General Fiction posted July 20, 2019 |
What we are judged by.
First Impressions: Good and Bad
by LisaMay
My mate Kevin’s a bit of a worry. He’s feeling really sad because his lovely old cat, Muffin, died last week. I hope he gets a kitten soon; he’s mad about cats. I do what I can do, but I wish he had a girlfriend – she would cheer him up.
He’s just too shy. He’d be a good catch for a chick – he’s got interesting hobbies; he’s got a job; he’s not too ugly. But he never goes out on dates, though, and he’s lonely. I keep telling him to be braver and speak to girls: to at least say “Hi” to initiate a conversation.
I’ve decided to help him out. When he dropped by last night, I suggested getting him set up on an Internet dating site. He reluctantly agreed, then he wrote out a list of all the attributes that he wants in a future girlfriend. No wonder he never goes on dates! He’s waiting for a very specific combination:
Must be tall and slim.
Must be a redhead.
Must be sporty.
Must like the outdoors, especially at the beach.
Must like old-fashioned poetry.
Must like heavy metal music.
Must be loyal.
Must have blue eyes.
Must like animals.
After we put his profile on the Net, we talked about where we’d go this weekend. It’s beach weather, so Miranda – that’s my girlfriend – and I will be going to Shelly Bay and Kev might as well come too. Maybe next time he’ll have a girlfriend to bring!
* * *
So here I am at the supermarket with Kev, to pick up some supplies for our weekend at the beach. After we get everything we need, when we arrive at the check-out I can’t believe it!
There, in the queue beside us, I see the back of a tall, slender figure with a cascade of gorgeous red hair, wearing track pants and sneakers! And the sneakers have sand on them from the beach! And guess what’s sticking out of the back pocket of the pants? A book of poems by William Wordsworth. YES! And look at that!! On one shapely, tanned arm there’s an artistic tattoo: ‘Metallica FOREVER’.
I nudge Kev and say, “Here’s your chance! It’ll never get any better than this. Speak to her!”
Trying to feel brave, Kev clears his throat. In a faltering voice he says, “Hi…” and the tall redhead swings around to see who is speaking. And then we both see it! There on a bulging chest, ‘she’ has a tuft of ginger hair sprouting from where we had imagined cute cleavage was going to be!
We grab our items and push past ‘her’ – which makes her drop some groceries – but we sprint off without a backward glance. We sit in the car in the carpark for a while, telling each other ‘what a close shave’ that was and giggling nervously about our reaction, somewhat ashamed of ourselves.
Just then the tall redhead walks by and catches sight of us. Kev suddenly notices something interesting on the floor, which means that he doesn’t see her piercing blue eyes, now icy with contempt. I notice that she definitely does have a captivating cleavage, and is carrying a ginger kitten in her arms.
The One That Got Away writing prompt entry
My mate Kevin’s a bit of a worry. He’s feeling really sad because his lovely old cat, Muffin, died last week. I hope he gets a kitten soon; he’s mad about cats. I do what I can do, but I wish he had a girlfriend – she would cheer him up.
He’s just too shy. He’d be a good catch for a chick – he’s got interesting hobbies; he’s got a job; he’s not too ugly. But he never goes out on dates, though, and he’s lonely. I keep telling him to be braver and speak to girls: to at least say “Hi” to initiate a conversation.
I’ve decided to help him out. When he dropped by last night, I suggested getting him set up on an Internet dating site. He reluctantly agreed, then he wrote out a list of all the attributes that he wants in a future girlfriend. No wonder he never goes on dates! He’s waiting for a very specific combination:
Must be tall and slim.
Must be a redhead.
Must be sporty.
Must like the outdoors, especially at the beach.
Must like old-fashioned poetry.
Must like heavy metal music.
Must be loyal.
Must have blue eyes.
Must like animals.
After we put his profile on the Net, we talked about where we’d go this weekend. It’s beach weather, so Miranda – that’s my girlfriend – and I will be going to Shelly Bay and Kev might as well come too. Maybe next time he’ll have a girlfriend to bring!
* * *
So here I am at the supermarket with Kev, to pick up some supplies for our weekend at the beach. After we get everything we need, when we arrive at the check-out I can’t believe it!
There, in the queue beside us, I see the back of a tall, slender figure with a cascade of gorgeous red hair, wearing track pants and sneakers! And the sneakers have sand on them from the beach! And guess what’s sticking out of the back pocket of the pants? A book of poems by William Wordsworth. YES! And look at that!! On one shapely, tanned arm there’s an artistic tattoo: ‘Metallica FOREVER’.
I nudge Kev and say, “Here’s your chance! It’ll never get any better than this. Speak to her!”
Trying to feel brave, Kev clears his throat. In a faltering voice he says, “Hi…” and the tall redhead swings around to see who is speaking. And then we both see it! There on a bulging chest, ‘she’ has a tuft of ginger hair sprouting from where we had imagined cute cleavage was going to be!
We grab our items and push past ‘her’ – which makes her drop some groceries – but we sprint off without a backward glance. We sit in the car in the carpark for a while, telling each other ‘what a close shave’ that was and giggling nervously about our reaction, somewhat ashamed of ourselves.
Just then the tall redhead walks by and catches sight of us. Kev suddenly notices something interesting on the floor, which means that he doesn’t see her piercing blue eyes, now icy with contempt. I notice that she definitely does have a captivating cleavage, and is carrying a ginger kitten in her arms.
Writing Prompt Write a STORY (no poems) with the theme of ?the one that got away?. What got away? How and why did it get away? Tell us in up to 600 words. |
Blue-eyed redheads are extremely rare.
Blue eyes and red hair form the rarest combo on earth. Most (natural) redheads will have brown eyes, followed by hazel or green shades.
The combination of having both red hair and blue eyes is so rare because they are recessive traits, meaning both parents must carry the gene for a child to have it. Red hair occurs naturally in one to two percent of the human population, while 17 percent of the world's population has blue eyes, brown eyes being the most prevalent.
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