Violins, Horses, and Party Hats: A Short Story

Love is a Wonderful Thing.

Imagine:

You're out for a night on the town with your girlfriend. After a romantic dinner and soiree at a cozy european eatery, you decide to slip into the pub around the corner to grab her favorite red wine (a soft, medium bodied Merlot with a hint of sweet currant) and two wine glasses; to go. You walk arm in arm on this cold fall night; she's now sporting your dinner jacket over her sexy small black dress. Left with only your dark turtleneck and scarf, you glance down at her rosie cheeks and are content with your temporary discomfort, becuase she is warm.

As you make your way to the park on the outskirts of downtown, you spill over the unique table side entertainment that was experienced at dinner.

How the funny old man and his little violin serenade brought you out of your conversational trance and made you aware of your surroundings. You note with a wisper the irony of the situation, in that, "Aren't these sort of things supposed to be romatic? ". She snickers into her cloth napkin and trys desperatly to 'shush' you.

"Don't make me laugh!", she communicates with her eyes.

As she watches amusingly at the old man, with his grin, swaying back and forth to the melody of his own veranda, you secretly watch her. The candle light casting shadows below her soft cheek bone, outlining her jaw and accenting the the side of her nose. You follow the features of her face, from her beautiful red lips, to her elegant chin, to the cute dimple she only has on her right cheek, and then up to her bright, green eyes. You feel the corner of your lips spread upward as you exhale and take in the atmosphere. This is a good night.

Nearing the park you can still hear the distant buzz of the city, the bright lights now reduced to a soft glow. As you make your way down the cobblestone street, you see a street vendor selling roses at an outrageous price. The old woman catches sight of you and boasts, "A pretty rose for your sweetheart?" You smile and ask your girlfriend if it would be terribly cliche to buy her one, who then replies with a shy nod "no" into your shoulder.