dream away; you're my sweet charade

Aug 03, 2010 10:29


Title: dream away; you're my sweet charade
Characters: Lilly, Rufus, Bart
Rating/Word Count: PG/549
One Word Excerpt: Our kids will be beautiful, she jokes. It's easy to fall in love.




Beautiful girl meets boy from the wrong side of the tracks.

Lilly giggles; too perfect.

Once upon a time:

Eyes meet across the dance floor. Blue clashes against brown. Our kids will be beautiful, she jokes.

He nods instead of laughing. It’s easy to fall in love.

Picture:

A perfect afternoon.

She makes a picnic but it’s inedible so they get Chinese take-out instead. He doesn’t know how to use chopsticks so she teaches him; it’s very important to be politically correct.

They giggle as he drops orange chicken into his soda.

Your pictures are beautiful, you’re worth more than your money, I’ll never abandon you like your Daddy; Rufus whispers all the right things. She swoons, falls limp against his chest.

It’s like a bad joke: What do you get when you take one cliché and mix it with another?

What?

A real girl.

(Cue laughter.)

He sings her name, over and over again.

Lilly, Lilly, Lilly, Lilly. High, low, fast, slow, soft, loud, hard, smooth; Lilly.

She giggles. Without opening her eyes she kisses him on his neck; wonders: is this a severe case of writers block?

He shakes his head; sings into her mouth: Lilly, Lilly, Lilly

Never again will her name sound so beautiful.

Dorothy takes her Tin Man, Cowardly Lion, and Scarecrow to meet the Wizard.

His hand is clammy in hers so she holds it tighter. Knuckles rap against the hard door; once, twice, and again. She inserts another warning before the doors open. Caution. My mother. Dangerous. Radioactive. Beware.

Hello Darling.

But there’s not enough heart, not enough brains, not enough courage. The Wizard really is a wizard and the Wicked Witch of the Upper East Side destroys them. Lilly clicks her Manolo Blahniks over and over again but nothing happens. Maybe if Dorothy was really from Kansas.

The Wicked Witch laughs as they fall apart.

Oh dear, even you can do so much better.

Everything builds towards this one perfect climax: “I don’t care what my parents say. I can’t live without you.” Hands clasped tightly together; a promise: no one else.

Lilly smiles; she means it (except: Keith, Klaus, Claus, Martin, Bart.)

She’s late. One day, two days, three days, until her whole calendar is marked with red x’s. Carol buys her a pregnancy test and waits outside the door.

What does it say?

Wait.

One minute, two minutes, three minutes until she can barely stand it.

Oh.

Rufus and baby make three.

The picture is not as lovely as she thought.

It’s every teen cliché in the book.

She doesn’t tell him: I’m pregnant. You’re going to be a father. I love you.

Instead, she tells him: I’m sorry. I can’t. My family is too important.

She watches his face crumple; sees tears spring to his eyes; thinks about how funny a grown man crying is. Then she turns and walks away.

She tells him:

Maybe you can write a song about it.

Bart holds her hand on the dance floor.

He doesn’t ask: forget him, love only me, let’s live happily ever after.

Instead, he says: come away with me, we can try again, let’s move on together.

Beautiful girl meets boy from the wrong side of the tracks.

Lilly grimaces; too perfect.

:slimybunny, challenge 003

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