On November 20, Wine Butler’s Facebook friends decided to write a story. We started the first line and 42 of our Facebook fans took over and wrote to their hearts out. Each post was to build on the previous post so that the story could continue, but that was a little bit complicated. While you were crafting the greatest of posts – someone would sneak in and bring out a new story line. There were a couple of favourite writers, and few folks that ‘tittered’ that we were doing it all wrong.
Nevertheless, here is the story as best as we can decipher. We did a little editing and reorganizing to add some context to the story. And we added our own comments in there as well. But if you want to see how much fun we really had, we embedded the Facebook stream at the bottom of this post.
So, it began…with Wine Butler’s opening sentence. We agree, it wasn’t all that original.
It was a dark and stormy night when she cracked open the second bottle of Merlot.
When suddenly a knock came to the door. Damn, a visitor, it meant that she would have to share. But the visitor brought offerings. There he stood… bottle of Merlot in hand. Her heart stopped. All she could think was “more Merlot”! I don’t care who this guy is, I’m inviting him in!! He was easy on the eyes which made it that much more easier to invite him in..she forgot how much wine made her feel uninhibited..until now.
And to her surprise there stood her ex-mother-in-law – as well! (WB: we aren’t sure how the mother-in-law got in there, but she continued to play quite a role).
Filled with surprise, she did the right thing and asked them both inside. She took their coats – and of course the wine and invited them to join her in the front room. There was a moment of silence as they were mezmerized by the crackling fire inthe fireplace and then a loud clap of thinder caused her to jump and pill wine down the front of her new sweater. She would just pop up and change her sweater though.
Once she had changed her sweater she came downstairs to find the stranger, her mother-in-law deep in conversation and the Merlot mostly gone so she opened her last bottle of Pinot Grigio secretly wishing the rain would stop so they would all go home and then the lights went out.
She was grateful to him for the light which would enable her to light some candles.
The wind outside was starting to pick up, and it looks like there may be a storm brewing. She motions him towards the window and tells him there is some wood in the shed. Perhaps they should put some in the fireplace.
(WB: At this point in time, the story becomes very personal.)
As I’m searching through drawers looking for a flashlight I hear the flick of a lighter so I turn around to find him standing right behind me..his gorgeous face illuminated by the glow of the lighter..his eyes intense on me…I feel a wave of heat come over me as he says, “thought this might help you find what you’re looking for”..
And so she approached the handsome gentleman and asked him to share a little bit if information about himself. He then smiled, whispers “shhh” reaches up and touches her cheek softly with the back of his hand before telling her they’ve already met..
He said “I’m here to apply for the job you are advertising for, I want to be your new personal wine butler!” (WB: This sentence about the wine butler really broke the tension.)
(WB: Sadly it gets really confusing here, but I think that has more to do with the mother-in-law than anything else.)
Sadly he was more interested in her Mother-in-Law and asked her if she would like to go on a date. Since that was the outcome she took her wine glass over to the bar and sat down.
However, the handsome gentleman had roaming eyes. “Surely they must have a secret door leading to the wine cellar”, he thought to himself.
As she stared into his irresistible eyes a loud shriek came from the other room where the mother in law and the rest of the guest where entertaining themselves.
I Heard a eerie knock at the door like someone was watching me drink that 2nd bottle of wine, I went to the door slowly and saw that it was all my girlfriends coming to help me drink that 2nd bottle……………….
And drank it with a friend. and we opened a third … then we opened a bottle of champagne to celebrate the fact that we hadn’t seen each other all together for so long
Someone turned out the lights and when they were turned back on the mother n law was slumped down on the table. She had knocked over a bottle of open Merlot, it spilled all over the beautiful white linen tablecloth. This would also mean they needed another bottle of Merlot!! lol
(WB: Here our two characters were given names.)
Lana ran to get another bottle, but could only find a cabernet. Only after she had returned and the argument over who had drunk the last bottle of merlot had ended, did someone realize that Francois’ mother in law had not moved the whole time.
Francois was keeping an eye on the bustling winds and heavy rain which began to fall. Perhaps, he thought to himself, he and Lana might get to know eachother a little better. However, he would have to figure out a way to keep Mommie Dearest out of the way.
Send her out for pizza? No, the roads would be dangerous and she’d be home too soon. Hmmm…give her his laptop and let her get lost in Farmville?
Francois’ thoughts were interrupted by a scream and a thunderous crash! Francois then realized that the scream had come from Lana and there seemed to be a fight going on in the next room. He rushed in to find Lana and his mother in law in a terrible brawl. They were struggling over the corkscrew and there was glass everywhere.
She, and her friend, decided to kick off their high heels and wander through a ritzy neighborhood, peeping over many backyard fences into very private parties with drink in hand!! Would they get caught? Would they get lost? Would they get invited to join one of the parties they were spying on? Would they run out of wine?
But The Merlot had legs and to her rescue come SuperMike, the wino of all winos…and happily they reunite & pick on the Cabernet Saugivnon….tasty, delicious and oh good!
Thank you to everyone who played!