Linda’s dream was to dance in a Broadway show, maybe even the
movies. Her dance teacher was enthusiastic about her talent, and Chuck was sure
his Linda would one day be a star. He was ready to make the sacrifice of
holding down the fort while she went off on tour. Chuck wasn’t the travelling
type, anyway, and neither of them was anxious to start a family. They talked
about it at Christmas sometimes.
By the time they were thirty, Chuck and Linda had stopped
talking about executive suites and tour buses. Chuck was senior forklift operator,
not a managerial position. Linda was teaching yoga out at the community college,
where she got a faculty discount on dance classes. They still talked about
starting a family, usually while Christmas shopping.
On Linda’s thirty-third birthday, Chuck stood at the teller’s
window counting his pay. ‘Tell ya what,’ he said to the teller. ‘Do me a favor
and give me a hundred ones.’
The teller shrugged, as tellers do, and then complied, as she
would do every Friday for the next fifteen years.
When Chuck got home, he gave Linda her present, an authentic
Las Vegas poledancing outfit. ‘Dance for me babe,’ he said. He loaded his wife’s
music on the player, poured a drink, pulled up chair and waited. Linda came out
of the bedroom dancing and didn’t stop until the rain of singles ended, three
songs later.
Chuck drained his glass, knocked back the chair, and gave his
wife a standing ovation.
This week, are getting 333 words from an April Fool's Day 3rd definition of:
rain (transitive verb) 3: to take a lot of money in bill form and toss it up in the air. This is most effectively done at a strip club for the effect of raining one dollar bills on the dancers (and it makes them feel so pretty), or to snub a hater by throwing money into their face that then falls to the floor like rain (use this when paying a debt to a punk bitch who keeps asking for their money to the point that they are ruining your friendship or when dumping someone who has been bankrolling you for a while now that you're making money).
You just never know how a dream might make its way to fulfillment, do you? ;)
ReplyDeleteThat's kinda the charm of dreams. Thanks for reading, Jody!
DeleteNow that is love!
ReplyDeleteThere are so many kinds of love. Thanks for reading, Renee!
DeleteI read with great sadness there, but they might make the happiness stakes yet...still...so well-written that when the line about fork lift operator came I knew somehow there were broken dreams in the background..
ReplyDeleteSadness and broken dreams seem inevitable to me. Thank you, Euan!
DeleteWhat becomes of dreams?
ReplyDeleteThis. Thanks for reading, Kelly!
DeleteI was a little wary at first--I thought the wife would find his suggestion offensive. But it's really sweet the way they love each other and do their best to make each other's dreams come true (:
ReplyDeleteIn my book, the toughest part of life is often acheiving conformity.
DeleteGlad to give you some sweetness, Draug!
Couldn't help but smile. (RogRites)
ReplyDeleteWell, but that's a good thing. Thanks, Rog!
DeleteAwww 'dance for me babe'- you did again with your words Kimm
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked it. Thanks, Jenny!
DeleteYou're voice is so relatable and the subject so real I love your writing kymm - you have a sarcasism that is hard to miss.
ReplyDeleteSo you picked up on the sarcasm, eh? My girls can tell you just how hard it is to miss!
DeleteThank you so much for your kind, enthusiastic encouragement, Sam!
How sad that some dreams never reach their culmination in the way we envisage but Kymm, I simply loved the way you still made that seem possible through the believably sweet action of the characters in the end:-)A wonderful story!
ReplyDeleteThat's me Atreyee, Kymm(no idea how my school id -Minx61 came up here-hate these technological complexities at times)-so sorry
DeleteNo problem, Atreyee, glad you ID'd yourself.
DeleteSo glad you enjoyed the story. Life never seems to end up the way you thought it would, does it?
Thank you for those sweet comments!
Kudos. You knitted this one beautifully.
ReplyDelete:-)
Though threaded with sadness and broken dreams this was so very sweet. I loved the Christmas lines, especially this one: "They still talked about starting a family, usually while Christmas shopping."
ReplyDeleteI like to get a little dig at Xmas in now and again... Thanks so much for your kind words, Jennifer!
DeleteWow, I love this. Wonderfully written, kymm. I love the matter-of-fact structure. It's perfect. Sad, but also sweet.
ReplyDeleteWell, since I was going for tragic... but no, it ended up bittersweet, I guess.
DeleteThanks for the love, Steph!
Dreams come about, sometimes, in a more roundabout way. That's love making it all work in the end. (: This speaks well for these days.
ReplyDeleteThese days could certainly use some speaking well of them. And I can use some of that optimism of yours.
DeleteThanks, Renada!
What a lovely, sweet story. Their mutual attraction and respect carried them though. There is a great moral here. Nicely done.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you liked it. It's odd being lovely and sweet, though.
DeleteThanks, lumdog!
I doubt I'd be so obliging if hubby suggested this, but I'm glad she was willing to go along with it :) I like how they still found happiness even though their plans were nowhere near what they had planned.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty confident no one would ever suggest I do this.
DeleteThanks for reading, Janna!
I love the story. It's the essence of what we live for. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteYes. Thanks for the love, Ann!
DeleteI'm not sure if I find the ending happy or sad, but I like the way the story developed-- this was a good one!
ReplyDeleteHmmm, well there is a rather large grey area between the two, haha. Thanks so much, Brian!
DeleteI love this, Kymm, the way dreams turn into reality.
ReplyDeleteGlad for the love. Thank you, Bee!
DeleteLife often doesn't turn out the way we expect. I love that instead of being upset at their lot, they made the most of it! Great story!
ReplyDeleteI don't know a soul for whom life turns out the way they expected.
DeleteGlad you liked the story. Thanks, Stacey!
: )
ReplyDeleteAnd that's the way you make a marriage work.
ReplyDeleteHehe. Didn't know that about you, Tri! Thanks for the visit!
DeleteThis is such a great story! So romantic--that is a man who "gets" it. This really made me smile, and I so needed to do that!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you liked it, but even more glad you needed it.
DeleteThanks, Tina!
Something to jazz up the repetitive days...the wise ones realize before its all over that there is more to living..however you may do to heighten life.
ReplyDeleteYes. You and I seem to be on opposite sides of the same fence this week. : )
DeleteThanks for reading, Sini!