Tangerine Skies

Weekly Writing Prompt #293 from

http://sundayswhirligig.blogspot.com/2020/11/whirligig-293.html

 Prompt words in red.

photo by me, taken 9-2019

Remember The Beatles song about a tangerine sky?  Or maybe it was marmalade.  It doesn’t matter; they’re practically the same thing.  I’m sticking with tangerines, I don’t like marmalade.  The sky probably looked just like this one.  I remember how I listened to that album too many times to count.  And the movie?  Don’t get me started.  Sure, that was longer ago than I’d care to admit, and I’d be grateful if you didn’t ask how long!  I’ll tell you, that Blue Meanie was definitely psychotic.  What? I'm just saying.  I don't mean anything by it, some of my best friends are psychotic!

Hey!  If you aren’t too tired, let’s go stream Yellow Submarine!  I’ll bet I’m right about the tangerine sky!  Time’s ticking!  Wait... let me finish this last sip.  Mmmm…  Nobody makes a Malibu Sunset like I do, right?  Maybe I ought to use tangerines next time, in remembrance of The Beatles.  Of course, they’re only half dead, aren’t they, so it wouldn’t really be in “remembrance” of them, just of the song.  I mean, it’s got orange juice; I’ll just use tangerine juice instead.  Do they make tangerine juice?  Well, tangerines make tangerine juice, but I’d rather buy it than get all wet squeezing my own.  I am NOT a citrus fruit squeezer.  You know how I got that squirt of lemon in my eye that time.  I’ve never squeezed my own again.  Don’t laugh, it hurt like hell and my mascara ran.

Ahhh… the scent is sure something else, too.  Something else besides tangerines anyway.  Ha ha!  Did I tell you about the tangerine chapstick I had back in the day?  Uh-huh, tangerine.  Colored and flavored.  Stained my lips orange!  Chapped them too, since it tasted so good I was always licking them.  Not a good thing in chapstick to taste good, that’s what I always say. 

Do they still make that lipstick called Tangerine something?  Tangerine Glow?  Tangerine Tango?  Tangee?  Yeah, maybe that’s it.  Tangee.  My mother used to wear it.  It didn't taste like tangerines though.  Of course I know it didn’t, I bit the end off my mother’s and let me tell you, was she ever mad. She wasn’t fooled either when I tried to tell her the housekeeper did it!  Oh, I was the living end, Tammy!  It was only from the Rexall downtown, not like Nordstrom of someplace like that.  It was the only lipstick she owned.  Can you imagine?  One lipstick?  And she was one of the trendsetters in our cul-de-sac! 

Sigh…  I could just sit here all night and watch the tangerine sky, drinking Malibu Sunsets. Listen!  Do NOT spoil it by explaining what makes the sunset sunset colors!  DO NOT!  I won’t ask you to come have drinks with me if you’re going to spoil things by being all sciency.  I’ll have to rename it though.  Something like Malibu Tango, or Tangee Sunset.  Maybe add a little mango and have myself a Mango Tango. I like the sound of that. What do you think? 

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