Hello Friends
This month for the first WEP prompt of 2022, I decided to refurbish an old tale that I had written last year. I hope you enjoy it. If you wish to join WEP for lovely pieces of flash fiction every alternate month, visit here. Thanks to @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee, @LGKeltner @jemifraser, for the February challenge.
I’ve gone a little overboard with the word count (1102). Do bear with me. The theme for the month is, All You Need is Love
WILD FLOWERS IN THE WOODS
More than four decades ago, in an army cantonment far away from the city, a young Captain and his new bride sat watching ‘The Little Tramp’ in action. As the Captain rolled over laughing, his wife looked at the wall clock. Half past eleven.
‘Another thirty minutes,’ she mused. She couldn’t wait to watch him spring out of bed and pull out a bunch of roses from under the couch or a bar or two of her favourite chocolate from beneath the pillow. She slid her hand under the satin covers to see if there was anything, but then withdrew it immediately because she did not wish to spoil the fun.
The credits rolled on the screen. She looked at the clock once more. Ten minutes to go. She couldn’t stop marveling at her husband’s perfect plan. Sitting late on pretext of a movie, he was leading them to a midnight birthday bash. She was lost in her thoughts when he leaned forward and gave her a peck on the cheek. ‘Good night darling,’ he said and then turning over to his side of the bed, switched off the lamp. It took a moment or two for reality to sink in. But she instantly waved it off.
She loved surprises but wasn’t a fan of horror. She hoped he wasn’t planning a ghostly celebration. Glittery red roses flying towards her in the dark! Or, did he have romance on his mind? How she wished those ten minutes away. But the night had come to a grinding halt and her husband continued to lie on bed, still, oblivious of his anticipating wife…and…snoring. Had he forgotten her birthday after barely a few months of their wedding? No! It couldn’t be. He’d mentioned it just the day before. She lay thinking, before sleep stole her.
Next morning, as rays of the sun tiptoed through the silk drapes, she opened her eyes to see the dashing Captain in a green camouflage, standing next to her bed holding a cup of tea.
‘Good morning darling,’ he said, placing the cup on the nightstand. She smiled, waiting for him to pull out a surprise from his pocket or from behind his back. Instead, he bent forward and placing his moist lips on hers, whispered into her ear, ‘Happy Birthday, my love!’
‘Thankyou!’ she replied. The Captain then stood up, giving his lady-love a distinguished military salute and marched out. She sat there, wondering if the whole thing was a contrived effort to shield something bigger that had perhaps been stashed away for the latter part of the day.
She spent the morning cooking some birthday-worthy cuisines, and getting the house ready for a celebration. She pulled out a lovely floral dress from her trousseau and pearls to go with it. A gentle touch of rouge on the cheeks gave her the perfect shade fit for a bashful birthday girl. Flowers from her mini garden found their way into a China vase and batter for a tiny cake (to watch calories), went into the oven.
As birds began to fly home and the evening sun cast its long shadow into the living room, her eyes rested on the gate, waiting for her lover to walk in, sanguine that a most glorious evening awaited her. He did, rushing in at the speed of light and melting her away in a titanic hug.
‘I love you!’ he said. ‘Ah! The birthday girl looks beautiful. What a lucky man I am!’ She fluttered her eyes and smiled in response.
Releasing her, the Captain walked into the house, empty-handed, welcomed by the ambrosial scent of the cake wafting from the oven. On the other hand, she stood at the door, her mouth agape and her eyes a pool of water.
‘Aaahhhh… I’m famished,’ he said, drawing into his nostrils the fragrant smell and turning around to look at his wife. But what was it that he saw? His little birdie whom he loved most dearly was standing with tears flowing down her orbs, smearing the mascara on her long eyelashes. Her cheeks were blotchy and redder than before.
He took a moment and then with lines of worry cast on his forehead, walked back to her. ‘What is it, my love?’ he asked, holding her hands and pulling her gently towards him. She pushed him back, rushing to her room and burying her head in the pillow. He ran right behind her, shocked by the sudden turn of events.
