CHALLENGE#28 for the week of 07-29-01

TRIO CHALLENGE: a linen towel, a bear, red ribbon

QUOTE 1: "You are always new. The last of your kisses was ever the sweetest." John Keats,

QUOTE 2: "More knave than fool." Don Quixote.

QUOTE 3: "All my life I wanted to be somebody. Now I see that I should have been more specific." -- Jane Wagner (via Lily Tomlin)

WORDS: pecuniary, verbigeration, theophany

AUTHORS: Cecilia, Jo, Maril

By Cecilia
ccadams@optonline.net

Disclaimers: Not mine, Fireworks owns them.
Rating: G
Feedback: Please and beta, too!
TRIO CHALLENGE 28: a linen towel, a bear, red ribbon

~~~~~

The broom moved across the floor raising little clouds of dust. Marta sneezed violently. She and Tessa had not visited the small attic since their return to California after a quick glance showed that it was empty. Now they wanted to store some furniture in the attic. Marta insisted they give it a thorough cleaning before they moved anything.

Tessa cast a concerned glance at her friend. "Bless you again, Marta. I guess we should have tackled cleaning this place up earlier. Do you need me to sweep for a bit?"

"No," Marta answered. "A little dust won't hurt me, although I may sneeze a few more times before we're finished. You finish cleaning the windows, we need all the light we can get."

As Marta moved to a new section of floor, she hit the broom against the wall. A small panel near the floor was knocked askew. She moved to replace it and noticed a bundle behind it. "Tessa, come and look at this. There is something behind the wall here."

Tessa hurried over. She saw the open panel. "My secret treasure spot!" she exclaimed. "I'd forgotten all about it. This is where I would put my special treasures to keep them safe." She laughed. "It must have worked because here they are, they were even safe from me."

Tessa pulled the bundle from the wall, ignoring the clouds of dust accompanying it. "I put this here before I left for Spain, not long after my mother died. I don't even remember what's in it."

"Why don't I get us some lemonade and you can open it over by the window," Marta suggested. She thought Tessa might want some privacy as she viewed her "treasures."

"No, stay with me." Tessa grabbed her friend's hand and smiled. "We'll open it together."

They moved over near the window and Tessa began to unroll the small bundle. Inside was a small doll, a bracelet, a ribbon and a folded piece of cloth.

Tessa reached for the doll. "Bella," she cried as she held it close. "This is my Isabella," she told Marta. "I would treat her just like my very own baby."

Marta looked at the bracelet. It was a thin band of gold with a delicate design engraved around the outside. "This is beautiful, Tessa."

"Mama gave it to me. Her mother gave it to her when she was a girl. It was too big to fit me then, so I put it here to keep it safe."

Marta smiled at her. "I think it will fit you now," she said. She reached over and slid the bangle over Tessa's wrist. "There, perfect."

Tessa admired the bracelet on her wrist for a moment, turning it so the sun caught it and made sparkles on the wall. Then she turned her attention back to the bundle. She reached for the ribbon. She ran the satin length through her fingers. When she spoke, her voice was very soft. "This ribbon was for the trim on a blouse Mama was making. She had it sent from Spain. I had never seen such a beautiful brilliant red. When she saw how much I liked it, she decided not to use it all. She set some aside and promised to make me a blouse just like hers. She never got the chance. When she died, I took it from her things and hid it away." She held the ribbon to her face, lost in her memories.

Marta ached at the pain in Tessa's eyes. She knew her young friend still grieved for the loss of her mother. Marta turned her attention to the lone item remaining in the bundle. She carefully unfolded the cloth. It was a white linen towel decorated with unskilled embroidery. A brown creature of indeterminate nature graced the top. Underneath, in red, were the letters of the alphabet, a little wobbly - but clearly recognizable. At the bottom of the alphabet, blue letters an inch high spelled out "MARIA THERESA ALVERADO," then in smaller letters, "age 7."

Marta smiled down at the cloth. "Oh, Tessa," she said softly to herself. "How I wish I could have seen you sitting with your mother and working on this."

"As you can see, I never was much good at it. I didn't have enough patience to do a good job. I wanted to be outside playing. It took almost six months to finish that sampler. There were times I swore I'd never pick up a needle again."

Marta raised an eyebrow at her. "So your reluctance to help with the sewing is because of this childhood vow?"

"Most definitely," Tessa said. She struggled to keep a straight face and failed.

"And what is this animal on top," Marta asked, "a bunny?"

Tessa donned an offended look. "Bunny!" she said. "Evidently, you are no connoisseur of animals. That is obviously a bear. As a matter of fact, that is a portrait of Sancho, my favorite stuffed animal. I named him after Don Quixote's squire."

"Obviously," Marta said. "I don't know how I could have missed that. Of course it may be that I have never seen a bear with ears that size before."

"Ssh!" Tessa hissed fiercely. "He's very sensitive about his ears." They both dissolved into a fit of giggles.

When they had recovered, Marta handed the towel to Tessa. "This is precious, Tessa. You must put it someplace safe. One day you can give it to your daughter."

Tessa handed the towel back to her. "No, Marta, I want you to have it. I would have given this to my mother. I don't say this often enough, but you have been a mother to me and so much more. I'm so lucky that I have you." She pulled the older woman into a brief hug.

"Thank you, Tessa," Marta whispered. She pulled away from Tessa, each of them pretending not to notice the moisture in the other's eyes. "Let's go put our treasures safely away so we can get this job finished while we still have some light."

In the privacy of her room, Marta studied the sampler, smiling at Sancho's oversize ears. She had never seen anything more beautiful.

END

By Jo
EnyaJo@aol.com

TRIO: a linen towel, a bear, red ribbon
QUOTE: John Keats, 1795-1821 "You are always new. The last of your kisses was ever the sweetest.
WORD: pecuniary
RATING: PG
DISCLAIMER: Fireworks
FEEDBACK/BETA: Please

