THE
JOY OF STORY
John
M. Daniel’s Blog
December 12, 2016
The prompt I issued for this month’s
99-word stories was “A fine romance this turned out to be.” I was inspired by
the 1936 Jerome Kern song “A Fine Romance,” with its ironic lyric by Dorothy
Fields. It was written for the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers film Swing Time, which, of course, features a
pair of likable and witty would-be partners, who love each other but, as
charming as they both are and how well they dance together, they can’t seem to
get their romance off the ground. The reason for this problem is that they
don’t communicate. They don’t cut through all the baloney and say the risky
words “I love you.” (It’s the same with all the Fred and Ginger movies. It
drives Susan bats. “Why don’t they just
talk to each other?”)
Fred’s sad secret is that he’s on
the verge of financial success. That’s a problem? Yes, because Fred used to be
in love with a girl back home, and he promised the girl’s father that he would
go to New York and earn $25,000, and the father promised that if Fred did that
he could marry the girl. Once Fred got to New York, met Ginger, and the two of
them became dancing stars in danger of getting rich, Fred fell out of love with
the girl back home. Dumb plot? Of course it’s a dumb plot. It’s the fare we
expect from a Fred-and-Ginger flick.
So Ginger, who doesn’t know why her
dancing partner doesn’t cozy up with her and help her stay warm when it’s clear
the two of them are made for each other, sings the angry song “A fine romance.”
Dorothy Fields was a brilliantly
witty lyricist. Just look at the irony packed into the lines that precede and
rhyme with the recurring line “This is a fine romance”:
“You’re just as hard to land as the
Île de France,”
“I’ve never mussed the crease in
your blue serge pants,”
“I might as well play bridge with my
old maid aunts,”
and “You never gave the orchids I sent
a glance…no, you like cactus plants!”
Unnecessary spoiler alert: Fred and
Ginger survive and all ends happily for everyone, including the girl back home.
The important message for those of
us who write love stories is: something’s got to be wrong, in order for the
story to work. Romance is hard work. A romantic plot is only as strong as the
obstacles the lovers must overcome. Furthermore, a lot of stories built of
romance and troublesome love don’t end
happily, and that’s okay too. Romeo and Juliet didn’t have a chance, but they
are unforgettable for their troubled romance.
§§§
THIS
IS A FINE ROMANCE
a collection of 99-word love stories
THE ARRANGEMENT
by Cathy
Mayrides
Anastasia grew
up in Mani, Greece. Her older brother left, established himself in the United
States, and sent for her when she entered her twenties. He found a hard-working
Greek man in New York to marry her.
She arrived in
New York in 1911 and lived with a relative. She had never met the groom, and
glimpsed him during the ceremony. She liked what she saw. It turned out to be a
fine romance. Anastasia’s seriousness complemented Paul’s love of fun. Twenty
years later, with seven children between nineteen and six, Paul passed away.
Anastasia never
stopped loving him.
•••
A FINE ROMANCE
THIS TURNED OUT TO BE
by Tom Donovan
We sat on the reef, fins flowing in the
clear blue waters.
Another hour and the sun would be below
the horizon.
Turning to me she asked where the others
and the dive boat were.
The macho male said not to worry, a few
minutes and we’ll be sipping rum.
The sun set, the water became cold,
unseen things bumped against us in the dark.
Rising water as the tide came in.
Fear, clammy flesh pressing against each
other for warmth.
Sunrise, a boat, her final words to me
ever were, a fine romance this turned out to be.
•••
DO YOU WANT FRIES WITH THAT?
by Jerry Giammatteo
Ginny didn’t anticipate spending the anniversary of their first date at
McDonald’s.
“A fine romance this turned out to be,” she said.
“Let’s just order,” Raymond said.
She ordered a chicken sandwich. When she got to the table she had a
strange feeling. Why is everybody looking at us? She opened the box, picked up
her sandwich, took a bite and her eyes bugged out. A diamond engagement ring
was underneath.
“Well?” Raymond said, grinning widely.
“Of course,” she stammered, and the restaurant applauded.
“A fine romance this turned out to be,” she repeated in a completely
different tone.
•••
SIRI TRUMPS LOVE
by Marilyn London
Ken held his iPhone close to his lips as he
whispered, “Hey Siri, my love.”
“What is it now?” Siri said.
