My BCoF Blog

New Year's Resolutions

Day 4045 December 31
prompt: Write a New Year's Eve story.

On New Year’s Eve, young roommates Kelly and Sandy were cuddling on the sofa watching “When Harry Met Sally..." They weren’t really party people, and both were very tired after having to work late at the Census Bureau in order to meet their quotas. The remains of their DoorDash delivered Korean dinner shared the long coffee table with the couple’s tired feet. It was 11:45 pm when they were startled by a knock on the door.

The harried-looking man who entered identified himself as Richard Gordon, an Auditor with the Office of New Year’s Resolutions. He was here, he claimed, because neither Sandy nor Kelly had officially submitted their three resolutions for the coming year by December 30, as required by federal law. If they each presented them to him within the next 15 minutes they could avoid any penalties.

Kelly blurted out, “I will do everything in my power to make Sandy happy.”

“Yes,” agreed Sandy. “And I will do anything to make Kelly happy.”

“Fine. Fine,” muttered Mr. Gordon. “Two more resolutions each to go. Hurry now, please.”

“Um, would you like some sweet and sour pork, Mr. Gordon?” offered Kelly.

“Or something to drink?” added Sandy.

“No, thank you. I still have work to do before midnight. So give me your other resolutions, please”

“At no time in the new year,” stammered Sandy, “will I do anything to upset Kelly.”

“That goes double for me,” smiled Kelly. “I’ll do nothing to hurt Sandy in any way.”

Glancing nervously at his watch, Mr.Gordon gushed, “One more from each of you right now, please!”

The couple looked at each other and whispered together, “Let’s do it.”

“I need your final resolutions NOW, please,” shouted Mr. Gordon.

Sandy and Kelly shouted back, “We’re getting married!”

“Close enough,” said Mr.Gordon, entering the last resolutions on his IPad.

Just then the came another knock on the door. Without invitation, the door opened and in stepped a very official looking woman carrying an IPad of her own.

“Richard Gordon,” she stated harshly. “you have missed your quota of people-without-resolutions by one. So I must impose the federally mandate penalty.”

Falling to his knees, Mr. Gordon pleaded, “No! No! Anything but that!”

“The law is the law. I have no choice. You must live the year 2025 over again.”