Say it with FLOWERS

When it came to passion, perhaps all Kelly’s boyfriend needed was a little push in the right direction

- Ginny Swart

Wasn’t that lovely?’ Kelly sighed happily and linked her arm through Harry’s as they left the cinema. ‘I couldn’t help crying when he walked off and left her. But the ending was perfect, when they ran across the field into each other’s arms.’

Harry walked on silently.

‘Didn’t you think so?’ she persisted.

‘Sentimental rubbish,’ answered Harry. ‘And you know I can’t stand subtitles.’

Oh, dear. We should have seen Terminator 3, thought Kelly. Looking at his handsome, rugged profile, she wished that Harry could be a bit less macho and a bit more – well, caring. He seemed to think that showing feelings of any sort was a fatal weakness. But she was sure those feelings were there, deep down.

‘He’s a typical man, Kelly,’ said her mother, when Kelly complained that he’d given her a pair of sewing scissors for her birthday, unwrapped, without even a card. ‘He’s just like your dad was, down to earth. You can’t expect him to go around declaring undying love for you and writing poems. Men don’t do it.’

Some do, she thought silently. Was she wrong to want something more?

‘I need a man who’s going to offer me romance and excitement, who’ll write me poetry and send me flowers for no reason,’ she sighed to her sister, Carrie.

‘Dream on. There aren’t any men like that, at least not around here,’ said Carrie. ‘But perhaps Harry needs to be made a bit jealous. It might give him a push if he thought you were seeing someone else.’

‘Harry’s never going to write me poetry!’ protested Kelly.