Saturday, March 5, 2011

Love At Any Age

It is time for Saturday Centus once again. SC is a prompted writing exercise. Excluding the prompt we are to write a creative response, in 100 words or less. This week's prompt, Everything depended upon this single card..., is one that has taken me back to my elementary school days. Perhaps I have these memories on my mind because of my recent activities in helping to plan a Class of '66, elementary school reunion. Anyway, I guess I am connecting the dots. Enjoy...Peace and blessings...

To suggest that love is not important at 12, is to underestimate the power of this singular human emotion. Freddie had for months now been infatuated with Linda. As the intensity of his 'love' grew,so grew his hesitancy to express his feelings. That was about to change. The night had arrived for the Dance School Christmas Formal. Wearing meticulously shined Weejuns and a new blue suit, Freddie entered the ballroom, and immediately began to fill out his dance card.

#1 Susan
#2 Jane
#3 Margy
#4 Linda

#4 Linda!! Yes, she had #4 open. Freddie's fate was sealed. Everything depended upon this single card, and Dance Number 4. Hopefully it would be a slow song.

Jenny Matlock


16 comments:

  1. Oh, I loved this! It is so sweet, reminding readers of those important "early day" in our years. Dance card was nice touch.

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  2. How lovely! I just loved this :o)

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  3. Ah, so sweet, chock full of all those wonderful but scary butterfly feelings and you made me recall my first love in elementary school...Great job !

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  4. I always wished that I'd lived in the day of the dance card. My mom made it sound so romantic.

    So did you! Good job.

    =)

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  5. Sweet and romantic, I remember those days. Such a nice depiction of a child's feelings too. Having four small ones of my own, it is amazing how expressive and individual they are. Really nice Jeff.

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  6. Aww! Very up to date - I find it difficult to accept or understand the 'boyfriend-girlfriend' thing at such a young age when I talk to my grandchildren . . .

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  7. awe, this was very sweet and romantic Jeff ... of those young years ...

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  8. Oh this is SO sweet! Takes me back far too many years!

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  9. This was very sweet, and felt very real. I love that you used a dance card! Nice and original. Kat

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  10. Do they still use dance cards anywhere? I would have loved to have been a part of that era.

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  11. Is it revealing too much of my age that I have no idea what a dance card is? I think I figured it out from the story, though.

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  12. This is very human and realistic, Jeff. We forget how painstaking love is for kids. Thanks for this sweet remdinder, meticulously shined Weejuns and all.
    xoRobyn

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  13. Only fate can tell if these two will continue on! Let's hope so!

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  14. Jeff,

    As usual, you put me right in the middle of the scene. Romance knows no bounds, and you drew a beautiful word picture of it here. I could almost imagine the sweat beginning to pop out on Freddie's brow.

    Bravo!

    Namaste..........cj

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  15. Jeff, it's so weird but I feel like I can see your writing changing. It's interesting to go back to the early SC's and see the difference. Sometimes I go back to something I wrote several years ago that I thought was good and I'm surprised.

    I guess practice does make perfect...in your case anyway.

    This was flawless.

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