For her, perfection was a state of mind, a way of experiencing life’s imperfections.

Weed, Blessed Art Thou

For Consuelo, life had been a series of accidents and missteps. She had quit the idea of total happiness way before she was old enough to drink. She understood that things and people were rarely perfect. Perfection was a state of mind, a way of experiencing life’s imperfections.

She had had hot boyfriends with no brains or scruples. She had also visited fancy places that felt like gold cages. Thus, when she met her “prince frog,” as her girl friends baptized him, she knew that no amount of kisses would make him less ugly, but he was smart and sensitive enough to surely compensate for his lack of glamour. He was too skinny for her voluptuous body and she had always dreamed of being carried by her man the way she read in romance novels.

That’s why she decided to arrange a date at the beach. It was right across campus and on any weekday afternoon, it was like a dessert island. She was new in campus, but she was gladly surprised that the whole area looked quite safe. Students had classes until seven or eight PM and could move around, go to the movies, or restaurants, and still find buses or taxis to go back home without any incidents.

“Prince frog” was not used to adventures, let alone on a weekday, but Consuelo was out of his league and he was smart enough to understand that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to live the kinds of experiences his friends rubbed on his face like salt to his virginity wounds.

They had a glorious afternoon at the beach. They seemed to have a lot in common, despite some obvious and no so-obvious differences. The place was so placid and colorful. Way too colorful, actually, for Consuelo’s taste. The water was extra green thanks to an annoying seaweed that washed out at that time of the year. She thought about the crystal-clear waters of some of the gold cages she had been taken to. Why can’t life be perfect? she asked herself.

When it started to get dark, “prince frog” got nervous and suggested it was time to pick up their things and head home. Consuelo had other plans. She took her clothes off first and ran into the warm waters. “Prince frog” thought for a moment, but her contagious laughter and the promise of dream-like pleasures made him put aside all his common sense along with his clothes.

Bathing naked in the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea with a person you like must be the closest thing to a perfect night. So much so that you can easily forget about your surroundings, including your belongings in the sand. By the time “prince frog” came back to his senses, the three men who had been waiting patiently behind some bushes were picking up their clothes and bags. He remembered he had the money for the rent and his new Walkman in his backpack.

He tried to come out of the water, maybe scare the thieves away, but Consuelo held him back and hushed him with kisses. What’s done is done, she thought. It could get infinitely worse. They were lucky enough the thieves were satisfied with the money, the Walkman, the clothes, and the bags. Now they had to find a way to come out and ask for help. “Prince frog” was visibly upset and confused. The embarrassment was now heavier than the losses. Consuelo, on the other hand, looked around and thanked the sea for providing her with plenty of seaweed to make a coat, if so she wanted.

She grabbed a few and offered them to her partner with a smile that was worth a million bucks.

Thanks for stopping by

This was my entry to @mariannewest and @latino.romano’s 5 Minute Freewrite: Wednesday Prompt: seaweed. You can see the details here.

Make sure you visit the Freewrite House!!!