~~~~~

Vera sat up in bed and felt a finger lightly trace her spine, sending shivers throughout her body. "Do not make me stay any longer, Marcu," she purred. "I must return home. Gaspar is will arrive this afternoon."

She hurriedly opened the care package that she always brought along to each encounter with her lover. The most important contents, a bar of soap and a linen towel so she could clean traces of one man from her so the other wouldn't be the wiser.

Grisham growled like a bear as he turned over and crawled to the end of the bed. "We can still have a couple more hours."

Vera stepped into her underclothes and motioned for Grisham to tie her corset. She turned her back and stood at the end of the bed as Grisham rose to his knees. He pulled and started to tie, but she said, "Tighter," then sucked in her breath. It wouldn't do if her maid realized that the laces of her corset were significantly looser than they were that morning when she tied them. You had to think of everything while carrying on an affair.

Grisham pulled tighter as he nibbled her neck. She giggled, but told him to concentrate on the task at hand. After he was finished, she stepped into her dress and motioned for him to button it for her as she straightened the front. She had every intention of getting her things and making a hasty exit, but he held onto the red ribbon that encircled her waist. "You're growing tired of me," Grisham said, mockingly.

Vera lightly giggled again, as hard as she could with a tight corset around her torso and grabbed her bag. "Never, Marcu," she said, heading to the door. If she were to stick around his apartment any longer, she would probably not be able to bring herself to leave.

He stopped her and pinned her against the wall. His body leaned against her. Grisham did know where his power lay. He gently kissed her and muttered, dejectedly, "You're not coming back again, aren't you?"

"What gave you that idea?" Vera was stunned by his behavior that morning. All the while they were together, he was acting as if it were for the last time. "Do you need to tell me something?" She hadn't thought that it would be him that would call off their affair. She trembled as she waited for his response.

"Yes," he said simply.

The waiting for the ball to drop seemed an eternity for Vera but he finally said, "I love you, Vera, and I don't want to lose you."

She sighed in relief and said, "Why would you?"

"You always leave so fast. There were other things I wanted to do to you, but you hit the road at your first opportunity. Is it getting old?"

"You are always new," she said, "The last of your kisses was ever the sweetest."

Grisham covered her mouth with his once again, and she was once again conscious of how she could have men eating out of her hand. When Grisham wrapped his arms around her, and she felt his awakening body against hers, she pulled away. He once again groaned, obviously giving in and he would let her leave. If she chose to. Vera was torn between Grisham's quixotic style, that he exhibited only to her, and Gaspar's pecuniary panache. Two men, so different from each other, but together, fulfilled her two main needs in life. Vera dropped her bag and took his hand. Leading him to the bed, she cooed, "I think I have a few more minutes."

