In our debut episode of Smirk, Zack takes us through his short story Proposal. We can’t cover specifics here. Part of the fun is that the moral of the story is hidden until the story finishes. Neither of the co-hosts listening are aware, fostering a more honest discussion in the episode.
So sit back, enjoy the discussion, and get your brain going; it’s time for Smirk.
Welcome to Smirk. A podcast that covers society and culture through a storytelling lens. Part creative writing, part discussion, and always interesting. Each week our hosts brings a story to the show, a story they wrote themselves. These stories can cover any topic the host wants to discuss, it can be light-hearted or more serious. No one but the author knows if these tales are truth or fiction, and part of the fun is guessing while you’re listening before the reality is made clear.
We want to hear from you! If you want to share YOUR story, write in at mystory@smirkpodcast.com, and include your moral, or you can let us guess at it. This is a conversational podcast, and we want you there for the conversation.
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Want to read Zack’s story “Proposal” in full? Think you can identify the moral or theme for this episode? Read it below, and then take a listen to the podcast.
Proposal
Sara and John are in love. Pure, unadulterated love. They’ve been together for over a year and a half now. They live a good life, in a good apartment with two cute lil’ pups. They’re happy, in a way few people truly are.
They met at Sara’s work. She works at a men’s fashion store in a big city. John used to come in to pick new suits for his job, and as they saw more and more of each other, a flirtation naturally commenced. It was Sara who finally made the first move, reprimanding John for not having asked her out sooner. They went out to a tasteful dinner, and the rest is history.
John asked Sara to move in only about six months into the relationship, so strong was their connection. She said yes almost instantly, surprising even herself. Love was – and still is – in the air.
Fast forward to present day. John has big plans tonight. He’s booked a table at their favorite restaurant, and he plans to propose. They arrive at the restaurant, and things are a little too obvious. The maître d has had rose petals leading the way to their table, a fresh bottle of their finest wine, and a server already present and waiting. Way to ruin the surprise, John thinks to himself. Sara is confident she knows what’s about to happen, and she’s excited.
Needless to say, dinner concludes and John drops to a single knee, and asks that magic question. Sara squeals with excitement and screams yes. However, she immediately hesitates after saying yes. Sara needs John to meet her family first, as he never has.
But John has always avoided the topic of meeting her family because he’s nervous. He has a pretty good idea of how they’ll react already. Sara is ever the optimist, but she doesn’t seem to grasp this situation. What will her parents think of John, considering Sara is 25 and John is 55?
Now, listen to the full episode of Smirk as we dissect Zack’s story.