THE PERFECT RESPONSE
~ By Absolutely*Kate,
in the style of the Fitzgeralds
You see, when men rode tandems and coaches to show they knew the social implications of football games in splendid places like Harvard and Dartmouth and Princeton and Yale, and curvaceous young ladies with life in their eyes and divine sparkle to their beings conspired to meet them, I first met Sam Fitzsimmons. There was gin to begin with and a cut glass trophy to dazzle an ending to end all endings when that particular September regatta was in full regalia on a blue and blustery day in Newport Harbour.
Sam had the smooth affectations of a tender man, but was strong at the riggings and swift at the tending of his lines. It was one line in particular which cleaved to be the cleat knot of my undoing, delivered with keen blue eyes intent upon a proper response, "Miss Fairchild, would you honour me with the correct placement of a kiss should our skiff rise victorious over all notorious competition this side of Jamestown Isle?"
There was an inner fluster at first, until my soft steely southern upbringing refused to bring up the slightest hint of muster to fluster and a peachy blush sufficed with of course a cool eyelash bat of, "Why ah say, what precisely IS the correct placement of a kiss, Mr Fitzsimmons?"
Ten years of lush anniversaries afterward, I still polish to dazzling light the cut glass regatta trophy, myself, with nary a housemaid of bric-a-bric tending in sight, for I, Amanda Fairchild Fitzsimmons responded at once that night, to the perfect response to the perfect challenge, when the poised and polished Sam quite perfectly answered, "Why, the kiss which lasts a lifetime."
Sam had the smooth affectations of a tender man, but was strong at the riggings and swift at the tending of his lines. It was one line in particular which cleaved to be the cleat knot of my undoing, delivered with keen blue eyes intent upon a proper response, "Miss Fairchild, would you honour me with the correct placement of a kiss should our skiff rise victorious over all notorious competition this side of Jamestown Isle?"
There was an inner fluster at first, until my soft steely southern upbringing refused to bring up the slightest hint of muster to fluster and a peachy blush sufficed with of course a cool eyelash bat of, "Why ah say, what precisely IS the correct placement of a kiss, Mr Fitzsimmons?"
Ten years of lush anniversaries afterward, I still polish to dazzling light the cut glass regatta trophy, myself, with nary a housemaid of bric-a-bric tending in sight, for I, Amanda Fairchild Fitzsimmons responded at once that night, to the perfect response to the perfect challenge, when the poised and polished Sam quite perfectly answered, "Why, the kiss which lasts a lifetime."
(c) 2009 ~ Author Absolutely*Kate
Past the Hemingway and Faulkner of Max Perkins' Scribner publishing days, F. Scott Fitzgerald, the beautiful and damned literary hero of Absolutely*Kate's writing days, would have given a Jazz Age swerve, his way, AT THE BIJOU. Absolutely*Kate's style is similar, believing in believers and that the world shall e'er be better with more moxie. You can find plenty of both AT THE BIJOU, her tantalizing showcase for writers' raves becoming readers' faves.
~ Absolutely*Kate is presently raising the mains'l of Harbinger*33, heralding more greatness to be of 33 authors, 3 artists and 3 authenticators in their published-promotable destiny. The Captain creatively knows where both the rum and the pirates are and makes guest appearances aboard some of the crew's now prolific fleet of writers' sites. She's set her tiller hand to writing, writers and e'er new literary horizons ~ for discovery, for adventure. Four books are underway, but not til Harbinger*33 reaches the glory of readers' sees.
