This short story was written in response to Fandango’s One Word Challenge. 

Today’s word is: Adorned…

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Doreen looked at the stack of framed photographs and the dusty ‘new’ shelf propped up against the wall. 

“When are you going to put up this shelf so I can display these photos, Derek?” she asked. 

“When I’m ready, Love.” he said, scrolling the TV guide for his next watch. 

Doreen picked up one of the photos. She pulled her sleeve over her hand and gave the picture a dust while looking at the image of their daughter and their daughter’s new husband, putting on their rings and gazing lovingly into each other’s eyes.

“And this one,” she said, picking up another and giving it the same treatment, “We’re in this one.”

Derek managed to pull his eyes away from the TV for a moment to look over at the picture Doreen was holding. 

“Very nice,” he said, “But we can always look in the mirror if we want to see ourselves.”

“Not the same, Derek. And anyway, look how smart we were that day.” Doreen said, “C’mon. Why not just do this one job? Done, not perfect.”

Derek released a long and laboured sigh. Doreen wondered if perhaps she hadn’t actually asked that he put up a shelf, and that she’d in fact asked that he carve her face into Mount Rushmore alongside Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt and Jefferson. 

“C’mon, Derek.” she persisted, “Done, not perfect.”

“Alright, Love. I’ll take a look.”

Doreen gave Derek a thank you and left the room without further comment. She didn’t want to risk dissuading him. She considered pocketing the TV remote and taking it with her, but thought that ill advised.

She returned a couple of hours later. As she entered, she caught Derek standing back and admiring the shelf which was no longer resting up against the wall, but screwed into it. The shelf had even been adorned with the framed photographs. 

Doreen couldn’t help but smile. 

Until she stood next to Derek to share his perspective…

First of all, it wasn’t centered. The wall had extra holes below the shelf in weird places. A couple of the holes had raw plugs half hanging out of them. It even looked like he had somehow, and inexplicably, sawn off part of one end of the shelf too. 

To top things off, the shelf was clearly on the wonk. It was so far out, she wondered if Derek had done the job with one foot in a flat slipper and the other in a stiletto. 

“There you go, Love.” he said, beaming, “Done, not perfect.”

Doreen put her hands on her hips and nodded her head. 

“No truer words have ever been said.” she acknowledged, “Maybe next time let’s go for ‘done AND perfect’.”

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