17 Sep 2013 5 Comments

“Hello?”

“Hi! Yes, it’s Jim. Jim from Match.com.”

“Oh, hey! Good timing.”

“Yes, well, as you know, I’m your Case Manager. I’m just calling to see how things are going.”

“Really? Wow. You guys over there at Match.com work this late?”

“Well, a Case Manager like me does. I have a lot of you women to keep track of, you know. I do what I can to make sure you gals get plenty of action.”

“Well, I’m glad you called.”

“Yah, well, listen. I was just reviewing your file and noticed you haven’t been getting many hits. Any hits. No winks. No messages in the inbox. Nothing happening for quite some time now.”

“Well, my toilet’s clogged up.”

“I don’t see how that has anything to do with this.”

“Really? How do you expect me to get a date when my toilet doesn’t work? How could I have a man over if there was no place to… you know…?”

“Mmhmm. But back to the point of my call this evening. I was thinking we should get together. Take a look at your profile. Analyze it. See what’s turning the guys away.”

“Okay. How about tomorrow?”

“Mmm, I don’t know. I’m awfully busy…”

“But, you’re my Case Manager.”

“Okay, tomorrow works.”

“My place?”

“Sure.”

“And maybe you could take a look at my toilet while you’re here.”

This post was written for the Weekly Writing Challenge: Dialogue. “Begin a post with a scene that includes dialogue.”

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/09/16/writing-challenge-dialogue/

Link by randee

16 Sep 2013 11 Comments

“Your word is lodging,” stated the pronouncer.

“L-o-g-g-i-n-g.” She spelled it quickly, confidently. And wrong.

She was seven, a second-grader, the youngest student in the oral competition of the school spelling bee.

I glanced at the judges. There were three of them. And I watched as they raised their cards, almost simultaneously. All three were showing a green card.

“Correct,” declared the pronouncer.

What? I thought. None of them heard her misspell the word? Now I glanced sideways, furtively, at those around me. Had anyone else in the audience heard her misspell the word? Would they stand up and object? Correct the judges? Expect her to be disqualified or, in the least, given another word to try?

No one looked concerned. No one looked uncomfortable. No one looked like they were feeling the way I was feeling.  Surely they were paying attention. This was only the first round.

I know I heard her spell the word with two g’s instead of with dg. But now the next child was at the microphone and the next word had been pronounced.

My daughter went to the microphone again and again and correctly spelled the words render, clothe, dozen, parade, fielder, and retreat, while slowly, steadily, the other students—all fourth and fifth graders—were eliminated.

And that’s how a second grader won the Spelling Bee.

The short one, third from the right.

The short one, third from the right.

By the time I was able to tell the judges what happened, the awards had been given, the audience long gone.

By the time I was able to tell the judges what happened, the awards had been given, the audience long gone.

**This post was written for the Weekly Writing Challenge – Begin a post with a scene that includes dialogue.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/09/16/writing-challenge-dialogue/

Link by randee