Donnie was intrigued and a little bit scared too. Mike had said that he had a surprise for her. That was all that he had said. The very thought of his surprises made her smile. One time he had managed to set off the fire alarm as he almost burned their kitchen down, trying to bake a chocolate cake. But Mike didn’t give up easily although cooking never seemed to agree with him. The highlights of the dinner he had cooked in honour of their recent anniversary included raw steaks and overcooked rice among many other indistinguishable dishes that were charred beyond recognition.
“But bless his heart for at least making an effort”, Donnie thought to herself.
“What’s it this time, Mike? Will I be needing any protective equipment for this surprise?”, teased Donnie.
“No, Donnie. Absolutely not. Give me some credit! If you must know, I’m sure that nothing will go wrong this time. You are going to be so proud of me.”, Mike quipped, his chest swelling with pride.
“Alright, Your Mighty Highness. Lead the way. I can’t wait to see what you were up to.”, said Donnie who was struggling to keep a straight face.
And together they set off towards the main street, which also happened to be where their own coffee shop was located.
“Mike, has this got something to do with our shop?”
“You’ll know soon enough. See for yourself. Tada!”, Mike half-exclaimed, half-screamed as they turned into the street where their coffee shop stood.
“I finally managed to get the refurbishments done, Donnie. A brand-new coat of paint, wooden flooring, the works. I believe that Shabby Chic will be best suited to describe our shop now! And of course, brand-new glass sheets. Now all that’s left for you to do is to pick out a brand-new sign.”, Mike rattled off his achievements proudly.
“But Mike, the glass sheets! They..”, Donnie fumbled for words.
“Ah, yes. They are just brilliant. Aren’t they? And they were on sale! I have managed to save us a lot of money.”, Mike beamed with pride.
Donnie was lost for words. She just stood gazing at the shop for a while, mouth agape like a fish. Mike’s heart was in the right place but the moment he heard about an item being on sale, common sense tended to abandon him. All the glass sheets were covered with a thick film of newspapers! How were her customers going to see her beautiful pastries now?
This story was written in response to the following prompts – Fandango’s Flash Fiction Challenge #67 and Di’s Three Things Challenge #247. Fandango’s Flash Fiction Challenge #67 is to write a flash fiction piece or a poem inspired by the given photo prompt. Di’s challenge is to use some or all of the three words of her choice in our post. The three words for today are Raw, Film, and Sign. I have used all three of them in my story. Thanks to Fandango and Di for hosting these challenges. Click on the links to know more about these challenges and to read the entries by my fellow bloggers.
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© 2020 Shweta Suresh. All rights reserved.
Cute story. It made me smile and remember a disastrous breakfast in bed my brother and I made for Mom when we were young. The toast was burnt, the cereal was soggy, and the coffee was cold. Mom smiled and ate it all. Years later she loved to tell the story and it made her smile. – David
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Thank you so much. I’m glad that it brought back fond memories for you. Though the toast was burnt, the cereal was soggy and the coffee was cold, it was a sweet thing to do. Mothers are the best. Thanks for sharing. 😊
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Excellent! I love how you ended this piece. Nice cliff hanger. Leaves me wanting to know what happens next.
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Haha. I’m happy to know that you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading 😄
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Awwww lovely ending!!! Well done Shweta as always!!!
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Thank you so much, dear. I’m so happy to hear that ❤️
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Nicely written Shweta!
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Thank you so much, sir. I’m so happy to hear that ❤️
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It is a very interesting story. Lots of prompts rolled into one. Well done Shweta.
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I’m following in your footsteps, Sadje. Thank you so much 💕
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Great going. You’re welcome 😉
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♥️🤗
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Congratulations! I have nominated you for the Vincent Ehindero Blogger Award! Check out my blog for more details. I look forward to reading your responses to my questions upon acceptance of the award! ❤️
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Thank you so much, Alexis. I’m so happy and honoured.
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My pleasure! ❤️
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♥️🤗
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Superb story!
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Thank you, Harsh!
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Wow a great story, very interesting, Shweta and yes the ending was very nice. Can’t wait for more.
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Thank you so much, Kamalji. I’m so happy to hear that.
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You are welcome dear Shweta.
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♥️🤗
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♥️♥️♥️♥️
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Wonderful tale and how u combined all three was amazing sale and pastries now I wanna eat a pastry after reading this😂😂💖💖
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Thank you so much, Arshnoor. I’m so happy to hear that. I’m craving for a pastry too. ♥️🤗
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Excellent tale Shweta! Thanks for the inclusion
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Thank you so much, Di. Thank you for the prompts.
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Lovely story! The ending is so sweet.☺️
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I’m so happy to hear that. Thank you so much, Nandika. ♥️🤗
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Hey, I’ve nominated you for the 10 Favourite Feelings Tag and would love it if you would participate- if not however I totally understand! https://lifesfinewhine.com/2020/05/27/10-of-my-favourite-feelings-tag/
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Thank you so much, Pooja. I’m so honoured. ♥️🤗
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You’re totally welcome!
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♥️🤗
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Poor Mike. His heart was in the right place, anyway. Good tale.
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Indeed. His heart was in the right place. Thank you so much, Fandango and thanks for the prompt.
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What a beautiful tale. Loved the details about his preparations and what an ending.. amazing.👏
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Yay! I’m glad you liked it. Thank you so much, Richa. ♥️😊
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Loved it, check blog about kidliophile magazine in my feed, they publish short stories as well.
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Amazing story and I lobe your blog!
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Thank you so much, Phoenix! I’m so happy to hear that. ♥️🤗
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Your welcome 😊
And I just realised I wrote Lobe, it was supposed to be love.
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It happens. I had guessed so. Autocorrect can be a pain at times.
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Yeahhhhh!
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why o why, I wonder? why did this pure heart couldn’t see the obvious flaw… But it happens. I am sure they will figure out the solution.
Interesting take on the prompt Shweta.
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Haha. He got carried away. Yes, it happens. Thank you so much for reading, Anagha. I’m glad you liked it. ♥️
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I’m following in your footsteps,Sadje. Thank you so much ♥️
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Hey nice story.. Please read my latest story. The Makeup Artist https://koshamajmundar.wordpress.com/2020/05/24/the-makeup-artist/
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Thank you so much for reading. I’ll definitely drop by later. 🙂
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Love is dressed in imperfections. Mike’s effort surely counts but hopefully Donnie knows it anyway that a surprise would accompany lots of work. For her!!!
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Indeed. Haha. They’re an old married couple. So they know each other very well.
P.S: I’ve written about them before in another tiny tale.
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great story👏👏
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Thank you so much 😃
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You’re welcome 😁
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♥️🤗
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