‘Please speak to me darling. What is it that makes you weep?’
She sat up, looking at him with her bloodshot eyes. She wasn’t sure if she should spell it out but he was supposed to know, wasn’t he?
‘My love, I can’t bear to see you like this. Please speak up,’ he implored.
‘When I was with mamma-papa, what splendid celebrations we had on my birthday each year. It’s just…that… I’m missing them.’ She wanted to say more, but something held her back.
He stood there, frozen. He hadn’t thought of it at all. He loved her but that’s how it had always been at the military school. Birthdays meant wishes. That’s all.
He bit his lower lip and then said, ‘Give me a moment.’ The next minute he was out of the room and all she heard was the sound of the engine revving up. She ran out, only to see him speed away in his scooter. Where had he gone? The city was more than an hour away. She sat down on the stairs outside the door, her chin cupped in her hands. She was parched but wouldn’t go inside, not until he returned.
As night descended, she secretly cursed herself for sending him away. It must have been around nine when she caught sight of a bunch of balloons at a distance. The rumbling Bajaj Chetak then appeared outside the gate and the Captain alighted from it. In his hands he carried boxes and roses, balloons and party hats.
No prizes for guessing what transpired in the young couple’s home that evening. But what’s of more significance is how birthdays panned out for them in the next four decades. Well, the husband didn’t quite learn his lesson and years only added to his forgetfulness. As for the wife, the glimpse of their forthcoming life on that eventful day taught her precisely how she was to have her way with the man.
And that is how love blossomed for years, in the midst of unharmonious music and brush strokes gone wrong. For isn’t it the wild flowers that make the woods beautiful?
This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva andNoor Anand Chawla in collaboration with RRE Studios.’
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A Hundred Quills 
Very sweet… I’m glad love found a way for them to be happy!
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Thank you for sharing this post with me Sonia. Loved it.
And ‘wildflowers make the words beautiful’ indeed.
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Thank you Arti💐
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Relationships are complicated, sometimes we need to tell the other person what we expect from them.
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True
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beautifully written! loved it
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Thank you Vidhya
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Wonnderfully written and so so related
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Thanks Manasi💐
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Lovely story. Loved your writing style. After marriage this seems like a normal things. At least he remembered her birthday.
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Thank you Abha. Oh yes!
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Thanks Abha💐💐
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This is such a beautiful story and of course it has reality, all birthdays can’t be like a princes birthday in fact most of the birthdays were simple with a flower or may be nothing but, love blossomed for sure 🙂
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Totally. Thank you.
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Oh yes. Thank you.
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I am happy after ready your wonderful story. You have written it nicely which glued your reader till the end.
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Thank you Bhawna.
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The style of writing is so wonderful. Such a sweet story. Loved reading it.
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Another masterpiece from the quill! Love reading your work and look forward to your pieces every week!
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You are an excellent writer. So sweet, simple and beautiful.
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Such a sweet story, Sonia. And I loved how you kept it real. Unharmonious music and brush strokes gone wrong. Perfect is boring.
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A lovely story that didn’t feel like 1000+ words to read. And a completely relatable one to many Indian women who don’t know their partners well before they get married. The fact that he went out to make it special for her, by understanding her needs is indeed heartwarming. Love is not defined by gifts and parties but by true care and concern.
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What a lovely story. This is what happens in most households. I love the way this is penned
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Haha! The story reminded me of my first birthday after marriage. My husband and I were dating for many years before marriage so he knew that my birthday was celebrated with pomp at my makai but even then my first birthday he got busy with work and did not even have time to cut a cake for me. I cried so much. Finally we went to dominoes for dinner and now after 7 years he knows aur kuch ho na ho cake toh hona chahiye. 😀😀
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I am still smiling! How similar are things. Yes they need to be reminded time and again. But wonderfully written. sweet one
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It is, of course, a beautiful story, as so many people have already told you. But for me, what stands out is how beautifully well-written it is. Your choice of words, the brevity, the fluidity, and yet how you’ve retained the essence of the story make the story so beautiful and touching.
