Too Pretty For the Town

Marigold Merriweather was a true beauty, a lovely girl with eyes of blue. Her eyes and smile and skin would dazzle you. Her skin was as pretty as flower petals, and she could smile your life away. Several men wanted to date her when she came to town in the 60’s, but they did not. They were way too intimidated by her beauty, which you do not see every day. The fear factor held them back from asking, they were afraid of being rejected. She was movie star pretty, magazine cover pretty, just too pretty for her own good. She never knew they were interested, because they would not even speak to her. The men of this town wanted wives other men would not look at, that was this neighborhood. She became a recluse, staying in her home, away from the husbands and their wives. She stopped going to church, and they all talked about her and what a sinner she was. Marigold tried to ugly-herself up, but it did not work, she was still beautiful. Luckily, when she began aging, that all changed and they welcomed her and her fuzz. She was ninety-six when she ventured out again, one of the few her age still alive. But the younger people welcomed her gladly, and she taught them lots of interesting stuff. None of them realized she had been shunned by their grandparents for a silly reason. She did not gossip or spread ill-will, she was a beauty but had a life that was tough.