PHOTO PROMPT © Roger Bultot
Duarte lent back in his deck chair, twisted off the top of a beer and settled back to watch the dust eddies twirl past. Presently he heard the schlep of Leandro’s footsteps.
“Afternoon, Duarte? All go is it?”
“It has been, had quite a rush on.”
Leandro judgementally surveyed the dusty stall of fruit and vegetables.
“You’ve still got half the produce left. You’ll never get rich like that.”
Duarte turned to study the shelves himself and after a little deliberation said, “No, I’ve sold half the stock, I’ve a beer in my hand and the sun’s shining, I’m a rich man.”
Written for Friday Fictioneers – a 100 words story based on a photo prompt. Hosted by Rochelle. Read the other entries here.
Michael Wynn 
I’m with Duarte on this one
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Me too, thanks Neil
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The glass is definitely half full.
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And because it is, he’s happy, cheers Iain
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like they say, it’s all about perspectives. 🙂
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Exactly, he’s just a born optimist but it means he enjoys life
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Yes, sometimes it takes 40 years to get to that mindset. Well written, I could see him in the chair.
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Thanks Ted
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Hey as long as he’s happy and paying his bills, well good for him
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Exactly, you could argue he has no ambition but I think he does, he just knows Rome wasn’t built in a day and enjoy life on the way. Thanks Larry
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I’m glad he’s not letting the other person harsh his buzz.
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‘Harsh his buzz,’ that’s great, where does that come from? I want it for my very own. Thanks
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It comes from the 70’s for me, when I smoked weed. We said it if someone tried to bring us down from our buzz. Not sure where it originated.
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He understands that being “rich” doesn’t necessarily require money.
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He does, I hope he always will, cheers Draliman
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Yes, a ‘glass half full’ man – that’s definitely the way to view things. Enjoyable read, Michael.
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
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Thanks Susan, glass half full is the only way to be.
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Makes you think that happiness beats being material rich any time.
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I hope it does and always will, thanks for reading, James
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Dear Michael,
Duarte need never worry about high blood pressure. Good attitude. I love the schlep of Leonardo’s step. You know schlep is also a noun. 😉 Good one.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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It’s funny you should pick on that Rochelle, because as I wrote it the word schlap came to me and I had to google to see if it was even a word and if so, was it was what I was wanting to convey. Turns out I had the right word but was misspelling it. Thanks for you comment
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It’s a great Yiddish word for those days you feel you’re barely getting around. “I could hardly schlep.” Or the noun form, “She never cleans her house or dresses up, what a schlep.” 😉 Love it.
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Oh, I was using it the sense of tramping up the road but I love the noun, just need to be careful how I use it, could get me in a spot of bother.
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Well penned.
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Thank-you
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You’ve penned a great message here Michael! Wealth is so often a matter of perspective.
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Thank you, Russell
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He’s got the right attitude – and more customers may still turn up!
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Yes and any more customers now, is a bonus 🙂
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Well, there’s a man who will never be rich, except in spirit! A nice positive take on the prompt. It made me smile 🙂
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Yes, perhaps a little more ambition would be good but that can wait for another day. Thanks Sarah
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I like his attitude. Enough is enough, so why struggle to make more if it’s not necessary? Nice one.
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Work, life balance. He seems to have it sorted for the time being
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True. Happiness is the only wealth that matters.
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It sure is, thanks
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Super writing, Michael. You conjure up the location and the two characters very clearly; but you do rather better even than that, because you evoke a mood. The pacing, too, is delightful. I really enjoyed this story!
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Thank-you Penny, I’m glad it worked on that level.
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I really like the way you create Douarte’s outlook on life through the dialogue, where he is whole-heartedly laid back.
A subtle cameo about attitudes.
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Thank-you very much for such a lovely comment
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That was uplifting. Nicely done.
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Thank -you
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Now that is a good life. I’m envious
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Yeah, he’s got it sussed. Cheers Laurie
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And tomorrow is another day… sounds like a good day to me.
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It does, doesn’t it. Cheers Bjorn
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Sunshine and a beer in hand, sounds great to me.
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And to me, thanks for commenting
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