6/29/13

Expensive Taste
By Linda M. Crate


The last remaining leaves rustled and her hair blew in the wind untamed, tiny ships of red flying through the azure tide of sky. Sighing she finally drew them back, in an attempt to tame them. He would be here at any second, and she didn’t want to disappoint him by looking a wreck. She shivered from the cold.

When he had suggested ice skating on the lake, she had felt a bit of trepidation. She had never been strong at ice skating, but he persisted, and she finally caved. He had a habit of charming her into situations she wouldn’t necessarily undertake otherwise. Still, she wouldn’t hold it against him. He was helping to mold her into a braver person than she had been.

Her mother even approved of him, which was saying something, because her mother had never approved of any of her boyfriends before. Even her dad liked him. He said that he made her the happiest he had ever seen her, and that if he treated her well that was all that mattered.

Joy smiled. Lex always brought out the best in her.

She sighed, however, looking at the trees. They were so full of life a month ago. Now almost all had shed their leaves, and winter had settled in with his white blankets and garments of ice. Shivering, she glanced around her.

She hoped that she hadn’t come too early, but she had a sneaking suspicion that he was running a little late, as always. She should have brought her phone with her so she could glance at the time every now and again, but she had left that in the car. Foolishly, perhaps, but wiser in some ways — she was almost certain that if she brought it with her, it would have gotten misplaced in the snowbank twenty yards away. She was good at crashing into them, having done so many times as a child and teen. It even had happened a month or two ago when her friends convinced her to go ice skating with them.

There wasn’t much to do in this sleepy little town of demure little houses and cottages and stretching landscape. Yet she loved the peace and creature comforts it afforded her. She loved the seasons, the big wide out there, the forests of trees, and all the creatures you found here could not be easily as seen in the city. The hustle and bustle of city life had never appealed to her much either. She liked the quiet, restful babble of the brooks and lull of crickets and bullfrogs. Even winter held a loveliness as the sun reflected through the ice on trees and danced on pockets of snow rendering them golden islands amid the ivory.

“Sorry I was late,” came a voice from behind her.

She nearly jumped. Putting a hand to her heart, Joy laughed when she realized it was Lex. “You jerk, you’re always late,” she remarked, giving him a playful shove.

He gave her the cutest pout he could muster.

“Gah, you and those puppy dog eyes! Stop it, I’ll give you whatever you want, just not those eyes. You could get away with anything giving me those eyes, and you know it. Stop it! It’s not fair.”

He laughed. “Love you,” he remarked gently, giving her a peck on the cheek.

“I love you, too,” she responded.

They ice skated for several hours. Joy thought it was going pretty well, too. She had fallen a couple of times, but there wasn’t anything major about them, and she hadn’t hurt herself. Besides Lex was there to help her up. So she was content that nothing could possibly go wrong.

However, this new found confidence (or perhaps arrogance) launched her head first into a snow bank. She heard Lex laughing audibly as she attempted to pull her head from out of the avalanche of white. Finally managing the feat, she found him kneeling before her.

“Oh, don’t worry, Lex, I’m fine —.”

“Joy Ava Lyons, will you marry me?”

Joy’s eyes danced with bliss. “Of course, I will,” she remarked, half-laughing and half-crying at the same time. “Is that why you were late?”

“Of course, had to find the perfect ring for my lovely Joy. Your mother wasn’t much help, she kept pointing at this one and that one —.”

“Sounds like mom,” Joy laughed. “Here, help me up.”

“Why, of course, dear. Your every wish is my command.”

She rolled her eyes. “You’re a goon, but I’m glad you’re my goon.” He helped her to her feet, and she found herself memorized with the ring. She couldn’t wait to show her parents, even if her mother had already seen the purchase. She smiled at Lex. “I think this may have been my favorite ice skate outing. Even if I did end up flying into the biggest snow bank ever.”

“Well, you always did have expensive taste,” he winked.


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Linda Crate is a Pennsylvanian native currently migrated to Maine. She has a degree in English-Literature and her poetry and short stories have appeared in many publications the latest of which include: Birds Eye reView, Mirror Dance, Blue & Yellow Dog, Crisis Chronicles Online Library, Super Flash Fiction, and Dead Snakes.