A French Doll

It’s 6pm
The sun has set
We are set to welcome the three.

Two French Expats
Uncle Elo making them three
Three geologists to arrive within the hour.

Uncle Elo had phoned
Boastfully he announced ‘my prospecting license is here, see you in a fortnight!’

Mommy is over the moon
Like the sun, her brother has risen in ranks, her excitement is contagious
Daddy remains aloof, refusing to be infected.

Who would blame him though
Appeasing striking garbage collectors is a herculean task
The city is a stink whole
End the strike now!

Our guests arrive, dinner is set
Appetizers, Main course…
The Expats swallow them all, to please a hyper hostess.

The diners rise to depart
Elo hands me a dainty pouch of sweets singly wrapped in green paper.

I don’t like what I hate!
I marched straight outside and released the pouch on to the overflowing garbage can, I want a french doll, nothing less.

*             *              *

I wake up in the morning
Mommy high on excitement as usual,
passes me Uncle Elo’s goofy goodbye note as is his tradition.

“There is an Emerald among the sweets.
Be careful not to swallow it my princess.” ❤ Uncle Elo

My heart skips 2 beats
What have I done?
The strike is off
Our Garbage can emptied.

‘Where is the pouch, princess?’