Quality

Creative writing prompt

Write a 200 word story from the point of view of either

• A Mexican waitress in the Rio Grande

• A Grande Madame in Paris

Your story should aim to answer one (use this random number generator) of the following questions from the Proust questionnaire:

12. What is the quality you most like in a man?

Quality

Ten minutes I’ve been sitting at this cramped table in this sordid little restaurant and no sign of him. The sugar this foolish waiter added to my coffee is starting to etch my teeth. The young people today are astonishingly comfortable with keeping their elders waiting. And in a place like this! Nothing but pizzas and beer on this menu. Not a single French wine on this list. Paris certainly isn’t what she was. 

I only agreed to meet him as a favour to Elodie. She pleaded with me, “I so want you to know him, grand-tante, then you will love him as I do.” Elodie, my favourite grand niece. So accomplished; so chic and full of promise. What she wants to marry this rostbif from her university for, I do not know. 

Ah, here he comes now. So scruffy, in that t-shirt and jeans. Not the least appropriate for town. He’s probably been out all night, drinking - typical English - and dragged himself out of bed without so much as looking in a mirror. 

“Good morning, Madame Cliquot.”

“Good morning.”

“Elodie said I should call you Madame, not grand-tante, the first time we met.”

Eugh, that accent! At least Elodie had the sense to teach him some proper French manners before she sent him here. And he kissed me politely, in the proper Parisian way. She must have coached him. No smell of nasty beer about him, quite a pleasant waft of sandalwood and soap from his cheek. I’ll bet he doesn’t approve of my smoking. They have laws, you know, in his country, that ban cigarettes in public. So repressed.