Fiction Friday writing

The bottle had been on display for a long time.  Before that the bottle had spent even longer languishing in a dark cellar far away, gathering dust and allowing its contents to complete their final fermentation.  Now the bottle was at last selected proudly by the self-styled 'Wine Wizard' and lovingly rolled on the counter, wrapping it within a cocoon of tissue.

"I think you'll be happy with your choice sir", said the Wine Wizard with a satisfied smile.

"I'm sure you're right, after all it is for a special occasion" answered Jeremy, offering his credit card to complete the transaction.  He would not normally be so extravagant, but it was their anniversary and he longed to please Sarah, particularly since she has invited family for dinner this evening.  When he asked for several bottles the Wine Wizards proprietor had assured him it was not pretentious to serve a magnum sized bottle and that in fact it was quite practical since one only had one bottle to open and the table was less cluttered too.

"Let me know how you liked it next time you are in" said the 'Wizard'.

"Oh, I shall", answered Jeremy as he took the proffered bottle and headed for the door.

Arriving home Jeremy placed the bottle on the counter top in the kitchen and unwrapped it.  The label and the opaque gleam gave the bottle an air of authority added to by it's impressive size.  He thought there would be no need for a centrepiece to the table with this in place.  Surveying the table, already laid when he set out for the wine, and savouring the smells of his cooking which were filling the house he felt a welling up of the love he had for his wife of ten years, Sarah.

The bottle was placed in the centre of the table, atop a cork mat with a napkin close by to help with the pouring.  The cork had been removed just beforehand, a long strenuous pull and a satisfying plop as Jeremy eased it out and released the aroma of the wine within.  Six places were laid around the table, and each had both water and wine glasses.  Both Sarah's and Jeremy's parents were seated at the table, happily exchanging stories of their holidays and remarking on how happy their childrens' marriage seemed.

Sarah smiled at Jeremy in the kitchen, watching him busily ferrying the hot food from the oven to the serving bowls.  She was fetching the bread and water, an excuse to check how he was coping.  The kitchen was normally her domain and she found it hard to give up control.  Her smile was slightly forced, she found these family gatherings a strain and would like a glass of wine to settle her nerves.  Every time the parents gathered she was painfully aware that another year had passed and still she could not seem to give them all what she felt they longed for as much as she did; a child.

Settling the last of the dishes on the table, Jeremy reached over the table and picked up the magnum bottle with relish.  It was natural for him to be showing off a little.  Not every day did he get the chance to make the kitchen his own and cook a dinner.  Without asking he poured everyone a glass of the ruby liquid from the bottle.  The heady aroma of hearty red wine was added to the appetizing smell of his cooking.  Sitting at the head of the table he raised his glass and toasted, "To friends and family, present and future!".  He saw the smile freeze on Sarahs lips and knew he had touched a nerve again.  Cursing himself silently he swallowed his wine and carved the meat, filling the plates carefully.

The meal progressed and the conversation flowed more freely as did the wine.  Step by step the bottles contents lowered until finally it was emptied completely, leaving a faint mottled stain of sediment, the mark of a quality wine.  Jeremy and Sarah could not bring themselves to part with the bottle after the meal, when they had seen their parents to the door.  In any case they knew it would not fit in the recycling bin, which only had an opening for regular sized bottles.  That night their passion seemed almost fuelled to new heights by the wine, which had been both better and more plentiful than they were used to.  Perhaps it was that, perhaps it was because they forgot they were "trying for a baby", or perhaps it was blind luck, but that night Sarah conceived.

Two years later the bottle is still a treasured object in the household - though it is now placed high on the mantel to be safe from the explorations of the young Phillip.  He seems to get everywhere now he was just started walking, but the gleaming bottle on the mantel shelf will always hold a special place in the house, though it is unlikely Phillip shall ever learn why it is quite so special for his mother and father.

11:16 AM | 5 Comments | Tags: , ,

Comments

  1. So, I tried to leave a comment yesterday and again this morning but I've gotten weird error messages. Let's see if it will go through now...

    I liked your piece but as you commented on my own you did the third person thing. I enjoyed it anyway and especially like the fact that the bottle gets kept around and somewhat honored! It is stories like this that flow through families all the time, stories about the importance of our various knick-knacks and keepsakes. And, of course, if Phillip was nicknamed "Red", he'd have an interesting story to tell as to where his nickname came from.

    Rob on

  2. (Editted to "quote mark" my own comments to countess) "I hate to say it - but I do believe the previous post is somewhat spam like, I have a distinct after-taste of spam anyway, though I seem to get an even lower class of spam to delete from my blog! "

    -Are you referring to the BD comment? You don't know how many spams I get, but that's the only one that made sense rather than the copy paste blurbs. So today I wasn't a bitch about it.

    "Is the post a reference to your Blog? I made a similar post once... I did think the read more link might have given more, but it didn't!"

    • It's a kink I'm working out on blogger. It's not the same like other blog hosting sites. That read more link is permanent, whether or not there is a continuation. So if it's a short post, the signature gives away that it's the end of my post. But if it isn't, then obviously the signature would show when you click the read more link. It's in my template.

    Good to see you at FF. I haven't been contributing for a while. Busy, busy bee I am. But even though I haven't posted FF's from the past prompts, I still find the time to read and give comments or feedback to our FF contributors. But will do when things clear up. If you like, you can read my past FF contributions, the link can be found under the header.

    Cheers!

    The Countess on

  3. Brilliant, lovely, uplifting story with such a perfect happy ending! Can't wait to read your next one, which you will hopefully write soon!

    SEG on

  4. Still a good read though. How the relationship of the couple brings out the future of a little one, funny how things in life work.

    The Countess on

  5. Technically, you're using a 3rd party narrator, not so much with the "wine bottle's point of view". But that doesn't detract from a lovely bittersweet tale that turns sweet at the end. I was feeling so sad for Sarah, I'm glad it all worked out well for her & Jeremy :)

    ~willow~ on