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Such a sweet story. I really enjoy reading your stories. Husbands forget important things. Sometimes you just have to remind them again and again.
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Lucky are the women who have husbands going the whole nine yards to make their days special. Sigh, most of us dont belong to that category and guess it’s ok. Spell it out if need be. Why brace yourself for disappointment? Beautiful story!
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Beautifully woven with all the emotions right in place. A woman’s disappointment along with her clueless husband, is expressed visually in words.
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Very beautifully expressed and written
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Nice1 felt my heart echo something similar.
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I felt you are telling my story, not the same but very similar. Expect less your will be less hurt. Life lesson..beautifully penned.
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If I desire a present, I order it. He can’t manage if the grocery store doesn’t carry it. He’s – a man, what did I expect!????? LOL
Beautifully done!
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a birthday in the life of many women… 🤭. But soooo beautifully written. Loved it totally!
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This is such a sweet story and I loved the writing style, harkened back to the storybook like Enid Blyton way of storytelling. Such a cute message as well
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After living with my hubby for almost 25 years, I have realised that men are wired so differently from women, that such things like birthday celebrations etc won’t even cross their minds, unless we mention it, explicitly.
Lovely story, Sonia!
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Such a touching story, Sonia. Sometimes I wonder why men are given more importance than women. Most men do not remember important days, they cannot multiitask. They are tired after a days work while women come from work and enter the kitchen
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Good use of the prompt. Sounds like an unique relationship.
Hope you’re having a great day! My latest blog post has my theme for the April #AtoZChallenge (I’m writing speculative fiction and looking for prompts).
At Operation Awesome we have the #PassOrPages query contest going on (friends or enemies to lovers Romance).
Looks like I’ll be very busy the next few weeks!
March quote: “Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.” – Mark Twain
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Great story and hopefully he won’t forget her birthday again.
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Lovely story about marriage. And love.
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High expectations often lead to disappointment. Marriage is an ongoing challenge, that’s for sure. It was heartening to read this couple was able to make adjustments and flourish. 🙂
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Hi Sonia – they were in love …and love will overcome – she seems to have worked him out, and he now knows he needs to be aware … clever take – a delight to read – cheers Hilary
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Indeed the wildflowers are the ones that make the woods. A very charming flash with a serious message. Marriage is not a bed of roses or a party. Well done!
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Marriage takes effort, and it takes time to learn how to make the other happy. I’m glad that they communicated and he did what he could to bring her joy on her special day.
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A charming story.
This is a reminder that marriage is an ongoing challenge – it’s all about negotiation, listening to each other and trying to understand your partner. It’s a give and take.
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Such a delightful story 🙂
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A well told tale of a marriage and negotiating differing expectations.
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I think the wife is very wise in the way she related her upset, using the story of birthday celebrations with her mamma-papa. I love it, especially the ending – “And that is how love blossomed for years, in the midst of unharmonious music and brush strokes gone wrong. For isn’t it the wild flowers that make the woods beautiful?” Yes, beautiful.
You said FCA. I’d just mention a little POV intrusion when you tell us what the husband is thinking. It’s written in her POV, so you need to show us, not tell us as we’re not privy to her thoughts.
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Charming. Although truth to tell, I stopped celebrating my birthdays long ago. Years are piling up, and the numbers feel more like a burden now, heavier with each additional year, than a cause for celebration.
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I enjoyed your story! Woe betide the man who forgets his wife’s birthday . . .
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The wild flowers are indeed beautiful!
I liked the glimpses of 2 different backgrounds, 2 different people – yet learning to blend and love. Well done!
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Hi,
I am laughing. Your submission is humorous and very engaging. I especially like how you tied in her knowing how to handle him for future events. She will be manipulating him over the coming years.
The story was light, encouraging, and I enjoyed reading it.
Shalom aleichem
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