Rudolfo spent seven years training Mario. The man had come to him, begged him for lessons. “At his age?” Rudolfo thought. “Too old.” Still, he had taken him on. Tonight they debut as a duo. The first half of the evening went well, clapping, smiling, a woman wearing purple danced – alone. The crowd mainly consists of young beautiful women in tight dresses, hair done in chignons or hanging loosely on soft round shoulders. Rudolfo loves watching them. He takes a sip of beer. The song ends. Mario looks tired. A woman brings Rudolfo a perfect red rose. Him! Rudolfo! His eighty-year-old heart soars.
Up From the Ashes 
To get a red rose from a beautiful woman.. the perfect end for a perfect gig…
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Good morning Bjorn, Thanks for reading. My dad buys my mom a perfect red rose on their anniversary. They celebrated their 64th anniversary last year. They are “the perfect” couple – truly.
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There is always hope, no? We often forget that our elders have dreams too. Lovely story.
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Thank you! Yes, there is ALWAYS hope.
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It was the small details in this story that really brought it to life, like the dancing woman wearing purple and the description of the surrounding women. You took the time to really paint the scene. The last line truly made my heart soar as well! Amazing story with the wonderful message that it’s never too late to follow our passions!
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Thank you, Adelie, I appreciate your noticing the details.
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I liked both the message and the delivery. Nice work.
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Thank you, Sandra.I liked the idea of the elder man “coming out on top”
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You turned the pic into a video – saw the entire evening play in front of me.. excellent Alicia !
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Thank you! That is high praise.
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Sweet! 🙂
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Thank you for reading The Debut
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This was a lovely word picture. There was enough background info to help with understanding. I love happy endings. 🙂
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Me, too. We get enough death and destruction from realty. Although it is sometimes satisfying to have a not so nice ending, too.
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It’s never too late to start learning especially with teachers like Mario. Lovely word portrait.
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But … Mario is not the teacher.
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As mentioned above, the little details made it come alive. They both got something out of the experience, too.
janet
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I think you mean “Debut” in your title. 🙂
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Thank you!
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I’ll go back and check. Thanks! And, yes, I spelled it wrong. Next time I’ll wear my reading glasses when I add something. The title didn’t appear the first time I posted.
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A great story! I agree with other commenters who pointed out that you gave painted a detailed picture for the reader. Nice job 🙂
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Thank you, Jan! And thanks for reading my story.
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Very good story with a very unexpected switch at the end that I had to read twice to get. Also an inspiration for we oldsters that surprising things may be possible, and for master and student too. Now, let’s hear more about the young beautiful women in tight dresses.
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Perry, thanks for reading The Debut (I finally got the spelling of the title corrected after it was pointed out this morning!!!). Glad you liked it and I say the heck with hearing more about the young beautiful women in tight dresses, I want to BE one of them. Cheers!
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aww that was really sweet! it’s just a rose but it means so much 🙂
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A single, perfect red rose is always a meaningful gift.
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Lovely story, with an untterly charming ending. I love your parents’ anniversary red rose ritual, too.
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Thank you! My dad is a sweetie and my mom is worth every minute of his affection. Thanks for reading not only The Debut, but the comments. Good day to you, Alicia
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Dear Alicia,
It’s my firm belief that when one is too old to learn, it’s time to lie down, you’re already dead. Your story puts melody to my belief. Lovely story. I offer you a virtual (and perfect) red rose.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks, Rochelle! I put the rose in a virtual vase. Cheers! Alicia
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I assume the woman wearing purple was Rochelle. After all, she is addicted to that color. 🙂
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Aaaahh men, they are so easy! 😉
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Sometimes. Thanks for reading The Debut, Alicia
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That was sweet. Wow, 80 yrs old. Didn’t expect that one. Good job. Lucy
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Thanks, Lucy, glad I could provide a surprise.
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A warm tale. Lovely. I liked the way you reversed the adjectives when describing the women. That accentuated their wondrousness.
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Thanks so much! What lovely praise.
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Love it! What a lovely warm story. Don’t we all want a bit of recognition…even the Olduns (or especially us old Uns? 😉 ) thanks for the heart warm. Shandra
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Thanks for reading! Random acts of kindness are the best.
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And a red rose for you for such a lovely story! Brava!
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Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it.
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Dear Alicia, Wonderful story you wrote! You really did paint a picture inside my brain and it was so exciting. Didn’t see the 80 year old getting the gal, but she did via one perfect rose! How romantic and well written. Thanks, Nan 🙂
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Nan, thanks for such high praise. Older people are my favorite, so I try to do them justice in life and in writing.
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Ah! All that effort got a lovely reward. Lovely little slice of life!
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Sometimes the small slices are the best.
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Good for Rudolfo! I knew I should have joined a band 🙂
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Indeed! I wish I’d learned to play something more exotic than spoons. Thanks for reading The Debut. Alicia
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I guess this proves you’re never too old to learn. Unfortunately, my fingers don’t glide across the strings like they used to. Getting a rose would make my heart soar too. Well done.
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Thank you. I didn’t know Rochelle’s favorite color was purple, but I can see her dancing during the whole first set. Glad you stopped by. See you next Wednesday.
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This is really touching, and reminds me of a band I saw playing an underattended festival on an overcast day. They weren’t bad, either, until they murdered one of my favorite Beatle’s songs.
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Oh! What a delightful comment. You made me laugh. Thanks for reading The Debut. I’m glad it brought back a fond – or not – memory.
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Great message. I’m 63, have voice training and sing solo. I of course, thoroughly applaud! I was a bit confused about who was the elder: Rudolfo or Mario. Nice story in only 100 words. Ann
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I think many people were. I believe if the story was read carefully it was clear. I tried to get a couple of message in The Debut about age, youth and enjoyment of life. Maybe it just didn’t work. Thanks for stopping by.
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I’ve carefully read it a fourth time. It’s not carelessness, I’m just stupid, evidently.
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Ann, NO! you are not stupid. Thanks for taking the time to read it FOUR times. That’s very special. Cheers to you. Alicia
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i love the red rose ending – perfection indeed! 🙂
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Thank you for reading! What a pleasant surprise.
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