There's a Hole in Your Shoe, Mr. Stevenson
by Kathy Fish
On a night in 1952 he walked her home in the freezing rain, past the nativity in front of St. Mark's, sharing his flask of schnapps. Look, my fingers are prunes, she said. He kissed her hands and said, Let's name our firstborn Adlai. She laughed and said, No. Dwight. They were democrats with an acute sense of irony. They ducked under an awning and he pulled her close, describing their future on her neck, the magnificent new world their children would inhabit.
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Author's Note
Originally published in Dark Sky Magazine.
I'm posting this for James Lloyd Davis, who is doing his fotomat series....this one was inspired by (but is not about) a Pulitzer Prize winning photo of Adlai Stevenson.
Other stories by Kathy Fish
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Your choice of graphically descriptive details quickly creates a sense of time, characters, place, and plot. Good writing, enjoyed reading.
Thank you, J.!
oooh, I like this, Kathy, especially the line "describing their future on her neck." Nicely done!
Thanks, D'Arcy!
Just beautiful! The neck line gives me chills, and you have to love democrats with a sense of irony.
Ha, you do, Kim. Thanks!
You pack a lot into a little space here, Kathy. In fifty six I almost got fired for wearing the little silver shoe with a hole in the sole.
Lovely. Perfect. Wonderful.
Ah, Kathy, this is a fine little cosmos compressed into 85 words. Bravo!
Hey, thanks you nice people! Darryl, you're supposed to be on vacation!
Great work. The closing - "They ducked under an awning and he pulled her close, describing their future on her neck, the magnificent new world their children would inhabit." - very strong.
Thanks, Sam. I appreciate that.
Beautifully put together, Kathy. A lifetime ahead, a view of society yet intimate to the characters. Very nice!
Thanks so much, Susan!
Well done, Kathy!
"On a night in 1952 he walked her home in the freezing rain, past the nativity in front of St. Mark's, sharing his flask of schnapps. Look, my fingers are prunes, she said. He kissed her hands and said, Let's name our firstborn Adlai."
This is precisely textured, beautifully written.
Thanks for reading, Bill!