Short Story Fiction: Darling, Be Gentle On My Curves

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“Tiny spaces and small handbags make you look big. Now that’s the first tip to keep in mind. Make sure you are always photographed or spotted in an open space. Oh well, at this moment, there is no much control over that, I guess, not an inch of space here to breath in air full lung capacity. Hmmmm, a casket measuring 84 inches tall and 28 inches wide is not exactly a place to be having these thoughts I suppose… And who knows, that cowlick must be making my grays more pronounced as usual.

Diane, Tammy, Donna and Lori – They must all be here by now. Well, what do I have to worry about, I was the one who held myself in pristine condition all my adolescent life, and I had carried these principles in life. As they would tease me, ‘Au naturel’. Yeah, every bit of me. You know, I did not want to be a statistic on how women use about 100 chemicals a day on average for their upkeep.

I have always been a girly girl. My brothers ate and ate, but I stopped eating at 12. All her life, my mother credited her cookie jar curfew for my beach ready thighs.

Linda, my best girlfriend, had once given me a tip, a face full of fat means less wrinkles. That is why you had never seen me on those crazy diets that all my friends would hop on and off into. Of course, through the years I have managed to keep my obsession with the (weighing) scale a big fat secret. Not so much, those pecan toppings on my chocolate fudge ice cream.

Then there were those times. a small fancy for a haircut, a change in the appearance, glam makeover, yada yada yada. The result – a painful set of hideous bangs that would last a full year before I could tuck them both behind my ears. And imagine living with the horror of being photographed for 365 days. And even more embarrassing, when the photos surface at the homes of long-lost cousins. Ha ha ha. After all, how many times, have I not seen the reality shows, when grumpy, tired looking moms are kidnapped in malls by TV crews calling it a style intervention and just in 30 minutes, well of course, I am not talking about time trailing next generation camera work, transform them into hot mammas, that the husbands can’t keep their eyes off and are drooling over them in the one minute of camera time they get, faking speechlessness and disbelief. Ahhhh, the young and restless, these days, I tell ya.

It’s amazing how Charlie remembers my favorite color, I just had no idea, he would be able to fix me up in my best dress and also so apt for the occasion. He is looking good today, he switches back and forth between a goatee and going totally hair free on his face, but I like him anyhow. He seems to have lost weight, talk about a diet fad for men. Or did I not notice him these past few days??

Life has come a full circle and I should not be worried – I have aged gracefully. And I really need to look at the bright side to all this, no more plucking eyebrow and chin hair. And Good bye muffin tops and smart phone carrying spurious photographers.

OK, OK now Rose, find your inner peace, it’s show time!”

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Charles, walked towards the podium with the help of a stick and his two great granddaughters. He held his breath for a moment, but let his tears flow through easily.

“In life and endearment, Rosemary was a prevailing source of energy for all who knew her. Today as she rests in this casket, speechless, her words actually still manage to deafen me. Like the one she spelled out for me on a paper napkin in Boston, one cold evening. The year was 1953, and she was at the bar with a few of her girlfriends. Prodded by my friends, I approached her and asked her if she cared for a dance.

Later she would spell out her name, C-A-L-L-M-E, while giving her home number. That was how she made sure I never thought of another woman in my life. She was just magnanimous with her tenderness, as she was insolently funny. She never had any insecurities or weaknesses that overshadowed her authoritative upbringing of our five boys. She made sure she encouraged our children and her loved ones to nurture an amazing sense of self-worth. She lived by what she believed in “Treating others well, it turns out, is the fastest path to a healthy self-esteem.”

For that she is the bravest, kindest and toughest woman I ever knew in my life. To the love of my life, my life partner of 59 years and in memory now on, this is for you Rose,

Waiting to meet you on the other side.

Your Charlie.”

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For every man and woman, let’s just give ourselves a break and teach the younger generation that its OK to live with a few physical imperfections. Let’s be gentle on our curves (and others’ too). The practice of Preemptive love, is it?

Picture Credit: Of course, Lee Jeffries doesn’t need an introduction in the area of human rights and homelessness. But I would like to credit him for his amazing portrait to show long-lasting love even among the dirt poor. As with the usage of any media on this site, if you don’t appreciate the “free visibility” aspect of this reproduction, it’s just a matter of asking me to remove the content and I would respectfully oblige.

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NOTE: SHORT STORY Originally Written On: May 4, 2012

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On Life, Love And Desires In Fiction

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