Here is her winning entry:
THE DINNER. By Liver Bird ( aka Katharine J)
This is the story of a dinner party. It had been long-planned by two
women, and it concerned a man and a woman, both of them completely
unaware of the reasons for it, both of them mechanically accepting their
invitations, with little enthusiasm. It might have been of no
consequence, and quickly forgotten. As it was, the outcome was very
important.
This man and woman, then. He, let's call him Tony, was quite
unremarkable. He was far from stupid, gentle and kind, actually, but
very shy. He had been doing the same boring, underpaid job on the same
salary for the last 20 years. He did exactly the same thing every
evening., and at every weekend, too. You see, Tony's idea of being
daring was to choose a pain au chocolat instead of a croissant.
Fortunately, his dog, a boisterous dalmation, brought a bit of trouble
or excitement into his life from time to time.
He was still a bachelor at 45. Well, naturally he was. What could you
expect?
She, let's call her Cassandra, was another matter altogether. A highly
successful business-woman. Glamorous and witty. She had two divorces
under her belt, and both husbands were now bankrupt and having
psychiatric treatment. Cassandra's life was a whirl of activity. Unlike
Tony, for her, every action, every decision, was easy and a pleasure. We
should add that her little dog, carried everywhere in her left arm, was
a super fashion accessory. Appearances can be so deceptive. At 43, she
was completely alone.
Well, naturally she was. What could you expect?
Let's turn to the two women who planned the dinner party. We all know
that, usually, strangely enough, most mothers continue unconditionally
to love their middle-aged children, don't we? Tony and Cassandra each
had one such a mother. It came about that these two mothers, who were
good friends, regularly attending a flower-arranging class, sighing
sympathetically together every Thursday afternoon, began to plan a
dinner party.
Ridiculous and doomed to failure? Well, naturally it was. What could
you expect?
It was Cassandra's mother who sent out the dinner invitations. She
begged her daughter to come, presenting it as being for a few friends.
They had all heard so much about Cassandra, and were longing to meet
her. Of course, her best friend from flower-arranging, would be coming,
and would have to bring her son ( "terribly dull and quiet") but there
would, of course, be "other interesting people for you, my darling, and
I'm SO PROUD of you!"
Tony's mother simply told him to pick her up that particular evening,
as they were invited to a friend's house for dinner. She added that she
would give him back his shirts before they set off. Yes, she had at
last finished ironing them.... it had taken all morning. Well,
naturally, she now had terrible back-ache! What could he expect?
Nobody, in fact, expected much to come from this dinner party.
Certainly, nobody could have anticipated the outcome. It was "love at
first sight".
Cassandra, tired of elegant, confident, successful men, with their hard,
assessing eyes and their glib talk, warmed to this kindly, unassuming
and vulnerable one. Here was someone who needed her, who would value
her, and on whom she could depend. Here lay a possibility of peace.
Tony, of course, was dazzled by this glamorous woman. She seemed so
sure of herself, yet somehow vulnerable, and, amazing though it was,
interested in HIM. He became more and more confident, more and more
charming as the dinner progressed.
The two mothers were amazed, yet perplexed. What on earth had they done?
Here my story ends, but theirs has just begun. What will happen? Who
can say? I must just add that the dogs were not best pleased. His
remained terrified of hers. ( A little bitch can generally scare a dozy
male, of course!) And, after all, what did you expect?
THE END.
646 words. approx.
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