An adaptation by Marilyn Baron

Far away, nestled in a town near London, England, lived two sisters. One sister only wore a pale, snow white polish on her nails to match her pure, sweet, persona. The other sister favored a dark rose red enamel, reflecting her overpowering personality. Rose-Red was vivacious, loquacious and hellacious and wore a permanent scowl. Snow-White, on the other hand, remained in the shadow of her sister. Painfully shy, she had barely spoken a word since her beloved mother had died a year ago.

Snow-White had been devoted to her mother. Only mummy could massage and paint her toes. She couldn’t go to a salon because her feet were hopelessly mangled as a result of a childhood illness. When she removed her shoes, people shrank back in horror or if they had any manners at all, their shock was only reflected in their eyes. Snow-White could get about well enough. Her mother, who had called her, “my little monkey,” had worked with her patiently and painstakingly since she was a little girl to overcome her disability.  

The girls’ father, a sweet natured man, was protective of Snow-White, but he had shut down after the death of his wife, so Snow-White suffered in silence.

 One day, their father came home with an announcement and a package in hand.

“Girls, enough of this mourning. We’re going on a whirlwind, luxury, round-the-world cruise.”

 Rose-Red was elated. She hated her small town and wanted to see some big cities. She planned to get off the boat before the cruise was over and never return.  

 Snow-White was just glad to spend time with her father. He had been losing himself in his work since his wife’s death.

 Rose-Red bought a whole new wardrobe for the trip. Since her presence made shop people uncomfortable, Snow-White was content to go on-line to fill out her wardrobe. She had a good feeling about this trip. Maybe she would meet her one true love. Maybe he would be handsome. Maybe he would be so busy looking into her eyes that he wouldn’t care about her misshapen feet. Before she died, her mother assured her she would find her soul mate.  

 “How will I know if he’s the one?” Snow-White asked.

 “You’ll just know when you meet your perfect match,” her mother replied, sounding confident.

 The girls boarded the cruise ship in Southampton and went from exciting destination to destination, from city to city, from Barcelona to Bangkok, Asia to ancient Egypt, the Mediterranean, Los Angeles and Australia. Snow-White couldn’t believe her eyes. The places they went, the things they saw. She kept her feet well hidden.

 As their boat neared The Great Barrier Reef, their father organized an all-day snorkeling trip. Rose-Red was bored. She longed for the bright lights and the nightclubs of Sydney. Snow White longed to remove her shoes, rub her feet and dip her tired toes into the Tasman Sea.

 For someone in her situation, she was remarkably agile. She donned her wet suit and was covered from head to toe. She couldn’t wear the flippers but her feet felt light and buoyant. She climbed down the boat’s ladder into the sea. She imagined her mother’s loving arms enfolding her, keeping her safe.

 When they got back to the hotel room, her father had another surprise waiting. A personal visit from the ship’s spa, a private pedicure in the room. Oh, it felt glorious. Snow-White was in heaven. To celebrate, she decided to forgo her usual white polish and have her toes painted a wild red color. Rose-Red rolled her eyes and went to the bar to have a drink.

 “Daddy, this is wonderful,” said Snow-White. “Thank you.” The man hugged his daughter but his eyes welled up with tears. She looked so much like her mother that it even made him miss his wife more. Snow-White was beautiful, but who would love her, who would care for her when he no longer could?

 Snow-White felt so beautiful after her pedicure that she joined her sister at the nightclub and watched as Rose Red danced her heart out.

 “Don’t you dance?” asked a young gentleman who approached her from behind.

 Snow-White turned around. The man she faced was certainly handsome. He was slim with broad shoulders, deep blue eyes and a killer tan.

 “I-I d-don’t d-dance,” Snow-White stuttered.

 “Didn’t you ever learn?”

 Snow-White shook her head.          

 “Well, I would be honored to have this dance.”

 “I c-can’t dance,” Snow-White stated.

