Finally she was alone – resting. I had been watching her graceful dance; the magic of her presence energized the melodies.
Despite fears I had to act.
I grabbed two glasses of Champagne; approached her slowly.
But I tripped: plunged in front of her; my shattered dignity spilled like crystal shards among the dancing feet.
—-
As years have passed, we have made a deal:
“Do you want a glass, my dear”, she whispers in my ear.
We laugh, recalling how my dignity can mend by understanding. I take her hand:
“Later — we should dance at our daughter’s wedding”
Copyright David Stewart
So my muse went the romantic way today. Sometimes we are concerned with dignity too much. Maybe being human with all our flaws is what build real love (and a laugh probably helps as well).
Friday Fictioneers is a group of bloggers that produce 100 word fiction every week to the same image. Perfectly conducted by Rochelle Wissoff-Fields we each strive to capture engaging narratives with the limitation of 100 words. Personally I always try to hit the word-count exactly. Last week I tried to read and comment on every story, but I cannot guarantee that I will manage this week.
—
March 25, 2015
So this is not a true story? It feels true
Alas it’s not .. but yes it could be..
The essence of a beautiful relationship captured in this story!
Thank you.. yes I hope more relationships can grow like this…
For a second I thought there might be a stabbing! 😉
Ha… you have been visiting too many FF.. sometimes we need to surprise by not offing people.
I agree. I wanted to take a break from the Country Grim this week too.
Good one Bjorn. I was thinking this is a bit romantic, too. Good job not be cliche about it!
It’s a hard balance
This is really nice. Very touching.
Thank you…
Nice story. Good that he was not judged by his initial clumsiness…and they went on to get to know one another. Perhaps it was a good ‘ice-breaker.’
I would think it was an excellent ice-breaker… but I can also feel quite sure it did not feel that way first
Love at first sight, maybe? Really sweet, not everything has to be perfect to be perfect.
Maybe he had more a crash than a crush on her…
Jings, Bjorn, you have gone all soppy this week!
Sweet tale, sweetly told.
AnElephant is a big sop too!
Ha.. some days you have to show your soft side.. 🙂
What a beautiful story. Romance ages waxes and wanes around those moments that recall its birth. Lovely!
I think all romance contains a narrative of that first time…
Yes it’s true.
Laughter is a great basis for love and commitment. Well captured, Bjorn
Ha. there is hope even for those with two left feet.
This made me smile. Thanks, I needed it.
I think sometimes we have to show a lighter side…romantic comedy is a new genre for me.
You’re a natural!
Lovely-sweet tale packed into those 100 words!
Love to try romantic comedy .. not too common among our FF friends.
Poetic way to describe an embarrassing moment and then a lifetime of commitment.
It would be going from being devastated to lifelong happiness..
You are so fucking romantic…it’s great.
Ha. we all have to try at least.
I applaud it since it’s a dying art 🙂
Ah, a very nice story for anyone who thinks they have “blown it.” Of course I actually mostly did, but there’s hope for everyone.
I think every bloke has a history of embarrassing moments.
Laughter solves a lot of problems!
A very sweet story.
Thank you.. it’s unusual for me to write sweet.
This is so nice. Really a lovely tale this week, Björn!
Thank you.. sweetness is not overrated.
Sometimes the unexpected can change the course of ones life.
Romantic indeed. Nice. ;0)
Surprises are sometimes good.
She was probably sick of the slick guys and your stumbling character was refreshing. My husband had me nailed after he gave me his first Christmas present. It was a shoe polishing kit: two little brushes – one to put the polish on, the other to buff to a shine, a yellow duster and a little tin of black polish, all in a nice little case. I could see he would need a lot of help. 🙂
Ha.. yes I think I have done similar things in the past. But polished shoes is very nice
But polished diamonds are better. (I don’t really mean that). 🙂
This is FABULOUS–and I wish it were true.
I think it could have been true.. but not for me. 🙂
Very sweet
Thank you Mike 🙂
Ahhh…sweet memories.
DJ
🙂 indeed.
Dear Bjorn, Very nice story and so romantic! You win for this week on matters of the heart! Nan
Thank you Nan.. I tried to get insight into those matters..
Love can mend anything ! 🙂
Love and laughter always win
That was a very sweet story.
Thank you Norma.. 🙂
Lovely. I really liked the line “my shattered dignity spilled like crystal shards…”.
That and the spilled Champagne.. good that the dignity could be be mended.
Ah, nice. If you fall flat on your face at the start of a relationship, there’s nowhere else to go but up. Lovely story.
