Note to reader: This is a chapter of the WORST Chain Story ever ā my attempt at trying to write a story worthy of the worstness inflicted on you by the people before me. It is meant to be a humorous take on the Romance part of the chain. It would have been in the Humour and Satire category if it was not a chain story. Now read, and have fun.
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Magdalena was really depressed. Despite all her efforts, her husband John could not get any pleasure from sex with her. She so desperately wanted him to feel her. Well, he did feel her, but well, didn't really 'FEEL' her. There's a subtle difference. If you don't know, you shouldn't be reading Romance chapters anyway.
She tried and tried different ways to rouse him, but his relaxed rod refused to respond to her ravishing rack and rapturous rump. Regretfully, she ran out and rapped on her next door neighbour's door to drown her depression in drunken dullness.
Damien, the neighbour, opened the door and Magdalena entered his apartment in a rush, pushing him roughly aside. Running over to an overstuffed chair, she collapsed onto it and started sobbing her heart out.
"Maggie! Maggie-pie," Damien used the fond nick-name he had for her. "What is causing you this colossal distress? Maggie-pie my, please don't cry."
Damien moved towards her weeping hulk and stopped some distance away, wringing his hands together in despair. Moving closer, he placed one shakingly nervous hand on one shoulder lightly. The sobs immediately intensified and Damien wrenched his hand back, even hopped a few feet back.
"Maggie-poo, won't you tell Daddy-Dammie what happened?"
A thin, shrill wail joined the sobbing at this pronouncement.
Damien wrung his hand even more tightly and wondered how he should help her. As he was still wondering, Magdalena suddenly sat up.
"Get me something to drink. Wanna get drunk," she commanded.
Damien rushed to the kitchen and realised that he didn't have anything at home. He stood for a while in the kitchen, wringing his hands and wondering what to do. Summoning up his courage and banishing his embarrassment, he walked out to the still sobbing Magdalena.
"I'll go out and get you something Maggie-pie. There's nothing at home." Immediately turning around to dash off, he was followed by the pathetically depressing howl from Magdalena.
A bottle of wine later, he was rushing home hen he saw an old woman selling roses by the side of the road. He walked over to her and instinctively bought a 36 rose bouquet for Maggie. Then he bought 12 more, just in case. Juggling with the bottle in one hand and the roses in the other, he ran back to his place.
As he was climbing the stairs, he felt the roses start to slip. He caught them with the hand which was holding the wine, but lost his grip and the bottle crashed to the floor! Damien looked at the rapidly escaping wine with tear-filled eyes. His eyes teared frequently. He was a very tearily sensitive person. It was also good for the eyes. Tears really are. They wash of all the grime and dust which gets into your eyes. I guess the blinking lashes do the same but you know, if somehow, a little bit escapes, the tears can get it off! Damien was indeed lucky though he hadn't thought of it that way.
His mood dashed to pieces with the bottle crashing to the ground and dashing into small, small pieces. Damien walked the rest of the way desolately, his feet dragging on the ground with each step and his face drooped ā the very picture of misery. Only one thought repeated in his brain ā
Maggie-pie would be so disappointed. Maggie-pie would be so disappointed. Maggie-pie would be so disappointed. Maggie-pie would be so disappointed. Maggie-pie would be so disappointed. Maggie-pie would beā¦
. Unconsciously, he matched his steps to the rhythm to the refrain with the result that he was walking in weird, shuffling steps.
He entered the apartment and crept forward until he could peep into the room where Magdalena was. She was facing away from him and was apparently not crying. He inched closer and closer⦠and closer⦠closer still⦠and finally, very close. He saw she was asleep. Should I run out and get another bottle? he wondered. His eyes lit up as another, better thought occurred to him and he moved into the kitchen with new enthusiasm.
There, he took out his special recipe. The one his mother had given him. It was a sheet of special, hand-made, thick, off-white paper wrapped in a sheet of thin plastic and stapled in the corner. There were heart shaped cut-outs of red satin trimmed with pink lace all over the edge. Damien treasured it. It was a recipe for Cauliflower Soup ā his comfort food. His mother made it whenever he was upset or needed cosseting. It cheered him up and made him feel loved instantly. He would do the same for Maggie.
He stood for a minute, admiring the handiwork and the fine, loopy, cursive handwriting and his eyes welled up with tears again. God! He missed Maman! How he missed her!!
Jerking himself out of the contemplative mood, he set about washing the cauliflower and cutting it into florets and dicing onions. When he had all the ingredients ready, he boiled the cauliflower, adding salt to the water; then blended, mixed, stirred and generally cooked the whole thing. When it was done, Damien ladled it out into two gigantic soup bowls and set them in a wooden tray. Then he took the crystal vase and stuffed two just opened red rosebuds out of the 12 he had bought, carefully fussing with them until he had them arranged just as he wanted them. Placing two snow-white napkins on the tray, he carried it out to Magdalena.
Setting the vase, bowls and the napkins on the table carefully, he went back for the remaining roses. He plucked off the petals from the remaining 10 and scattered them on the table and around the seating area, just in front of the stuffed chair where Magdalena was sleeping. Then he lit several candles around the room, their soft, flickering light reflecting off Magdalena's fine countenance.
Just as he finished the arrangements, Magdalena woke up with a start and sat up on the chair, her eyes wide and her hair mussed up and standing on her head in comical positions. Her mascara was running down in black lines from her eyes from the earlier crying and her vivid red lipstick was smudged in a line rising up her left cheek. But to Damien, she had never looked cuter.
"Did you get something to drink?" she asked him in a gruff, demanding voice.
"No. I mean yes." He gestured demurely to the steaming soup bowls.
Magdalena's eyes travelled to the bowls and a confused expression settled over her face. "What's that?" she asked, not impressed.
"Soup," he replied, in a low, apologetic voice. He didn't know why he was apologetic about it. It was not what Maggie-pie had requested, but it was comfort food!
"What do you mean Soup?" she asked incredulously. "I asked you forā¦," she stopped in mid-sentence and a far away expression came into her eyes.
"Maggie-poo?"
She snapped out of the trance. "I guess it's just as well," she sighed and sat down on the floor, next to Damien. Then she noticed the flowers. "Ohh Dearie-Dammie! Flowers? Awwwwwww⦠how lovely," she gushed.
Damien blushed. Flushed. Brushed his hair back from his forehead self-consciously and murmured a shy thank you.
Magdalena leaned over and gave him a kiss on his cheek. "You are so good to me Dammie-Wammie," she said softly.
Damien's eyes filled with tears and he sniffled loudly to keep them from spilling over. "You deserve it Maggie-pie," he said in a choked, shaky voice. "You're such a wonderful person. The most wonderful person I have ever met, far surpassing all others with your nature, your care, your giving attitude towards other peopleā¦" he trailed off, seeing that Magdalena was not concentrating but taking tentative sips of the hot soup.
Two spoons later, she choked. Her hands flew up to her throat in a dramatic gesture and she fell back and started writhing painfully. "Ack! Poisoned!" she shrieked. Her accusing eyes fixed on Damien and he rushed to help her. "What did you put in the soup??!"
Damien was petrified. He stood quaking in his pants a few feet away and wondered what to do. The tears in his eyes did spill finally. He desperately wanted to bawl, but seeing Magdalena writhing on the floor before him shocked him into mere silent tears.
"Whatā¦" gasp, "Whatā¦?" gasp⦠"What did you put in the damn soup? Answer me asshole," Magdalena yelled.
"It's just Cauliflower Soup Maggie-pie," Damien said tremulously. "I swearā¦"