 “Well, then I’ll teach you.”

 “My feet – they won’t…work,” Snow-White pleaded.

 “Nonsense. I know a lot about feet.”

 Snow-White sighed. This man was not going to take no for an answer.

 He reached for her hands and lifted her to the dance floor.

 In his arms, she felt light as a feather and she tingled when they touched. When she stumbled, he was there to catch her. And she stumbled a lot. 

 He dipped her and caught her before she tripped. Finally, he lifted her so that her feet stood atop his and he twirled her around so she didn’t have to move a bit. It was like dancing with daddy when she was a little girl, her toes on his toes.

 After the dance, the man led her back to the table and ordered drinks and they talked all night.

 He seemed fascinated and wanted to know all about her. There wasn’t much to tell. She asked a lot of questions. They laughed a lot.

 “Let me see your feet,” he said. “I can tell a lot about a person by looking at their feet.”

 Snow-White cringed, thinking she had latched on to a pervert with a serious foot fetish, a raving lunatic or a serial killer.

 “No, I don’t think that would be proper.”

 “Really. I’m not mad. Feet are my profession. I’m an orthopaedic surgeon. May I?”

 Snow-White shrugged and he removed her black velvet ballet slippers and looked at her feet. He drew in a breath and then he smiled. Snow-White was puzzled. No one had ever smiled at her feet before.

 “You are truly beautiful. And I can see by the color of your toes that you have an adventurous spirit.”

 “I think you have the wrong sister.” Snow-White pointed to Rose Red, who was passed out at the bar.

 “No, I think I have just the right one,” he answered.

 He touched her feet and Snow-White purred. The man’s touch was magical, healing.

 “Do they cause you much pain?”

“I’m used to it.”

 “It must be difficult to get around.”

“Not for me. It’s more difficult and painful for people to watch me.”

 “Where do you live?” the man asked.

 “Outside of London.”

 “What a coincidence. I live in London. I hope we can spend a lot of time together for the rest of the cruise and that I can see you when we get back.”

 “I’d like that.”

 Snow-White didn’t want the night to end. The man must have read her thoughts because he suggested a stroll on the deck. She ambled alongside him, swaying, but he covered her with his jacket and wrapped his arm around to steady her.

 Then he leaned in and kissed her until her toes uncurled.

Snow-White looked up at the stars. It was a clear night and she thought she could see her mother’s eyes sparkling in the sky, whispering, “He’s the one. He’s the one.” 

 But Snow-White already knew.

About the author

Marilyn Baron | Marilyn Baron's debut novel, The Edger, a humorous women's fiction she cowrote with her sister, award-winning Florida artist Sharon Goldman, was released January 2012. THE EDGER is available at Amazon Kindle http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006Y3P12Y#_ Smashwords http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/123376 Barnes & Noble Nook Books http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-edger-marilyn-baron/1108321593?ean=2940013703957&itm=1&usri=the+edger+marilyn+baron Her humorous supernatural e-short stories, "A Choir of Angels," "Follow an Angel," and "The Stand-In Bridegroom," are available from TWB Press at http://www.twbpress.com/thestandinbridegroom.html. Marilyn Baron is a public relations consultant in Atlanta. She’s a PRO member of Romance Writers of America, and is the winner of the GRW 2009 Chapter Service Award. She writes humorous women’s fiction, romantic suspense and paranormal. Her manuscript, “The Colonoscopy Club,” finaled in the GRW Unpublished Maggie Awards for Excellence in 2005 in the Single Title category and "The Edger," won first place in the Suspense Romance category of the 2010 Ignite the Flame Contest, sponsored by the Central Ohio Fiction Writers chapter of RWA. She graduated from The University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism. What’s unique about my writing? I try to inject humor into everything I write, from romantic suspense to women’s fiction. I like to laugh and I think my readers do too. I tend to feature older heroines, because let’s face it, we’re not getting any younger.

Don't stop there. Try...

Random Posts