END

By Maril
maril.swan@sympatico.ca

Disclaimers: Fireworks owns them, but they are really ours.
Rating: G
Feedback: yes, please
Trio: a linen towel, a bear, red ribbon

~~~~~

May 3, 1803
Today I am eight. I had such a nice birthday. All my cousins were there. Ricardo and Sandro gave me a pretty doll and Elena made a satin pillow for the doll. If only Mama could have been here too.

May 16, 1803
Today Papa left for California. Uncle Alejandro took him to Cadiz where the ship will sail from. I am left here in Madrid with the Gypsy woman, Marta. Though I liked her, now she suddenly seems like a stranger. I am a little afraid of her. Before he left, Papa said I was to mind her and do what she says. The house feels so empty without Papa, and I am already missing him.

May 24, 1803
My new mathematics tutor came today. He is old and smells funny. Marta said I must learn about numbers but I see no reason for it.

May 26, 1803
Marta won't let me go out into the courtyard to play with my dolls until I have finished my mathematics exercises. She corrected my work and made me do it again. I think she is mean.

May 30, 1803
Today I went to a party at a villa a few streets away from ours. I met a new friend named Luisa. She has a brother named Antonio. Marta was pleased that I made a friend. I think Luisa's mother didn't like Marta. She gave her strange looks all afternoon.

June 4, 1803
Papa has been gone for a whole month. I miss him so much. I wish he had taken me with him to California. I hate Spain and this city. There is no place to ride a horse, even if I had one. I miss my horse, Chiquita. She was a lovely pony. I hope she won't forget me.

June 5, 1803
Today I went to visit Luisa. We had a good time. Except for Antonio, Luisa's brother. He is a pest. We both hate him.

June 6, 1803
I am not speaking to Marta ever again. Today I tore my dress climbing a tree in the courtyard. She tried to make me sew it but I will not. She has refused to give me any food until I do. But I won't. That is what servants are for.

Tonight I am so hungry. But I will starve myself to death before I give in. Then she will be sorry.

After I sewed the tear in my dress, Marta gave me a lovely dinner and a special treat. But she made me pull out the stitches and do it again. She said I must learn to do things for myself and not depend on others. Why do we have servants then?

June 26, 1803
Today I received a letter from Papa. It was posted from Santo Domingo. I looked it up on the atlas. So far away. His letter made me cry and Marta gave me a hug and we went out for a walk on the Puerto del Sol. We looked at the shops and vendors, and laughed a lot.

July 3, 1803
I am writing to Papa to tell him how Marta mistreats me. She will be sorry. Today I said a bad word to her. I was angry with her. She took the soap and washed my mouth with it. I can still taste the soap. I hate Marta.

July 5, 1803
Today when I came down to breakfast, there was a strange man in the kitchen with Marta. She said her was her brother, Rafael. Same name as my father. He gave me a carved bear made of wood. Rafael said he carved it for a special señorita. Then he picked me up and swung me around and made me laugh. I like Rafael. It is too bad Marta is not as nice as her brother.

July 8, 1803
My music tutor is a nasty old woman. Today I told her that Marta plays the violin and she did not believe me. She said Gypsies were savages and couldn't learn anything. I will write to Papa and ask if he could find me another music tutor. Señora Rodriquez will not allow Marta in the room while I learn to play the pianoforte. She says she is afraid of the evil eye. I don't know what that is, but I don't think Marta has it.

July 15, 1803
Today I fell and hurt my knee while running away from Antonio. He was trying to pull my hair. Marta cleaned the sore with a linen towel and put something on the hurt that took out the sting. She was almost as nice as Mama was when I hurt myself in California. I miss my Mama so much.

August 2, 1803
Today when I was at Luisa's, Antonio came into her room and pushed over her little table, spilling Luisa's toy teacups. He pushed me down and I got back up and hit him. Luisa's mother was angry at us, but mostly at me. I had made his nose bleed. She told Marta to take me home. Marta scolded me and said some problems could not be solved with fists. But once we were outside and some distance from the house, she started to laugh. She wouldn't say why, but she gave me a big hug, and said I was a brave girl. We took the long way home and she bought me a red ribbon for my hair.

Tonight I will remember Marta in my prayers. I hope my Mama in heaven will forgive me, but I love Marta now too.

END