Image copyright: Raina Ng
As children we had sat in the crook of a tree, held hands, made vows, sealed them with innocent kisses.
Soon after fate decreed, oh you fickle gods, that our families move apart – hers to China, mine to the prairies in Argentina. And later our families and those gods moved us to vow, oh false vows, to others, and so it was.
Now, fifty years on, with the gods tamed, we have found each other and will meet.
I am first in the room. I sense beauty, energy, joy.
Outside, I hear the slide of silk slipper on polished stone.
Written in response to Rochelle Wisoff-Fields’ weekly 100 word photo prompt challenge. I dare you!
patrickprinsloo 
Oh you softie you! Lovely; sometimes it takes so very long…
And then the vampire … . Soft? Moi?
😉
there’s always hope, if nothing else
That’s very true.
Just lovely. I’m so glad they tamed those gods. It can be done. Their remaining years are bound to be idyllic.
I suspect you’re right. Thanks for reading.
Beautiful. I love the last sentence. It’s so full of expectation and promise.
Thank you. I enjoyed writing it.
Here’s hoping for a happily ever after. They deserve it, waiting so patiently. I like the silk slipper on on polished stone. Well done, Patrick.
Many thanks. Enjoy the weekend.
AnElephant thinks that Patrick is a soppy romantic.
He loves this!
Never ever. Thanks for reading.
So sweet – endless love. Love it.
Thank you.
How exciting! I want to see what happens once they are together again.
Now that would be good.
Love conquers all as they say. Their time together will be even sweeter having seen the world but found each other.
That’s so true.
Fifty years is a long time. Hope they still have common grounds to gel with.
We must hope so. Thanks for reading.
Dear Patrick,
I love a happy ending even if it did take fifty years to get to it. Lovely story.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Thank you. Pleased you enjoyed it. Keep busy.
Beautifully Written
Why thank you.
Okay, so which one of them is going to be disappointed to find that the other has turned into a 400 lb. bovine with no teeth?
This cynicism is too much for me to bear. Did you not hear the violins?
This is lovely. I envisage a happy ever after.
I think it’s a happy ever after.
🙂
Those are some keen ears on that old man.
Indeed, most enthusiastic ears. Thanks for reading.
Patrick,
I like where the prompt took you this week. The story of lost love found again after the second love is gone has a touchstone for me in reality as I have seen several older friends and family members live this story.
If you don’t mind the feedback, I’d like to point out that the narrator’s voice in this seemed a bit over-dramatic, making the story a bit more dense than necessary. The commonality of the experience is almost lost to me as a reader, and, in my opinion, it waters down a story that should resonate with everyone everywhere.
But . . . that is just my opinion, and overall, I enjoyed the tale.
All my best,
Marie Gail
That’s certainly food for thought. I shall mull over it.
all things considered, it’s all about fate.
That’s possibly true. But where is free will then? Ah, life!
I want more. They may have liked to meet in privacy but I want to be a fly on the wall to see either the joy or the disappointment. Well written leaving us wondering.
Hi. Perhaps you can contribute an ending for us. It would be fun to see how others would write about what happens next.
There definitely has to be a twist. He doesn’t recognise her she is no longer the beauty he remembered. She makes him a cup of tea and they chat, and chat and he realises that it was not her physical beauty that had attracted him but rather her inner beauty (and her tea making abilities.)
Definitely tea making. Who cares about inner beauty?
LOL
Lest you think this only happens in fiction, this kind of thing happened to me. Reunited with the love of my life after 27 years of marriage to the wrong man…You wrote my personal story! 🙂
Well! Pleased things worked out for you. Happiness to both.
Sublime. That is just lovely.
Thank you. Kind words.
This is beautiful – that’s all I can say.
Thank you. That’s enough.
I hope for a sweet reunion.. or maybe his unknown daughter coming in.. wonderful to think about what happened afterwards.
I hadn’t thought about an unknown daughter. I think they were children when they parted. Maybe her jealous husband. Or the FBI.
You’re a romantic. Who knew.
Never, never. Thanks for reading.
;0)
What if she doesn’t live up to his romantic memory of her young self? Nice story.
Ah, she will. She has to. Thanks for reading.
“the slide of silk slipper on polished stone”…aaaahhhh so romantic!
Thank you (assuming it’s not a zombie killer).
LOL…I didn’t even THINK of that!
Such an imaginative mix of cultures – argentinian plains with the gentle chinese customs. Great idea.
Thank you. It’s a highly evocative image, I thought.
Oh, romance at its finest or tragedy in the offing? Well done. I like that you keep us wondering.
Thank you. When I clicked on Publish I hadn’t realised it is open-ended. Now I do.
Seems too perfect to me. Maybe she’s horribly disfigured, just to add something to the mix. Nicely done
Never; she’s still a beauty. But … .
Usually time holds too many surprises under the sleeve! Hope love wins over time –
Hope so too. Thanks for reading.
🙂 I like the open end which leaves me wondering what’ll happen next.
It will be a thing of wonder. I am the writer.