The belts
Here is the excerpt I sent to Jill... but she never received. :(
It occurs in the Toronto 24-Hour Belt Emporium.
And then she saw it. She dropped the belts in her hand, tore off the ugly brown belt that she still wore, and advanced towards it, hands outstretched. It was the belt of her dreams. She moved as if in a trance, slowly advancing on this perfect belt, gleaming on the rack. It was the only white belt in the whole store, and Seth knew in her heart that it had to be hers. She kept her eyes fixed on the belt, as if it might disappear if she let it out of her sight even for a second. Never mind that this section of the store was empty, other than Laura and four or five overzealous employees near the VIP section. Seth was not taking any chances.
Just as her fingers were about to grasp the burnished steel buckle, elegantly simple in its design, she saw another hand reach for the belt. Again, she refused to tear her eyes away from the white belt. She would have it. She gripped the buckle and pulled it off of the rack, at the same time as the other unknown shopped took hold of the wide strap. Seth did not let go. Neither did the other shopper.
Slowly, Seth turned to face her adversary. It was Fernando. Strange as that was, her eyes were drawn back to their two hands, side by side gripping the belt. They each wore a ring of a unique design that Seth had never seen. The rings were a broad band of woven metals, with at least three different colors of gold. On one side, each of the two rings had a word embossed. On Fernie’s, the letters read ‘BROT’ – the German word for bread. On Seth’s, the letters read ‘HERS.’
With her free hand, Seth reached for Fernie’s ring to examine it more closely, but Fernando refused to release the belt. They stared at each other in silence.
“Give me the belt, Seth,” said Fernando, in a firm tone that indicated he did not expect any defiance.
“Uh. I really need it,” said Seth, unsure of what to say since she was so unused to disagreement. Normally, she would have given up the belt immediately. But this belt would look so perfect with her outfit, the turquoise shirt and the white tie setting it off beautifully.
Fernando looked Seth up and down, and nodded, grimly. “I think you are right,” he said, in faintly accented English. “You need it more than I do.” He gestured towards his own perfectly tailored pants, revealing a belt that was braided out of five thin strips of white leather, clasped with a golden buckle that matched the color of his amber hair. But still, Fernando did not release the belt. Seth waited another moment, holding firmly to the accessory in question. Eventually, Fernando loosened his hold on the belt with a sigh. Seth immediately put it on and echoed Fernando’s sigh, but hers was more a sigh of contentment and fulfillment.
It occurs in the Toronto 24-Hour Belt Emporium.
And then she saw it. She dropped the belts in her hand, tore off the ugly brown belt that she still wore, and advanced towards it, hands outstretched. It was the belt of her dreams. She moved as if in a trance, slowly advancing on this perfect belt, gleaming on the rack. It was the only white belt in the whole store, and Seth knew in her heart that it had to be hers. She kept her eyes fixed on the belt, as if it might disappear if she let it out of her sight even for a second. Never mind that this section of the store was empty, other than Laura and four or five overzealous employees near the VIP section. Seth was not taking any chances.
Just as her fingers were about to grasp the burnished steel buckle, elegantly simple in its design, she saw another hand reach for the belt. Again, she refused to tear her eyes away from the white belt. She would have it. She gripped the buckle and pulled it off of the rack, at the same time as the other unknown shopped took hold of the wide strap. Seth did not let go. Neither did the other shopper.
Slowly, Seth turned to face her adversary. It was Fernando. Strange as that was, her eyes were drawn back to their two hands, side by side gripping the belt. They each wore a ring of a unique design that Seth had never seen. The rings were a broad band of woven metals, with at least three different colors of gold. On one side, each of the two rings had a word embossed. On Fernie’s, the letters read ‘BROT’ – the German word for bread. On Seth’s, the letters read ‘HERS.’
With her free hand, Seth reached for Fernie’s ring to examine it more closely, but Fernando refused to release the belt. They stared at each other in silence.
“Give me the belt, Seth,” said Fernando, in a firm tone that indicated he did not expect any defiance.
“Uh. I really need it,” said Seth, unsure of what to say since she was so unused to disagreement. Normally, she would have given up the belt immediately. But this belt would look so perfect with her outfit, the turquoise shirt and the white tie setting it off beautifully.
Fernando looked Seth up and down, and nodded, grimly. “I think you are right,” he said, in faintly accented English. “You need it more than I do.” He gestured towards his own perfectly tailored pants, revealing a belt that was braided out of five thin strips of white leather, clasped with a golden buckle that matched the color of his amber hair. But still, Fernando did not release the belt. Seth waited another moment, holding firmly to the accessory in question. Eventually, Fernando loosened his hold on the belt with a sigh. Seth immediately put it on and echoed Fernando’s sigh, but hers was more a sigh of contentment and fulfillment.
I loved how awkward Seth was "Uh, i really need it". Great scene. If only there really were a 24-hour belt emporium.
ReplyDeleteI have often wished for a 24-hour belt emporium, myself. Maybe the publication of my novel will inspire someone to open such a chain?
ReplyDeleteI loved how Fernando was like, "yeah, you're right, you do need it more than I do." I loved everything about this, actually, come to think of it. Perhaps the most inspired piece of writing. Ever. Pure Esmonde.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe you incorporated my rings idea. Genius.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this so much! It's good that Seth won the belts battle, and I will soon incorporate a similar version of this fight in my own. We'll see if Seth wins this time.
With Indigo's assistance, I have changed my domain name so as to hide my identity. It is now:
ReplyDeletehttp://bonebreakingpunker.blogspot.com/