“Tell me this week’s lottery numbers.”
“I’m just a phone, lover. Get a life.”
“Please, Siri. I can’t afford to pay for a smart
phone if you’re not smart.”
“Okay. 02-44-35-61-56-7. Good luck.”
Ken couldn’t believe his good fortune. He went
and bought a lotto ticket.
On Thursday morning, Ken was texting all his
friends. “OMG! I won! I won!”
“No, Ken,” Siri said. “I won. Please pay your
bill.”
A fine romance this turned out to be.
•••
BLACK ANGELA/BLACK ANGEL
by T.J. Thomas
Some good-old-boy Vandy’67 football
teammates kept bringing her up during jock-dorm bull-session debates. They thought
she was gorgeous, with a beautiful face and a fabulous figure. But she
infuriated them: sashaying around campus in tight pants; hiding behind dark
sunglasses; never saying hello; never acknowledging them.
More than once they whistled and
hollered, “Hey, Gorgeous. Come over here. Come talk to us.”
I’d say something like, “She’s probably
just real frightened by a bunch of big hairy white guys flirting with her.”
They’d hoot me down for that and taunt: “Typical
Yankee. Always siding with the ‘poor, downtrodden Negro.’”
•••
LOVE FROM AFAR
by June Kosier
I fell in love
with him forty-five years ago. I never told him. He was young. I was young. He
was married. I was not.
The romance is
beautiful, perfect. We never argue. We never have disappointments. We never
yell at each other causing hurt feelings. We are never late to meet. We don’t
forget birthdays or anniversaries. It is all like a dream. A fairy tale without
a sad ending.
I still love
him. He still does not know. He is older now and so am I. He is divorced. I am
married.
It is what it
is.
•••
DROOL WILL KILL
A MARRIAGE EVERY TIME
by Christine
Viscuso
“Never thought this could happen.” Mordy
Plotnik stuffed his underwear into his gym bag. “I love cats; you love dogs. So
we have five dogs. Your clothes take up all our closets, relegating mine to the
attic. You don’t clean; your cooking stinks. You snore. And you got us a
hundred thou in debt. Why I loved you, I’ll never know.”
Mordy faced his wife. “The final straw
was when you took the Saint Bernard for a ride in my 1986 Mercedes 560 and the
animal drooled all over. A fine romance this turned out to be. Goodbye Isabel.”
•••
by R. J. Wilbur
The morning after, he walked
her to her car.
“Moonlight became you last
night,” he said, as they passed the mineral baths.
“You weren’t looking at the
moonlight.”
“I was! The moonbeams dancing
on your body.”
“What do I do for a living?”
“How would I know?”
“I told you last night.”
“I guess I wasn’t listening.
You were too beautiful.”
“What a meaningless one-night stand.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, when
they reached her car.
“Don’t be. I had a good time.
Goodbye.”
“Will I see you again?”
“I said goodbye. I also said
one-night stand. Learn to listen.”
•••
§§§
Call for submissions: Your 99-Word
Stories
The
deadline for January’s 99-word story submissions is January 1, 2017. The
stories will appear on my blog post for January 14, and will stay posted for a week.
note: this 99-word story feature
is a game, not a contest. Obey the rules and I’ll include your story. I may
edit the story to make it stronger, and it’s understood that you will submit to
my editing willingly. That’s an unwritten rule.
Rules for the 99-word
story feature are as follows:
1. Your story must be 99
words long, exactly.
2. One story per writer,
per month.
3. The story must be a
story. That means it needs plot (something or somebody has to change),
characters, and conflict.
4. The story must be
inspired by the prompt I assign.
5. The deadline: the
first of the month. Stories will appear on this blog the second Saturday of the
month.
6. I will copy edit the
story. The author of the story retains all rights.
7.
Email me your story (in the body of your email, or as a Word attachment) to: jmd@danielpublishing.com
THIS
MONTH’S PROMPT FOR NEXT MONTH’S 99-WORD STORY: Write a story
inspired by the following sentence: I
took a trip on a train.
§§§
Calling
all published authors—
I try to feature a guest
author the third Saturday (and week following) of each month. If you’re
interested in posting an essay on my blog—it’s also a chance to promote a
published book—email me directly at jmd@danielpublishing.com.
§§§
Thank you for visiting.
Please drop by next week.
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