Rose Petals
A supermodel, carrying a large Valentine's box, fell from her considerable, prized height on the ice in front of the grocer's and stayed down, her long, shapely legs distorted somehow. The box burst open and dozens of tiny cognac-filled chocolate hearts were spread out around her, making it look like a carefully prepared photo shoot.
“Will you help me get up, please”, she said to a young bearded man, who was hurrying past. The man stopped and stared at her.
“What do I get if I do?”, he asked with an ugly smile, picked one of the chocolate hearts up, unwrapped it and let it disappear in the matted mass of his facial hair. The model gulped and looked even more needful than before.
In that very moment, the Greek grocer, a recent immigrant from Rhodos, the rose of the Aegean sea, flew out of the shop like an angel, sailed across the snow mixed with the woman's frozen tears and offered her his arm, which she grasped and used to pull herself up. As soon as she stood steady, she slapped the young thug so hard that he lost his balance and dropped like an overstuffed burrito.
The model stomped her fur-lined boots, shaking off the anger, turned to her rescuer, carefully straightened her face and her coat, hugged him tightly and said: “Thank you - you're my hero” in a rasberry-colored voice that went through him like a double shot of Uzo.
The Greek grinned and replied in a thick accent: “Parakalo! I has more sokolata inside. You come in and pick. Let's live this slime here.” She nodded, took the man's arm and they disappeared into the shop without looking back.
The young man struggled for a while to raise himself, his face ribbon red, then gave up. The sun came out and sparkled on the wrapping paper as a sly ray of shame entered the man's heart.
Inside, the supermodel blew her highbred nose with rose petals.
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Author's Note
Written in European colours just in time for the Valentine's Day Massacre Challenge initiated by Susan Tepper.
A family affair: developed from the end using the espression "she blew her nose with rose petals", which was contributed by my daughter (9 yrs) and speed-edited by my wife.
Recitation (2:15 min) by me at http://bit.ly/9pCefk
Other stories by Finnegan Flawnt
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Great story. Vividly told.
I love it! Love: "like an overstuffed burrito" and "in a raspberry-colored voice."
Great imagery, great story, Finny.
This is so FAB, I can see the whole thing like those old technicolor movies when the color was ultra-ultra bright. I fell apart when she slapped him and he "dropped like an overstuffed burrito." the greek guy was drop dead funny, and amazing ending
thank you miles and susans! i like the idea of the old technicolor movies...and i like the greek guy too. his name is angelos pithy. i think he deserves to live on.
this is so thickly delicate: "Let's live this slime here."
txs doro, so glad you noticed this...
Where I come from, there's an add on tv for stuff called Don's smallgoods. The slogan goes: is Don, is good.
is don.
I like best the scene of her falling, and I like how she falls twice, with the box of chocolates spilling out like those legs (saving me from dwelling on the legs, the chocolates taking the brunt of the fall). and then the whole scene wrapped up nicely with the word "shoot".
above everything i love the sly ray of shame line. marvelous.
Wonderful writing, Finnegan. Great ending.
thank you, eamon - 'is Don': will add that to my collection of obscure expressions! 'smallgoods' indeed but on valentine's it's all largegoods, innit?
thanks david - i love that ray, too, and i've seen it and it's good though it hurts.
thanks for your close reading, bruce - so well observed, it adds to my own appreciation of this extremely recent shooting...
'...as a sly ray of shame' - that's a great phrase. As always, FF, your stories are a delight to read.
thank you ajay, glad you enjoyed this - shall we be looking forward to a valentine from india, huh?
thnk u for the heart's up
it's all love, GO, today, ta for the reading. fnaut = woodstock. will get to the others later...stories to read are piling up and can't catch up.
Your voice is dark chocolate and hazelnut, warmed. What images here, Flawnt! Your daughter's gift emerges....
"Let's live this slime here" and I saw the Greek grocer, in four color. Enjoyed.
thank you guys. my rose petals are buried under a heap of valentines now and i'm so valentined out after reading every single one that i need to take a break or else i'll leak.