As she stumbled through what felt to be a doorway, the stench of joop cologne lingered in the air. Through her blurred peripheral, she notices a tall, brooding shadow, just feet away from her. In her panic, she trips over a box, and lands on a futon. As she desperately tries to catch her breath but to not breathe too loud, thoughts of survival or lack there of swarm through her head.
She was exquisite. Even if I was the only one who saw her that way.
Her skin reminded of peaches. Soft and red, like a newly born baby. A Mona Lisa smile was permanently kept on her face. Her honeyed, petite lips were consistently curved into a mysterious expression. She reminded of me of character inside of Nancy Drew novel.
Her eyes consumed me. Blue like the Icarian Sea, with specks of yellow like sunlight dancing on the water. Her eyelashes only made the diamond shape of her eyes more prominent. With eyelashes so dark and thick, you could hold all your love on top of it.
Her face held the shape of a heart, like a reflection of the kind of soul she held. Her freckles were like constellations along her face. Perfectly placed by God like paint on canvas. They surrounded her nose. So small and delicate, you almost felt an urge to touch it. A nose so elegant it reminded you of Kensington Palace.
The hair that framed her beauty was black like the darkness of the night, almost daring you to come inside. Allowing you to be consumed by the shadows of it blowing in the wind.
She may not have been beautiful to others, but to me she was perfect.
Sibyl Randolph
ENW 302
Prof. Walia
Assignment: The tea kettle that whistled….
The aroma of good cooking hit Della as soon as the elevator opened on the ninth floor. She was looking forward to the meal more than the family night gathering, but obligation forced her to be there. As usual, she was late, but she happily greeted her big brother Eddie, her sister Trisha and her parents Mary and Eddie, Sr. After her usual greetings she put her contribution to the meal on the oven and joined the family around the dining table. Eddie and her father were at one end of the table watching the baseball game on the TV atop a tv stand that also served as a mini bar which held some Johnnie Walker, gin, rum and wine along with the bar ware appropriate for scotch on the rocks or a gin and tonic. Eddie and Eddie, Sr. were enjoying the game and talking trash.
‘Mom where are the tea bags?’ There is some in the cabinet on the left next to the sugar and coffee. I bought you the kind you like when your stomach needs soothing.’ Della hated when her mother pointed out how nervous she gets sometimes, especially when she was around family. Thankfully, the tea kettle whistled and she was distracted from her annoyance with her mother and busied herself with getting some lemon and honey to make a calming cup tea.
Her face looked confident and unsure at the same time. It seemed like her smile was saying “Come talk to me, I’m friendly… but don’t stay too long, I’ve got things to do.” Her eyes were the kind of blue that looks like droplets of water just landed on her face; clear and teary. The cracks on her thin lips, and the imminent crow’s feet wiggling their toes from the corner of her eyes, made her look like she knew something I didn’t. Her nose sat quietly on her face, the kind of nose so perfectly shaped it goes unnoticed. Light freckles dotted her skin, like the chia seeds she probably sprinkled all over the avocado toast she had for breakfast. There were no wrinkles on her face, but the slight striations spreading across her features created grooves over the light brown spots with no apparent regard for their place on her face. From afar, her hair just looked blonde. But if you looked closely, you would see a palette of gold and brown strands perfectly framing her round face. Calmly strumming each other, taking turns to feel the caress of the wind. The fingers resting on her neck caressed the lumpy stress that comes with a long day at work, but the almost imperceptible tilt of her mouth whispered “I’m going to be ok”.
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