I feign I made it, thought the merchant. He bought a villa on the edge of the village and gave it a simple name: Mi-amore. It sounded classy and distinguished. Anyone who wants to count in the world of fortune must keep up appearances.
Mascha was the woman he was going to propose to. The most honour could be achieved with a skinny ugly girl. Her lips were not full but looked frugal, a trait of her character that would guarantee him she would not waste his money.
Two dresses the merchant's wife wore during the week and two for Sundays, special occasions or to parade on sunny days in the park of the village. It was enough.
The merchant was satisfied with the result. He would slowly fatten up the skinny girl to show everyone how his wealth increased. Skinny is poor and fat is rich, every villager knew that.
After the first year of their marriage, he delighted his wife with a stray cat. The animal was more dead than alive but helped spread the news of the merchant's kind heart and fine character. The entire village was impressed by the man's goodness and above all his increased wealth in a short time.

With each gain of weight madam's old dresses were made bigger and a new one was purchased. In this way, not only did the contents of the wardrobe grow, but also the size of the woman who was once a slim model.

_{Boris Kustodiev - Merchant's Wife at Tea (1918)- The picture is public domain}

She sat at the table with a frugal face. The samovar was a beautiful piece of art and so was the garden with its lovely lilacs and magnolia.
Tea time was not her favourite meal. Every day there was the same raisin bread served with pieces of melon so large that she could not properly bite into it without ruining her dress. The fruit was also full of poisonous seeds, which did not make eating it any easier. She had had enough of feigning to enjoy what was presented to her. She sipped her tea and thought about how to get rid of all that food and the extra pounds of body weight that were weighing her down. The mirror had told her the truth, she simply didn't look good. Would the cat like to eat the watermelon, most likely not. The animal was quiet disappointing to have around, it spread flees and hairs on her clothes, food and the seats.

It's disappointing again, the cat thought. Where's the fish, the grilled rooster, the roast beef and whipped cream, how about the fried cheese, eggs, bacon and ham? Who eats fruit and cake day in and day out? I miss wandering around the street, checking local recycling, looking for treasures in the waste bin, stealing from the butcher, the fishmonger and the cat whining from all my friends. Out of habit, he cupped the voluminous woman's shoulder. She did not respond and, just like him, looked sluggish and exhausted.

@ibesso @yaladeeds @esvisionaria @pousinha @aminasafdar @sbamsoneu @nasuwaaa @ratelmay @marcybetancourt @elian23khan @grebmot @goodybest @el-nailul @rokhani this contest was hosted by @solperez

See here for contest #92

Header: Canva 
Picture painting: public domain 
Style: Art Nouveau (Modern)
Prompts: feign, check local recycling by @freewritehouse
12-4-2024

25% - @null
10% - @worldsmile

#story #art-review #club75 #kittywu #steemexclusive #creativewriting