Belated Happy Birthday To Scott Fitzgerald: A Love Story

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They met

exactly seven years ago

today

 

Nancy Nguyen owned

three nail salons

 

Clarence Robinson

was a high school

English teacher

 

They met in an elevator

at a retirement home

 

He recognized her

from a birthday celebration

the day before

 

"Belated Birthday Greetings,

young lady," 

he said

 

"Thank you, sir.

My name is Nancy"

 

"My name is Clarence.

You have the same birthday

as  Scott Fitzgerald"

"That's a funny coincidence."

"Why is it funny?"

"Last night I watched

The Great Gatsby

with Robert Redford

and Vietnamese subtitles"

***

Sorona Beach Gardens

was an "up-scale" retirement home

but not immune to

insect infestation

In the elevator,

both Nancy and Clarence

had something in their hands:

matching cans of RAID

 

With big smiles,

they held up their cans

and tapped them together, 

as if they were beer mugs

 

Nancy invited Clarence

to her apartment

where they compared 

mosquito bites

 

They became lovers

 

That was seven years ago

 

Yesterday,

they were married

in the recreation hall at

Sonora Beach Gardens

 

The groom was 71 years old

and the bride

was also celebrating

her  68th birthday

Wardrobe requirement

for wedding guests had everyone

dressed up like characters

from The Great Gatsby

The dessert tray

included cookies

shaped like

miniature cans of RAID

created by

the same employee

who had eliminated

all the bug problems

of the retirement home

three years ago

 

A splendid time

was had by all

***

 

© PAUL OLIVERIO ©

 

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