Cupid's Blunder

 Once upon a time, a beautiful girl named Temple fell in love with an equally lovely boy named Troy. They kissed and knew right from the start that their love would last a lifetime.

"Oh, who am I kidding," Cupid mused to himself. "No one would believe this crappy kind of story." He wadded up the paper and threw it over his shoulder.

"Cu...you have to get out of this funk," Madison told him. Cupid and Madison had been friends since preschool, after their teacher, Ms. Potter falsely accused Madison of eating the class cupcakes. Cupid had seen his arch-nemisis, Brutus, hide them in the coat closet. When he told Ms. Potter what he'd seen, she hadn't believed him at first -- "Brutus has never done anything wrong, Cupid," she had said. But, when she looked, she found the cupcakes.... as Brutus was shoving them down his throat. Madison had been by Cupid's side ever since.

"I'm not in a funk, Maddie," replied Cupid. "I just need to get this story out, and nothing is working for me. The words won't flow."

"Well, maybe you just need some inspiration."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning, you haven't been out in days. You've only been doing school work or moping around your room. Don't you think you need to get back in the game?  You know...target practice?" Madison winked and smiled at her friend.

"No, no, no," Cupid shook his head emphatically. "I am NOT going to do that. I have too much to do before I graduate. And if Mom finds out I'm playing around, she'll kill me -- or worse, make me go live with my dad!"

"Come on, Cu. We'll only be gone for a little while. Your mom will never find out. There are so many people who need love, and...well, you're the only one who can help with that."

Cupid hated that Madison could talk him into adventures so easily. He watched her twist her long, brown hair and wondered for the millionth time why they'd never dated. She was beautiful, exotic, and so not his type. At sixteen, he didn't know if he had a type, but the girls who wanted to date him at school were all blonde, short, and anorexic. He'd been on dates with a few of them; his mother even liked some of them. But not one of those other girls had ever made him feel what Madison did: out of breath, inadequate, deficient in so many ways. That MUST be love!

"Fine, but we're only leaving for an hour. Then I HAVE to get this done. Mr. Johanson's brutal grading system kills me." Cupid smiled at Madison, who winked back. They were going to have so much fun!

Two hours later, Cupid was ready to go home. He could find no human who deserved his arrow of love. The people he and Madison watched from their Bailey’s restaurant outside table quarreled, whined, or just plain looked ill. Couples didn’t hold hands; singles didn’t look up from their cell phones. No one paid any attention to those around them.

Madison noticed Cupid’s mood. “Okay, Tiger….you’re shooting the next person who walks by. Deserving or not….just shoot. Then we’ll watch what happens.” The gleam in her eye, devilish.

“You do know there are rules for this, right? I mean, I can’t really go around shooting people willy-nilly.”

“Don’t be so old. You sound like your mother.”

“I’m not my mother,” Cupid huffed.

“Well, then, there’s nothing stopping you from creating love today. Look….to your left. That girl with the red hair needs some attention. Shoot her, “ Madison chided.

“You’re crazy. What if she doesn’t want to fall in love?”

“Who doesn’t want to fall in love?”

“I don’t know….some people might not.”

“That’s not your worry. You’re job is to bring the love they didn’t know they needed. Right?”

Cupid knew she was saying the truth. But that woman just didn’t look like the kind of human to mess with. He didn’t know if it was her grouchy face or the weight of the bags she carried, but this lady would not receive his arrow graciously.

“Just give me the bow, and I’ll do this myself,” Madison huffed, tired of Cupid’s games.

“What, are you crazy? I’ll find somebody else. Quit hassling me,” Cupid shot back.

“I’m tired of sitting here waiting. I want to see someone get some love. I mean it’s not like I’m ever going to—“ She stopped abruptly,  her face growing beet red.

“Never going to what?” Cupid asked.

“Nothing,” Madison replied, angry now. “Just shoot somebody or leave. I’m tired of you always playing with people’s emotions and thinking you know who deserves love and who doesn’t. You know who deserves love? EVERYBODY!”

With that, Madison scooted out from the table, turning over her chair, and practically ran from the restaurant. Cupid watched her go, a smile creeping over his face. The answer to his unasked question glided through the air on the arrow he should have shot a long time ago. It hit the mark. His story was complete.

Once upon a time, a beautiful girl named Temple Madison fell in love with an equally lovely boy named Troy Cupid. They kissed and knew right from the start that their love would last a lifetime.