to feel the tingling all over her body, she was getting the strangest feelings about the woman in the blouse and skirt that was about to pass her. She had no idea who she was ... although ... there did seem to be something familiar about her. Like they ...
Maggie knew this woman. Her name was Andrea. How could she forget that? They've known each other for so long. What was wrong with her? How come she didn't recognize her right away?
Realization suddenly came to Andrea. Of course she knew this woman. It was Maggie! Why didn't she recognize her right away? They've known each other for years.
If Maggie could smile, she would. She started to recall all the times that she and Andrea hung out with each other. They were best friends. They have been since high school.
And Andrea felt the same way. As teenagers, both girls got into a lot of mischief with each other. They did almost everything together.
High school was when they revealed to each other that they were both lesbians. They both remembered that day clearly. Ever since, they had been together.
Slowly, both women looked down and saw the engagement ring on Maggie's finger. It sparkled in the sunlight, then seemingly changed. But did it change? They looked at the ring and saw that it wasn't an engagement ring. It was a wedding ring. Why would they think it was an engagement ring? They both slowly moved their eyes to Andrea's left hand and saw her wedding ring as well. Of course they'd have wedding rings. They were both married ... to each other.
They were a married lesbian couple. There was nothing strange about that. It was their life.
Suddenly, whatever was causing everything to seem nearly frozen in time ... stopped.
Maggie and Andrea blinked, then smiled.
"Hey, love," Andrea said, smiling. She embraced her wife and kissed her. Some of the passersby looked at them disapprovingly, but passed by without a word.
Maggie was so happy. She had the perfect life and the perfect wife. Oh, she was so in love with her. She was, after all, her soul mate.
Sitting atop a nearby building, it watched and smiled, then took aim at a couple of business men talking on the corner. "Woman ... now man," it said to itself. But before it could turn the two men into gay lovers, the air to its left began to ripple, diverting its attention.
Appearing out of nothing was another of its kind. "What do you think you're doing?!" it yelled. "Stop this instant. You have no idea what kind of damage you're causing."
"I don't?" it asked back, smirking. It turned its head back towards the device in its hand, then looked through the scope. "Damn. They're gone," it said, referring to the two guys it had set its sights on earlier.
The other one of its kind grabbed its shoulder and forcibly turned it around. "I'm serious. If the others found out what you did ..." It paused, with a sigh. "I'm trying to help you."
"Help me?" it asked back, its small white fluffy wings fluttering a bit, as its anger began to rise. "I don't need help. I'm doing what we're supposed to do. I'm forcing people to love each other."
"Yes, but you're doing it wrong. You're supposed to make people who know each other fall in love with each other. But what you did ... those two women didn't know each other ... and furthermore, you forced them to be lesbians. You have no idea what kind of damage that has caused to reality. The last thirty years have been altered by what you've done. Fortunately those two women are locals with a low impact on society, so the damage could have been a lot worse. But the next time, it might not be as fortunate. You have to stop before you make things worse."
"No," it answered.
"Excuse me?"
"This is what we were meant for. If all of reality changes because of it, then so be it."
The other one was stunned, wondering if this one had lost its mind.
"Get outta here. I'm busy," it said.
Having no other choice, the one who came just moments ago left just as abruptly. It was time to inform the others.
"Finally," it muttered to itself, before turning its attention to a 55-year old woman and twenty-something man. "Perfect," it said, smiling, as it took aim. Soon, they'd have a loving life together.
Truly, this was the purpose of every Cupid.
