Notes For 'An Imperfect Evening'

'An Imperfect Evening' was originally written as an entry for a magazine competition. Like a lot of these things they provided the start line and the entrants had to come up with a story to follow it.

In terms of theme I wanted to write something about control in relationships. Often (usually?) in relationships one person is dominant over the other and this begins very early from when the couple first meet. Control can manifest itself in many ways but the clearest method is to control when and where dates take place.

Canceling them at the last minute is the ultimate control in the early stage of a relationship because if the other party continues to give you another chance to meet then it means they are happy to be subservient to your whims.

The story didn't win (the prize was to be published in the magazine) but I still think it has some merit.