“You’re
a teacher?” Freya's pink shadowed eyes took on a dreamy quality.
“Yes,
second grade.”
Freya
handed her a slice of a chocolate cake that wasn’t there a minute ago, or was
it? I’m losing my mind.
“Now,
my dear, I want to caution you about the kind of men you seem to choose.
There’s an old Irish saying. You can take
the man out of the bog, but you can’t take the bog out of the man. Quit
going to the bog.”
Well,
she had met Barclay at LaRogues six months ago. The bar, adjoining a chic
female only zumba and aerobics club, had a reputation of men trolling for
willing women, but she’d chosen to believe Barclay was above all that.
Evidently he wasn’t. Nor was she, it seemed. Perhaps she was too easy, too desperate, too eager to have someone—anyone. Time
she grew a backbone and stood up for herself. It was also time she raised her
standards a few notches where her male choices were concerned.
“Tell
me, what is it you seek in a man?” Freya’s gaze was full of warmth.
“I’m
at a turning point in that regard. Guess you could say I’m working my way
through a maturing process.”
“That
pleases me. What qualities are beginning to appeal to you?”
Hope
sighed and closed her eyes. Twin tears moistened her cheeks as they forged a
trail. “Before, I went for looks. A modern, stylish kind of guy. A shaker. A
mover. A partier.”
“And
now?”
“Now,
I want a forever kind of man. Someone
I can depend on. Someone who loves me—warts, curves, moods, and all.” She
opened her eyes and regarded Freya through a veil of tears. “I…I want to be
cherished. Am I expecting too much?”
Freya
patted Hope’s hand. “My dear, what you expect is merely what a lady like you
deserves.” She shrugged. “What we all deserve.”
She
stared at the older woman for a few beats. “You mean that, don’t you?” A total
stranger believed she deserved to be cherished. While a man she’d dated for six
months didn’t feel she was deserving of anything good. In fact, he’d told her that
her role was to please him.
“Yes,
Hope Morningstar, I do. Now eat your cake.”
She
forked a bite of chocolate cake into her mouth and moaned. Her toes curled in
her sandals as the chocolate exploded on her tongue and revved her system. “Oh
my! This is scrumptious.”
Freya’s
eyes twinkled. “It’s quite yummy, isn’t it? That’s how a man should taste when
you kiss him. His flavor should burst in your mouth and do sensual things to
your system. You should moan in appreciation, and your toes should curl in your
shoes. It should be a magical chocolate kiss. And…” she slid the plate away
from Hope, much to her alarm, “…one taste is never enough.” Freya waggled her red penciled eyebrows. “Your job
is to improve on the way you think about yourself. Mine is to make a phone
call.”
The
woman’s long fingers curled around a red cell phone and punched in a number. Five
seconds later, she spoke. “Declan, I’ve found her.”
4 comments:
Great excerpt Vonnie! You got me interested!!!
Thanks, Mary. This is a short story with two people open to using a different path to finding love.
Oh, this sounds great! I've added it to my to-read list!!
Thanks Dani-Lyn. I hope you enjoy it. Short, sweet and magical.
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