5. Private picnics
Alicia Blade
144 words
Every cracker was painstakingly set out on the platter in a perfect fan, followed by a row of thinly sliced salami and prosciutto, and ornamented with a dazzling array of yellow and white cheeses, some mild and smooth, some rich and crumbly. He cut the freshly baked artisan bread into bite-size cubes and tossed them in a napkin-lined bowl, covering them to hold in the heat. A shallow dish was filled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and a couple sprigs of rosemary. Lastly, he uncorked the red wine leftover from the previous night, the previous picnic, and filled a single glass half-full.
With a quiet sigh, he sat down at his kitchen bar and opened a nearby drawer, pulling out a 4-by-6 photograph of a very pretty blonde and leaning it tenderly against the empty wine bottle, before finally reaching for a fork.