Growing up, I was not very comfortable in my own skin. I wanted to be shades lighter like my grandma and I somewhat disliked my exotic features for I was mostly mistaken for someone from anywhere but here (Trinidad). Then I found a problem with my feet and hands. I’ve always loved my hair, but I wished it was somewhat longer and softer.
And the beat goes on.
Now I’ve learned to appreciate myself and I’ve stopped complaining about how God made me for I was wonderfully made in His image. 💙
Like a flower opening its petals to greet the world, the sun rose over the most romantic city its light filling the sky; pure scattered light illuminated Paris bringing the legendary city to life.
The picturesque morning made many Parisians smile as they went about the day, but Monsieur Raoul Gilles grumbled as the scent of Spring fills his nostrils. He disliked this time of the year for it was the most romantic time for lovesick locals and flowers overflowed from almost every store.
“ACHOOO!!” he sneezed as he made his way down rue des Saints-Pères not paying attention to where he was walking and grumbling about Spring ruining his sinuses so that’s why the question caught him off guard.
“Would you care to buy a bouquet of freshly cut roses?”
Gilles stops abruptly after realizing that he was at the end of rue des Saints-Pères and slowly turned around to face the soft sing-song voice. It belonged to a woman not much older than twenty-five standing outside of a small flower shop with baskets of flowers at her feet. The sun rays cascaded onto the reddish curly hair and small bare shoulders and danced on the smattering of freckles across her cheeks giving her an impish glow.
But it was her bright eyes which made him stare. The striking, yet soft baby blue eyes remained wide open, a perfect Spring sky! His breath hitched in his throat. He had never seen eyes this beautiful!
The woman waited, holding out to Gilles an armful of luscious red roses. When he didn’t express a wish to buy a bouquet, she offered, “Or do you prefer lilies, tulips, or some other Spring flowers?”
Gilles shook out of his stupor. “I um, actually don’t like flowers.” The woman’s radiant smile fell from her face and he quickly adds, “I’m allergic to the pollen.”
“Oh,” she said and nods in understanding.
“But I’ll take a bouquet of tulips. “Gilles hurriedly said just as she made to turn to go inside the shop. “My sister is unwell and she’ll truly appreciate them.”
The smile on the woman’s face was back and all was right in the world again for that’s the only expression that looked right with her Spring eyes. She told him the price for the tulips and he reached into his messenger bag to retrieve his wallet. Once he had the required cash, he held the money out so he can take his purchase, but this gesture wasn’t met half way. She was facing him wrong and she held the bouquet of lilacs like she was waiting for it to be taken from her instead of handing it off to him.
Gilles stared at the woman and noticed two things he didn’t before: her exceptionally beautiful eyes hardly diluted and a blue cane leaned on the open door. He was so preoccupied with the woman’s face that he failed to notice that she was blind.
Chuckling, he took the flowers from her hand and pressed the money into the soft palm of her hand. “I better go,” he said.
Her face brightens. “Thank you for purchasing flowers. I hope the rest of your day passes well.”
“And same to you, my lady. Same to you.”
Gilles sneezed all the way back to work, but he was in a happier mood than when he woke up to the Parisian Spring and after reading the attached poetry to the bouquet, something tells him that he’ll be back to Mademoiselle Flowers soon.
***ALL GIFs via Google Search
I’ve missed this. I’ve missed writing short stories. I wrote and edited this story in two sittings because when I started writing it, I was not feeling it. It’s not the best I’ve written to date, but I wanted to write something about romantic April in the beautiful season of Spring set in only the most romantic city in the world. I wanted to focus a little more on Mademoiselle’s character because she’s blind and sells flowers attached with poetry and I thought she was probably one of the more interesting characters I’ve had in a long time. Anyways, thank you for reading, although I did not deliver the romance I wanted to. God bless. 💙
Actual Story:A Chicago teenager is looking for fun at home while his parents are away, but the situation quickly gets out of hand.
