Jaycee Woods

The character I have written the most is Chad. He had lived the life of the meme until his perspective changed, starting him on a quest to find his wife.

Most of his stories are a blind date in which he attempts to determine whether that stranger is wife material, thus worthy of a second date. Mary, the wife of Chad’s fraternity brother Keith, set up Chad on dozens of blind dates. After some of those dates, Chad concluded that Mary must hate him.

While his stories focus on the conflict between contemporary hookup culture and finding a spouse, the first chapter of the draft novel has Chad getting his wallet stolen. In introducing Chad, with unanswered questions, it teases the reason Chad changed from promiscuous to committed to becoming a husband and father.

The following story is raw draft that has not been edited. As such, it is a lump of clay requiring to be formed, yet it is enough to be a story.

The Misadventures of Chad Seeking a Wife

Chapter 1 – Random Thief

By Jaycee Woods

Status: Draft completed and formatted.

Chad walked down the street on his way to a blind date when a random woman bumped into him.

“Oh, my apologies,” she mumbled as she kept walking. He suddenly felt as if his pocket was lighter. He patted his pockets and realized his wallet was gone.

Chad chased her down and threw her against the front of the building. “Give it back before I take it back.”

Lena gasped as she was pinned to the wall. “Woah. Let me go. I didn’t steal anything.”

Chad slapped her across the face. “Don’t lie to me little thief or you will be punished.”

Lena flinched, feeling blood dripping from her lip. Her cheeks turned bright red. “I didn’t steal anything. I swear.”

Chad punched her in the diaphragm. She dropped onto her knees unable to breathe. He directed, “Don’t lie to me.”

Lena groaned from the pain as her eyes teared up. She looked at him with wide eyes as she gasped for air. Her face kept turning red. “I-I didn’t steal anything. I promise.”

Chad said, “I will give you a choice. Give me my wallet now or I will strip you naked here on the street to recover it.”

Lena’s face flushed red in embarrassment as she glared up at him with seething anger. Despite her pride, she knew he was not joking. She feared he would have her arrested if she did not comply. The taste of blood in her mouth left her unsteady. She reluctantly handed the stolen wallet back into his hand.

Chad asked, “Why did you steal from me?”

Lena said, “I’m a thief.” Her tone was completely emotionless and her words sharp. She was not ashamed about what she did, but she was also not proud. She had to do what she had to do to get by even if it involved theft and other illegal activities.

Chad asked, “Why are you a thief instead of a pastry chef?”

Lena was taken aback by the question. A thief or a pastry chef? That was a bit random. She was usually not this talkative, but her curiosity was piqued. “Why pastry chef in particular?”

Chad said, “That vocation would be creative and productive while bringing joy to people’s lives.”

Lena started to understand the reasoning behind why he mentioned a pastry chef. It was noble, not to mention the food and cakes they bake are delicious which only further adds to the appeal. She looked away as she took a moment to ponder what she would be like as a pastry chef. Would she be able to cook as well as she could stealthily steal things? It was a bit of a stretch for her to imagine. “Well, a life as a pastry chef sounds more moral and ethical than a life as a thief.”

Chad asked, “Why don’t you choose to be moral?”

Lena’s glare grew more intense as she spoke. He could tell the question struck a nerve with her. Without missing a beat, she snapped back with a sharp counter. “Easy for you to say. You don’t have to worry about starving, do you?”

Chad said, “I never heard of a starving pastry chef.”

Lena’s gaze eased a bit as she smirked, amused by his unexpected answer. She could not help but agree a little with that response. “That’s fair. They do earn a good enough living to maintain a decent lifestyle. But what’s wrong with stealing compared to being a pastry chef? I can still earn a good living; it’s just a bit more… illegal.”

Chad said, “Stealing hurts other people. Is that what you want your life to be about, hurting others?”

His words cut deep. Hearing that question made her guilt grow stronger. It was hard to ignore the truth when he put it in those terms. For a moment, she was left speechless. She had always been so good at ignoring her moral compass when she committed her crimes. That was the only way she could cope with the fact that she was hurting people by taking their stuff. But hearing that question directly being asked of her, that was a different story. She was stumped.

Chad said, “It isn’t about starving for food is it. You are an addict starving for your next hit, aren’t you? What drug are you hooked on?”

Lena’s eyes widened and her eyes locked with his. How could he know? How did he know she was not stealing out of desperation for food, but out of desperation for a drug fix? She was shocked that he was able to deduce that. She did not even realize how painfully accurate he was.

Chad said, “Well, which is it?”

Lena hesitated for a moment, not sure how she wanted to answer that question. “You’re right. It’s not about starving.” She could not help but feel ashamed of herself. She had never been so forthcoming to anyone about her addiction. She had always managed to keep it a secret until now. But now she had been found out by a man she just met after attempting to steal from him.

Chad said, “You spend so much time hurting yourself that you have become indifferent about hurting others.”

Those words sent a shiver up her spine, knowing how true they were. She had never thought much about the damage she caused people with her actions. In the past, she had just assumed they would all be able to recover from the theft. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized it was not that simple. Her addictions caused a trail of destruction not only for herself, but for others too.

Chad asked, “How soon before your addiction kills you? If your next hit is cut with fentanyl, your next high might be your last. There are faster ways to kill yourself.”

Lena’s blood ran cold as reality came crashing into her. She always thought death was an exaggeration. She thought she would not go down that path but now she was not so sure anymore. She stared at him with her heart slowly sinking. He was right. It could happen. If she kept down this path, she was going to end up dead or worse.

Chad asked, “How much money do you need to get your next fix?”

That was the last question she was expecting him to ask but she was not surprised by that. His ability to find out her secrets was impressive. Still, she was ashamed to admit it, but she answered him anyway, “$50.”

