by Noeline
MAIN MALE CHARACTER
Name: David
Age: 45
Occupation: teacher
Likes: reading
Dislikes: liars
Something else about him: very patientMAIN FEMALE CHARACTER
Name: Mandy
Age: 24
Occupation: beauty therapist
Likes: men
Dislikes: women
Something else about her: she is very prettyA PLACE
Be fairly specific:
Hay Street in PerthGENRE OF STORY
i.e. is it a romance, a mystery, a western, a science fiction, a fantasy, a thriller, a comedy or something else?
A romanceWHO IS THE AUDIENCE?
Are you writing for children, young adults or adults?
adultsAND JUST FOR FUN ….
Pick
a colour: red
something to eat: apricot chicken
an item of clothing: coat
an animal: horse
David gave a sigh of relief as he closed his brief-case. The last of the students had gone, and in the blissful quiet he took one last look around the class-room, then closed the door and set off down the hall.
'Six weeks of peace,' he exulted. 'Six weeks to do as I please, sleep in, stay up as late as I want - all the reading I can get in, all those new books I bought at the book sale - bliss!'
David was a rather serious man with fairly high principles, but please don't presume from this introduction that he hated his job. Far from it. He loved his work, but at forty five, after many years of controlling exuberant students, he appreciated holidays greatly. Now, as he climbed into his car and set off for his suburban bachelor quarters, he was looking forward to his summer break.
Meanwhile, in a beauty salon in Hay Street, Perth, a pretty young twenty four year old called Mandy was also leaving early for her holidays. Unlike David, Mandy didn't like her job. She didn't like women very much, and having to pander to their whims every day as a beauty therapist was not her lifetime ambition. No reading sessions for Mandy; she was going to her parents' horse stud, and Mandy loved horses even more than she liked men. Yes, she was a flirt, but a very kind hearted flirt. She always let her discarded beaux down very gently.
So we have David in his car, thinking about his holidays, and Mandy in her car, dreaming about horses, both heading for the same suburban intersection.
Yes, you've guessed it - they did meet, but not in the way they would have wished. There was very little traffic at that point, and as they both climbed shakily from their dented cars, no one else was around.
David was prepared to give the other driver a piece of his mind, but when he saw this pretty, tearful young lady in a bright red coat, something rather funny happened to his heart.
As for Mandy, she too was preparing a rather sarcastic speech, but when she saw this pleasant looking, older man approaching, she too felt something odd happening to her heart.
They introduced themselves and surveyed the damage. Not as bad as it at first appeared. Both cars were driveable and after exchanging insurance details, they should have gone their separate ways - however ... David, rather nervously, said,
"Are you - I mean, would you - oh heck, would you like to have dinner with me? I feel partly responsible for what's happened."
Mandy considered this invitation.
'He is rather older than most of my friends,' she thought. 'But - why not?' She accepted the offer and off they drove in their battered cars to a cosy little restaurant, where they were able to order an early dinner. Mandy had her favourite, apricot chicken, while David settled for a curry. In the course of their conversation, David, a little worried that their age difference might be too great, said casually,
"Would I be rude if I asked your age?"
'Oh dear,' thought Mandy, 'he'll think I'm far too young for him.' Aloud, she said, fingers crossed under the table,
"I'm thirty two. They tell me that I look younger than that."
"Indeed you do!" David was quite surprised but also relieved.
They parted with another date arranged and went happily on their respective ways.
That weekend David set off for Mandy's parents' stud as arranged. When he arrived, a young man greeted him at the gate.
"Hi!" he said. "You must be David, I'm Peter, Mandy's older brother."
"It must run in the family," laughed David.
"What must?" asked Peter, surprised.
"Looking younger than your age," replied David.
"I'm twenty six!" said Peter, a little put out. "I don't think I look any younger than that."
Now, if there was one thing David hated, it was a liar. He tried hard to conceal his disappointment with Mandy, but the weekend was a dismal failure and when he left on Sunday afternoon he made no mention of seeing her again. Mandy cried quite a lot that night.
David went back to his flat and his books, but he couldn't concentrate on reading. Normally a patient man, he found himself becoming short-tempered and edgy and friends who came to visit him went away very puzzled by his attitude.
Four days after his return from the stud, he had an unexpected visitor; a cousin, Richard, whom he hadn't seen in ten years. The cousin wasn't alone however; he was accompanied by an attractive elderly woman, whom he introduced to a started David as his wife. They seemed very happy as they chatted to him over lunch.
Before they left Richard drew David aside and with a little chuckle said,
"I noticed your surprise when you saw Denise. She is twenty years older than me, and I never thought I could be so happy with that sort of age difference. She actually lied to me about her age because she thought she'd lose me - but it didn't make a bit of difference. You see, I love her!"
After the pair had gone, David was very thoughtful. Eventually he picked up the phone and rang the stud. Mandy herself, sounding very despondent, answered the phone and there followed a rather incoherent conversation, full of apologies and lots of 'Darlings' and 'Sweethearts'.
Needless to say, David and Mandy are now very happily married. David has a bit further to travel to school, because they've bought a small property close to the parents' stud and Mandy can spend lots of time riding horses. David doesn't mind the extra miles because he's found out there are lots of compensations - and he's much more tolerant of 'little white lies'.
* * * * * * *