Okay, so this was the movie that kind of shot TC to the stars and beyond and I’ve never seen it… until now. Whenever someone asked me how this film was and I tell them that I’ve never watched it, they gave me judgemental looks. Haha! Plus, I dislike 80s films as I’ve previously stated.
FUN FACT:Ray-Ban was a dying brand. Then Risky Business came out, Cruise wore these shades and Ray-Ban was back in business when sales shot up to 50%. Then he wore Ray-Ban in Top Gun and sales went up again. Ray-Ban should pay him to wear Wayfarers given that they were about to discontinue it until TC wore them. 👏
This movie is the original Home Alone! No, seriously, this was Home Alone (for horny teenage boys) before there was Kevin (for kids under 13). The difference? Joel Goodson‘s (played by TC and see what they did there with his movie surname? He is always the good boy as I said in my review for Losin’ It. Who’s a good boy? Tom Cruise is) wealthy parents leave him home alone in their huge Chicago home to go on a trip.
This is the beautiful house Joel Goodson gets to live in. He certainly wasn’t a
good son when left home alone!
And what did Joel do on the very first night his parents trust him with the house? He tries to eat a frozen dinner (literally) and danced to “Old Time Rock and Roll” by Bob Seger (if interested, see video below for both activities). This scene is perhaps the most iconic home alone dance scene of all time and my favorite part of the entire movie for it reminded me of those good old times when my parents would leave me home alone and I’ll put some music on and dance around the house.
I also noticed that TC’s got a great pair of legs and now I see why they’ve been sexualizing his legs for years. Seriously, his legs are the stuff director’s dreams are made of! And Hollywood would sexualize the best part of an actor’s body although I think Tom’s smile is his best asset.
Unfortunately, I can’t say anything else about the movie because I did not finish it and I don’t intend to. There shouldn’t have been a rating, but I’m not going to edit that card. I don’t know what the big whoop about this movie was anyway. And man! TC can’t take a heckling! He gets mad so fast (inside the first few minutes I watched) and I’ve noticed this trait about him in movies I’ve watched over the years. I bet that’s how he is in real life. When someone makes him mad, he sends said person to the dungeon… well, providing that he has one.
This was the 3rd film from 1983. I have one more film from 1983 and I hope I can sit through that one for this one was not my tall cup of latte. Maybe the big whoop was TC dating his co-star stripper offset:
Ah, yes, the good old days when TC liked women a little bit older than him. Look at how disciplined he looks! Who’s a good boy? TC is!
TRIVIA
^ The film was originally called “White Boys off the Lake”. 🤣🤣
^ In an effort for Tom Cruise to look more “teenage” in appearance, the producers put him through an unusual bit of physical training. Cruise worked out seven days a week, in order to lose ten pounds. Once that had been accomplished, he immediately ceased working out and ate extremely fatty foods in order to add a layer of baby fat. This is how he achieved that “fresh-faced” teenage look. *GASPS* The horror of Tom gaining some baby fat! He was 20 years old trying to pass off as a teen when they could’ve just hired an actual teen… though, in TC’s defense, he did look like a teen boy in his early 20s.
^ The dance scene where Joel dances to “Old Time Rock N’ Roll” was completely improvised. In the script, Tom Cruise was simply instructed to “dance to rock music”. Did he improvise everything else, too?
^ Childhood photographs of Tom Cruise can be seen in the living room.
This was one of the actual photos on the wall. Cute baby.
^ Brian Backer was cast as Joel Goodsen but was replaced by Tom Cruise after Cruise auditioned and impressed the filmmakers. Of course. Of course. He breathes to impress.
(Via IMDb)
Would I watch it again?:
Memorable Lines: “Porsche. There is no substitute.” Joel Goodson
***All photos and GIF via Google Search
UP NEXT:
Um, All The Right Moves. I think this is another high school movie in which we get to see Tom act as a teenage Polish or Serbian student. I’m trying to imagine the accent…
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