Disclaimer: The characters of the Stephanie Plum series belong to Janet Evanovich and are used here without permission. No copyright infringement is intended.
Challenge: Perfectly Plum Wednesday challenge for 24 October 2007 – from Tricia
Rating: Suitable for all ages
Feedback: Email TT

Everyday Romance
By TT

“Men!” I shouted.

Really, would it kill either of them to do something romantic once in a while? Maybe not flowers, but they could do something. Candy! Something! A girl needs some romance in her life and I knew just what I was going to do to get it!

To put my plan into action, though, I needed to get to the mall. I needed the perfect dress.

Since I was going to change my life, I decided to change my shopping ground. Bypassing Macy’s I headed toward the smaller shops.

It didn’t take me long to find a number of dresses that would suit my needs. Taking a few of them back with me, I stripped down to my underwear and slid the first dress over my head.

As I was checking out the fit, the conversation in the next stall caught my attention. It was obviously a mother and daughter.

“I don’t think I’m being unreasonable, Mom,” the daughter said. “I just want a little romance, a little something special. I want him to show me how much he loves me, how much I mean to him.”

“Ethan is romantic, dear,” the mother protested.

“Mom. For our anniversary, he got my car detailed and cleaned under the stove and refrigerator. That’s hardly a romantic gesture.”

“Actually, that is very romantic,” the mother protested. Her voice held a hint of warmth.

“Huh?” the daughter asked.

That was what I wanted to ask too. What was that mother talking about? Cleaning under the appliances and detailing a car were romantic?

Stephanie heard a deep sigh and moved closer to the door of her dressing room to hear more.

“You’re old enough to realize that men don’t always think the way we do about things. They don’t necessarily think in terms of romance like we do. To them, the most important thing is taking care of us, of our needs. Let me ask you, when was the last time you cleaned under the appliances?”

“About six months ago.”

“Do you remember what you told him about it, what happened?”

Several moments of silence ensued. “I remember complaining that I was too sore to do much of anything. That moving those appliances was a real pain.”

“And six months later, he remembered that and did a job you didn’t enjoy and struggled with so you wouldn’t have to do it. It’s not flowers or candy, candle lit dinners or dancing, but he did it for you, to help you, to make life easier and more comfortable for you. He did the heavy lifting and moving just so you wouldn’t have to feel that discomfort.”

Stephanie leaned against the wall of the changing room as she thought over the words the mother had said.

Looked at in that light, she had a lot of romance in her life. There were all sorts of little things that both Ranger and Joe did for her regularly.

Ranger would make sure she always had bullets for her gun. In fact, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d had to buy them – a task she hated. He always made sure she always had a car or a ride when she needed one. How many times had she been scared and he had brought her a sense of peace and security?

Joe always took her statements when something happened. He always knew which questions to ask and which to avoid. He was always there for her when she needed somewhere to stay. And he had taken Bob without much fuss because he knew it was important to her.

Looked at in that light, the two men in her life were constantly making loving, romantic gestures.

Pushing off of the wall, she stripped off the dress and put it back on the hanger.

“Flowers are overrated anyway,” the daughter said from the stall next to hers.

Stephanie found she couldn’t agree more.

Her plan discarded, she began plotting something new. She was going to show both of the men in her life how much she loved and appreciated them.

End.

Return to TT's Main Page
Email TT