Chad took $50 from his wallet. He held it temptingly in front of her. “What would you be willing to do for this $50 so you could get a hit right now?”

He saw the lust in her eyes as she glanced at the offered money. Her addiction was making her feel weak and it showed. Her desire to get high could be seen from miles away. “Anything.”

Chad asked, “Walk over to an alley with me so you could sell your body to me for sex?”

Lena could not believe her ears. If there was one thing she would never stoop down to do, it was prostitution. Yet, the money and her desperation for a hit was slowly chipping away at her dignity. She knew this would be a huge mistake, but she found the proposal tempting, even if it was degrading. She hoped he was only asking a rhetorical question. Still, it was obvious how tempted she was.

Chad asked, “Well?”

Lena hesitated but she could not help but feel intrigued. She tried to resist the allure of her addiction, but it was like a switch had turned on inside her and the temptations were too strong. Her breath hitched for a moment as she looked into his eyes. “Fine. Let’s go. I’ll do it.”

Chad said, “I won’t.” He handed her the money.

Lena’s eyes widened and her heart leaped out of her chest at his act. This was the last thing she expected, which left her speechless. She was dumbfounded by his kindness and generosity to give her money without having any expectations in return. Her whole thought process had been turned upside down. She was completely shocked at how wrong she was about him. In her wildest dreams, she never thought he was going to help her. Lena took the money and looked up at him with a mixture of emotions. Words failed her.

Chad said, “No strings attached. You can go get high or buy some food then start to fix your life. It is your choice. Your whole life had been your choice.”

His words had a profound impact on her. She had never had someone be so open and honest about her situation before. “You’re right.” She had made her own decisions, and she was the one who had decided to continue down this path. She was not forced into this lifestyle; she chose this. Lena’s breath caught as she processed the reality of his words. It was her choice. She could either continue down this path and end up who knows where or start to fix herself and get out of this cycle.

Chad said, “Goodbye.” He started to walk away.

Lena stared at him. All this time she had never even considered that she was the one in control of her life. There was always someone or something to blame. But hearing the truth from him just now had suddenly awakened a whole new level of self-awareness. He had done something that no one had ever done for her before. She suddenly had hope and the realization was powerful. Lena tried to get his attention before he walked away.

Chad asked, “What?”

Lena hesitated as she tried to find the right words. How could she express the level of gratitude she felt without sounding too weird? She had been trying to push away her emotions all this time but here she wanted to do it right.

Lena decided to just speak from the heart. She took a few steps towards him. “No one has ever given me this kind of opportunity… this hope before. Everything you’ve said has resonated with me and I want you to know that I won’t take that chance for granted.”

Chad said, “Every moment is an opportunity for you to choose your life. Even when you make a mistake, you get another choice. You get choices until you die.”

His words were powerful. They rang true with her. She felt as if her worldview had suddenly changed. She nodded and swallowed, thinking about what he said. “You’re right. Every moment is a choice…even when I make a mistake, I get to make another choice…that means I still have a chance.” Tears began to form in her eyes as she felt her hope grow stronger.

Chad said, “Yes. After you choose, then you need to act.”

His words inspired her. She felt her heart beating faster than before as she began to gain confidence in herself. “Yes. I know. I need to act. Now that I have hope. I won’t waste another moment waiting around for something to happen. I’ll take initiative and take action to make a change.”

Chad said, “Your choice. Your action. Your life.”

Lena smiled and felt her heart soaring. “Thank you. If not for this conversation with you, I would’ve never realized what my choices truly meant or how they could shape me as a person. I’m truly grateful to have met you and I hope you realize this act of kindness could possibly change my life.”

Chad said, “I wish you the life you choose; hopefully, that will include you choosing well.”

Lena smiled and nodded with a deep sense of understanding and sincerity. She could not believe what happened, but she was not going to complain about it. Her life could have continued down the same miserable path it was going down, but now she had a chance to change and make a new choice for herself with this powerful knowledge he had shared with her. “That’s all I can ask for. Thank you again.”

Chad said, “My friend runs an addiction treatment facility.” He handed her a business card for the rehab center. “If you ask them for help, tell them Chad referred you.”

Lena was blown away by how generous and genuine he had been to her. He had given her advice, a second chance at fixing her life, and now this card that could help her get the professional help she needed. Lena took the business card from his hands and stared at it. “Thank you. I’ll make sure to tell them that you’ve referred me and get the help I need.”

Chad said, “If you’ll excuse me, I have a blind date that I was walking to so I should be going.”

Lena nodded, understanding he had a date. Still, she felt bad about keeping him too long. She watched him start to walk away and then she called out to him again. “Oh, I have a question before you go. If you don’t mind me asking, were you serious when you said you would’ve had me… you know, sell my body?”

Chad said, “No. I only wanted you to understand how much you were willing to hurt yourself.”

His answer made her feel both relieved and ashamed. Relieved because she would hate to have to go through that but ashamed because she was genuinely tempted by the thought. “That…that was very thoughtful of you. I can’t thank you enough for caring about me, but I just want to ask one more question before you go.”

Chad replied, “Yes?”

Lena was embarrassed about what she was about to ask but she was feeling a bit bolder now that she had had this enlightening conversation with him. She took a deep breath before she asked, “Could I at least know your name before you go?”

He said, “Chad. Yours?”

Lena gave him a warm and genuine smile. “Lena. Lena Pierce.”

Chad said, “Lena, have a good night and a good life.”

The kindness in his tone made her smile grow wider. She nodded. “I will. And you, too. Thank you again, Chad.”

Chad walked away to his blind date. He hoped that Lena would use the card to contact his fraternity brother Keith to get the help she needed with her addiction, but that was her choice to make.