Ambivalence Prize from the Selective Memory Foundation of Boston ~ award correspondence by Patricia Flaherty Pagan

Dear Kitchen,

Congratulations! The Nostalgia Committee is pleased to inform you that you have won this year’s Ambivalence Prize. Your bleached yet cozy atmosphere intrigued us. Your blue and white embroidered tablecloth impressed the judges as the perfect complement to the painstakingly-crafted mocha cakes assembled upon it by a working mother’s aching hands.

We appreciated your back stairs as the perfect spot for eavesdropping on conversations about student council meeting agendas, mistresses, the perfect length of time to French-kiss a boy, and the cost of a divorce lawyer.

Gleaming, your yellow Frigidaire sheltered three-layer Jell-O molds and shepherd’s pie. This diligent appliance stood far enough away from the two doorways that girls could binge-eat Neapolitan ice cream without being seen.

We request that you call us on your rotary wall phone at 617-555-1313 to discuss the awarding of your prize.

Sincerely,

Erin O’Flaherty

Selective Memory Foundation of Boston

Patricia Flaherty Pagan is the award-winning author of Trail Ways Pilgrims and Enduring Spirit: Stories. She teaches flash fiction writing online for Writespace. She lives in a brown house near the sea with her family and her three mischievous rescue cats. Learn more about her at www.patriciaflahertypagan.com. Follow her on Instagram @patriciaflahertypaganauthor and on Tiktok @bookwoman72.