The Fruitcake Special

The Fruitcake Special
I never thought I would discover something quite so
amazing by accident. I was a chemist at the Amos
Cosmetics factory in New Jersey, USA, trying to design a
new perfume when it happened.
I was trying out all the usual mix of ¯owers and things ±
just like I always did ± when I decided to throw in a piece
of the fruitcake Momma had packed for my lunch. I don't
knowwhy I did it ± I just did.
5I put it into the mix with all the other things. Before
long, I had a little bottle of perfume made from the things
I had mixed together. I put some on the back of my hand. I
thought it smelled nice, but there was nothing special
about it, so I put the bottle into my handbag. I couldn't
give something like that to my boss. After all, I am a
chemist and my job is tomake perfumes in a proper way. If
I told him how I made this one he would tell me not to be
a silly girl. Later, he would probably make a joke about it
to his friends at the golf club.
That's the kind of man my boss was.
`Anna!'
It was my boss, David Amos, the owner of Amos
Cosmetics. He happened to be walking past where I
worked. He never usually spoke to people like me. What
did hewant? I felt nervous.
`Yes, Mr Amos.' I said.
`You're looking terri®c today! Mmm . . . what's that
lovely smell? It's like fresh bread and ¯owers and sunshine
all mixed together with . . . I don't know ± is it you,
Anna?'
I didn't know what he was talking about. I couldn't smell
anything special.
Mr Amos had an expert nose for perfumes. And he
knew it.
`Yes, it is you!' he said loudly. Allthe other chemists
nearby could hear. It was embarrassing.
I had never heard my boss speak to me like that before.
Or to anybody else, come to think of it. David Amos is a
dark, handsome English guy who would never dream of
saying nice things to ordinary looking girls like me. He
6preferred to be with pretty young models who liked his
appearance and his money. When he did speak to thechemists he was usually complaining about something. Was
he playing some kind of joke today?
Suddenly he came over right next to me. He spoke in a
quiet voice close to my ear.
`You know, Anna, I've never really noticed it before ± I
can't think why ± but you really are a beautiful woman!'
`Mr Amos. I . . .' I tried to answer but I didn't know
what to say.
`No, it's true, Anna,' he said. `Imust see you outside this
dull factory. Will you have dinner with me tonight?'
`Well, I . . .' I was still too surprised to speak properly.
`That's great! I'll pick you up at your place tonight at
eight. See you then,' he said.
He was gone before I could say anything.
As I went home on the bus I thought of the strange
situation I was in. My boss, who was famous for going out
with beautifulwomen, had told me I was beautiful and had
asked me out! But I know I am just ordinary looking and
not his usual type at all. When I got home my Momma
was in the sitting room talking to my Aunt Mimi.
Aunt Mimi. I like my Aunt Mimi, but she simply can't
mind her own business. She has wanted me to ®nd a
husband for ages. She didn't like the thought of me being
single and having a career. Shethought it wasn't natural for
a twenty-seven-year-old woman like me not to be married.
Aunt Mimi thought that the least she could do for me was
to ®nd me a husband. I was used to this by now, but it was
still embarrassing.
`Aunt Mimi ± how nice to see you,' I said.
7Aunt Mimi looked at me and smiled. `Anna, my little
girl . . . but look at you: you're not a little girl any more,
you're atwenty-three-year-old woman already! How time
¯ies!'
`Actually, I'm twenty-seven, Aunt Mimi,' I said. She
always got my age wrong.
`So soon? And you're not married yet? Your mother was
married when she was eighteen. Eighteen! And you were
born when she was nineteen!' Aunt Mimi looked sad as she
said this.
She decided to say what she thought at once ± as she
always did.
`So when are you...