The last of the picture prompts this week. Enjoy playing with this one.
Bright colours, she’d said. Which had puzzled Annie because bright colours were not what she associated with her mother. Marjorie had been more of a sombre-hued person. The house, for example, old and dark, and full of old and dark furniture. The huge garden set to bushes, nary a flower in sight.
Annie lifted her glass of iced tea and surveyed the remains of the colourful wake – more instructions from her mother. Bring out the yellow teapot, Annie. And cup cakes, I want cupcakes with that sickly blue icing, set on the yellow cake stand. After all, she had said, I don’t have to eat them, and it will bring me great pleasure to watch the reverend politely stuffing them down his wrinkly old throat.
The yellow teapot and stand had been Annie’s gift to her mother one long ago birthday, when Annie was still naïve enough to believe Marjorie had a spark of cheer in her somewhere, buried away. This was their debut.
Annie laughed out loud. She’d been right. Marjorie did have a sense of humour. It had just taken the cheering thought of death for it to finally emerge.
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The tea was delicious – made even more delectable by the bright sunny day and the fact that she was drinking from her favourite teapot as part of an outdoor garden setting complete with white tablecloth.
Melanie was in raptures as she savoured the warm liquid trickling down her throat. She couldn’t help but laugh as the full flavour of the flowery ingredients overwhelmed her taste buds.
“What are you laughing at?” her husband inquired as he watched his wife in her colourful summer dress throw her head back and surrender to the glee.
“The tea,” she replied. “It’s so wonderful. The best drink a girl could have on a warm summer’s day.”
Jim and Melanie had been married for two years and were still revelling in the joy of wedded bliss.
She loved him desperately, surrendering willingly to his touch every time they made love – while he continued to marvel at his wife’s loveliness and keen enthusiasm in everything she did.
He couldn’t imagine a more heavenly Utopia and, watching Melanie’s reaction to their little tea party this particular gorgeous afternoon, only made his heart beat even faster.
“I love you so much,” the words were involuntary, out of his mouth before he could stop them.
“I know,” she said. “And I feel the same about you. I never knew marriage could be such bliss,” she laughed again.
Jim blushed. He was the luckiest man in the world married to such an angel. Listening to her tinkling tones, he could only hope that their union would forever remain as close and exhilarating as it was on this bright summer’s day.
Noticing the rising colour in Jim’s cheeks, Melanie giggled and gently taking his hand led him into the house – the teapot and spontaneous garden party left to fend for itself.
The amazing effect of tea LOL
What a wonderful tribute and acknowledgement by both mother and daughter to each other. Lovely story