Oppressive Surprise Skirt

Today’s writing prompt and my response.

The second prompt for this week, using three words. Use the prompts however you like, one at a time, or pen a short story over several of them.
Oppressive Surprise Skirt: use these three words

The oppressive heat didn’t make for good party weather.

‘Everyone’ll get stuck into the beer and be drunk as skunks in no time,’ Moira complained.

‘There’s something wrong with that?’ Pete grinned through the sweat streaming down his heat-red face.

Moira handed up another balloon and a pin. She tilted her head to the side. ‘The pink and purple looks really good,’ she said, admiring their joint handiwork of fluttering streamers and massed balloons.

Cake with pink and white icing and flowers

‘Where shall I put this?’ Katy came in through the door – open to catch the remotest breeze – with a large cardboard box in her hands. ‘The fridge?’

Pete shrugged from the top of the ladder. ‘Fridge is full of drinks and party food. Does it need the fridge?’

Moira rolled her eyes. ‘Yes, unless we want pink icing all over the floor and wilted roses. It’ll melt in this heat.’

‘I’ll go fetch more ice and buckets,’ Pete said, clambering down. ‘You can take the bottles out of the fridge.’

‘I knew we should’ve hired a hall with air conditioning.’ Katy grimaced and carried the box through to the large catering kitchen. The clinking of bottles sounded soon after.

Moria followed her in and began lining glasses up on the bench top. ‘So what do you think Penny will wear?’

Katy laughed. ‘She won’t tell anyone. Only that it has a full skirt.’

Moira closed the fridge and leaned against its cool surface. She grinned. ‘A new dress for a quiet, special birthday dinner with Adam in an air-conditioned restaurant–’

‘–might not be quite the thing for a rowdy booze-up in a hot hall with forty friends.’

They both laughed out loud. ‘She’s going to hate us for this surprise!’


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