100 Word Challenge -- Writ large

The challenge this week from Velvet Verbosity is writ large. The idea was slow coming; the following is my effort.





The teacher’s words had rung in her ears as she worked, “If you put your best effort into you paper, your effort will pay off.”

She hadn’t been sure what that meant exactly, but she had a feeling it meant if she worked hard she wanted to get an A. That’s what she wanted more than anything because her sister said that she was dumb and that she could never get an A.

The teacher walked up and down the aisle passing back papers. There it was writ large at the top of the page for all to see.

Warning: Tampering Will Cause Garment to Be Ruined

On October 24, Robert and I attended the wedding of a friend's son. The wedding was held in the hometown of the bride 350 miles from our home.

I had purchased a new dress for this occasion a week before the wedding. The dress fit nicely and the sales clerk who checked me out was kind enough to place the dress in a garment bag where I left it until we were getting dressed to go the ceremony.

As I pulled the dress on over my head, I felt it. There on the seam of the sleeve was the security tag. You know that heavy white device with a warning about ink squirting on the dress (and you) if you tamper with it. The device that is supposed to sound an alarm if you shop lift the article.

What to do, what to do? The motel was next to strip shopping mall with several chain department stores in it. We decided to leave a little early for the wedding to see if maybe someone could remove the tag for me.

I made Robert go in the store with me. I figured I looked less guilty of shop lifting if he is standing embarrassed by me than if I just went in by myself. I know a kazillion words were coming out of my mouth as I stammered and stuttered to get my story told. The young sales girl chuckled, but was unable to help. They used a different kind of system for their security, but suggested a store they were pretty sure used the same type device as on my dress.

Here I went in alone with my rambling story about buying the dress some 350 miles away and blah, blah, blah. The sales clerks didn't seem interested in my tale at all, but just said for me to come around the counter so she could see if it would work. I had to do a little contortionist act because the removal system was mounded in the center of the counter.

The security tag was successfully removed so I didn't have to walk around all evening with my elbow glued to my side, then ramble on endlessly about how this had happened.

100 Word Challenge -- Falter

From Velvet Verbosity comes the 100 Word Challenge. And from the challenge, with the word falter as the prompt, came the following.



If I falter what will happen?
If I break down will they be able to carry on?
I’m so tired of trying to figure it out.

The news hit us all hard.
It wasn’t what any of us wanted to hear.
It’s not fair to anyone.

I just want to sit down, quit thinking.
It’s too much weight for me to bear.
Can’t you see I’m hurting too?

Life will go on
I know that so well,
But I can’t help but ask, “Why?”

I will continue to stand strong though.
I will not turn from God
He is my strength.

100 Word Challenge -- Place

From Velvet Verbosity comes the 100 Word Challenge each week. A one word prompt, a few loose rules and a wonderful writing exercise. This week I created a piece of fiction that probably could be found in be a very poor romance novel, but yet a scene that is played out in various forms in real life or so I imagine.


“My place or yours for coffee?” he asks as he gently placed his hand in the small of her back to guide her out of the noisy restaurant.

A million thoughts race through her mind, tumbling over each other, and making no sense at all. Did I clean the kitchen, pick up the bathroom? I wonder if his closets are cluttered or ultra neat like him. Do I even have coffee! What if he doesn’t like the décor of my place? If we go to his place I can leave when I want, but what if he doesn’t ask me to stay. Did I….

“My place or yours?” he repeats closer to her ear this time sending her heart racing with his heavenly musky scent.

“I know a quiet little all-night diner over on twenty-third,” she smiles. “They serve great coffee.”

“Chicken,” she thinks.

HAPPY BLOGOVERSARY!

This is my blogoversary. I've had this little space for two years now. I started a lot stronger than I am now. I fell into doing daily memes and then I moved away from them and then I almost quit blogging altogether.

But my blogspace has remained true to me. It is always there waiting for me to turn paper from white to speckled.

Shhhhh! Robert went on a job interview today with a local company. They are looking for a CFO (that's bank talk for Chief Financial Officer).

When he came in from the interview he felt really good. As a matter of face his comment was, "I'll be surprised if I don't get that job."

Excited, apprehensive, hopeful. So more when we hear more.

100 Word Challenge -- Rain

Velvet Verbosity, whose name I just love, has issued the new challenge for this week. The word to spark the imagination this week is RAIN. My mind went a thousand places but my fingers typed the following.



Farmer: “Man, we need rain before my crops all die.”

Woman: “The ground’s so dry my flowers are withering from lack of rain.”

Child: “God, grandpa and momma say we need rain. Could you send some, please.”

God smiled and sent the rain.

Farmer: “I can’t get in the fields to farm; the rain needs to stop.”

Woman: “This rain is nice but it must stop soon, the ground is turning into a bog.”

Child: “Thank you for the rain, Dear God. Can it stop? I want to go outside and play.”

God sighed and stopped the rain. He knows children need to play.