So very true.. 🙂
This sounds like sometime Perry or I would have done on purpose just to get the girl’s attention. Glad it worked for your protagonist.
Ha. That sounds like one of those soccer-players tripping to gain a penalty… 🙂
He fell for her in a big way! Lovely story Bjorn.
He fell and rose again 🙂
What a lovely, romantic story. Dignity is overrated.
Dignity is a barrier for happiness.
This might be the best story of yours that I’ve read, Björn. In so few words you manged to capture both the fear of the young man and the love of a beautiful relationship. “shattered dignity spilled like crystal shards among the dancing feet.” Very nice…
Thank you.. sometimes it’s hard to capture other emotions than despair.. I’m glad it worked.
This was so sweet it a,made me smile 🙂
Thank you.. smile was totally intended.
This is such a sweet little story. 🙂 Lovely.
Thank you so much.. 🙂
I think you have written the romance well. It was a beautiful story of love and acceptance and hope for the future.
I think hope is needed.. wonderful to see.
Lovely and romantic . . . and oh so, human. Humor is important in any relationship. Empathetic people chuckle at their human foibles and when they witness someone else in an awkward situation they chuckle, as well, because they view the scene from the perceptive of how they’d feel if it was them tripping with the champagne, for example. Narcissists do not “get” humor because they are not capable of relating to what others are going through. I always smile when I see the first signs of humor developing in a little child and think to myself: they’re going to be alright.
I think it involves the possibility to laugh at yourself.. the ridiculous one are often the pompous gentlemen she danced with before. Humor is so important.
Oh I enjoyed this lovely romantic piece!
Thank you.. always a good reason to smile.
another happy ending. well done. 🙂
🙂 I love happy endings but they are hard to write.
Love it! Romantic comedy!
Laughing is good.. -)
Dear Björn,
Such a sweet romantic piece. I enjoyed it.
shalom,
Rochelle
Thank you Rochelle.. I wonder why I couldn’t find any corpses here..?
Björn, Björn, sometimes ya just gotta let ’em live. 😉
Just lovely Björn, you captured their relationship so well.
Thank you Dee 🙂
Oh you soppy thing you!
Better soppy than sorry 🙂
What a lubbly bubbly story!
🙂 we have to keep smiling
So very cute!
Tay.
Not my usual style.. but sometimes you have to try.
I’ll always love a man who is confident enough to spill champagne at my feet. What a happy accident and a nice take on the prompt.
I think it takes a confident woman to appreciate spilled champagne 🙂
Romantic to the core…very nice.
Thank you .. true romance is actually often funny I think.
No sense crying over spilt milk, er, champagne. Nicely done!
Spilling Champagne can be for a worthy cause.
Nicely done….a great memory to have had!
I think it would have been something to tell the grandchildren 🙂
It certainly has an authentic feel to it Bjorn, well done. 🙂
Thank you.. I think the reality of it proves that love walks in mysterious ways
Lovely story, Bjorn . Great description made it seem real. Well done. 🙂 — Suzanne
Thank you 🙂 maybe it is more human with failure than success.
Dear Bjorn,
Got me crying here. Lovely story that makes beautiful music as it tugs at the heart strings.
Aloha,
Doug
Thank you.. there is nothing better than tears of happiness 🙂
Awww. That’s very sweet.
Like sugar.
A lovely romantic story about a long-lasting and beautiful relationship. The details of him crashing in front of her with the champagne glasses works perfectly – and provides a treasured memory over the years. 🙂
I can just see the grandchildren’s faces when Grandpa, tells the story for the 100th time.
Ah, I’m sure they’ll grin and bear it, like all good grandchildren do. Or … they might just take a deep breath and will him to get it over with so they can escape! 🙂
Carpe diem!
Some slip away and some are caught.Lovely!
(Bit soppy myself – met my partner at a wedding 30 years ago – the couple who were getting married aren’t together now, but…some of us are luckier!)
I think there is a lot of coincidences that make us find our partners.
A sweet romantic story. I like that you pictured the band and gazebo at a wedding.
🙂 Oh yes.. that is when memory are coming back.
Such a happy, romantic story, Bjorn. A shared sense of humour and acceptance of one another’s flaws is a must for a relationship to sustain itself. You illustrate this perfectly.
Humor has to be the foundation of any relationship
Love your story! I can relate to the tripping and breaking stuff, happens in my household on a daily basis. Beautifully written and adore the sentiment of the piece 🙂
Lovely story, if only there are more in RL.
Clumsiness can be such an ice breaker. Nice one.
A tender love story. Never know where a moment will lead.
Ellespeth
There’s more than one way to make an impact 🙂 Nicely told tale.
KT