Walking away is not an option... dialogue must prevail.

"A good listener tries to understand what the other person is saying. In the end he may disagree sharply, but because he disagrees, he wants to know exactly what it is he is disagreeing with."
- Kenneth A. Wells

"I do not want the peace that passeth understanding. I want the understanding which bringeth peace."
- Helen Keller

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Saturday Wordzzle - what was I thinking!

Make sure you scroll down for my last entry in Robert's Show me Photography Challenge.

Last weekend, as I was recovering from being zombified, I decided to try my hand at Raven's Saturday Wordzzle Challenge. I have to excuse for myself this week.

The words we were given for the ten-word challenge are:
spam, problematic, flower girl, splurge, milk, orphanage, lyrics, politics, ice cream cone, cactus.

Here goes:

Wally looked up at the old clock tower and it confirmed what his stomach had been telling him, it was lunch time. He’d been thinking about his SPAM sandwich for at least half an hour. He always made it with sweet pickles and mustard. No one had ever wanted to taste his concoction and to him that wasn’t problematic because he liked it too much to want to share anyway. He put down the wheelbarrow he’d been pushing, wiped his brow with his handkerchief and walked over to the back of his old beat up Chevy pick-up truck. He leaned in and grabbed his lunch in the much reused wrinkled brown paper bag and his thermos filled with ice cold milk. He walked briskly towards his usual spot under the willow tree because he always looked forward to his lunch dates with Phyllis. He didn’t have to say much with her, which was a good thing. Wally wasn’t well versed in topics like politics and current affairs. He just liked to sit by her and look at the clouds in the sky, just like when they were children growing up together at the orphanage. Over the years, they had watched every other kid get adopted by nice families. But every Sunday night, they’d still be there and Sister Margaret would give them an ice cream cone to console them. Phyllis always cried and he would put his arm around her. Secretly, Wally was happy... he wanted to stay with Phyllis forever. Back in the summer of ‘71, she would turn sweet 16 and he was a few months shy of 18. Her favourite rock band was Cactus and she knew all the lyrics to all their songs. He had saved up for months working as the groundskeeper and splurged on concert tickets to take her when they came to town. He was going to ask her to marry him that night. Maybe one of the little ones at the orphanage could be her flower girl, he remembered thinking. He never did get the chance to ask her. After all those years at the orphanage with the sisters, she decided to become a bride of God and entered the novitiate. “So what do you say Sister, is today the day you try one of these sandwiches?” he said, as he sat down next to her. She looked up from her rosary and smiled. Almost forty years later, she still had an impish smile.

Words for the mini challenge were: drag race, poppy seed, swinging from a star, John Denver, diagram.



Tim was taking a break from prepping his car for the drag race. He'd been using a diagram that he got from the John Denver look-a-like at the track. When a girl walked down pit lane looking like she was a dancer at the Swinging From a Star stripclub, he dropped his poppy seed bagel on the carburator and his coffee in the oil tank. What a mess! She winked at the competition... mission accomplished!

Be sure and visit Raven and the other participants!

21 comments:

Raven said...

I think these are both wonderful. You are superlative at this and way too modest.

Raven said...

Forgot to say that I got so fond of Wally in such a short time and I felt very sad for his unrequited love... and the poppy seed bagel and coffee in the oil tank was wicked and funny.

Jeff B said...

tee hee What a little vixen she was.

What a great love story the first one was too.

Laughter and love...well played.

Lu' said...

I truely enjoyed them both.

Jay said...

Great Wordzzles!

Sending the hot chick over to distract the competition. Works all the time. haha

Travis Cody said...

Very well done! One bittersweet and tender, the other sneaky!

Anndi said...

Raven: Thank you for the encouragement. Glad you liked Wally... he grew on me as I was writing.
Imagine what could have happened to the gas tank!

Jeff: Vixen? Why I don't know what you're talking about! *wink*
Love is about giving the other person freedom to be who they're meant to be.

Lu: I agonize over writing a lot... I appreciate your support. Thanks!

Jay: It does... er, I mean, what? *giggle*

Travis: I know sneaky, LOL.
Thanks, I value your opinion a lot.
SMOOCH

Anonymous said...

Why, why? I don't like unrequited love! I'm still reeling from the sister who died of caviar (yes, I really am!)?!

And that's exactly the effect you're looking for, right? Very memorable - grand applause!!

Carletta said...

That first one was so sweet! He still loves her too!

The mini was pure genius!
Never agonize over writing - you have a gift.

Linda Murphy said...

Hi there! Loved your Wordzzle-the first story is really lovely and so sad too.

The second was very clever.

Nice visiting you!

Chatty said...

Oh, both of these are wonderful - but the first one is SO bittersweet. All those years, and still friends. I loved it.

Charles Gramlich said...

Good 'un. Love that car too. When I first read through it I read "Chewy pickup truck." Kind of threw me off. LOL>

Brian o vretanos said...

Very good - I must try one of these challenges some time when I'm feeling awake...

Wasn't Sister Margaret the name of the matron in One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest?

Anndi said...

mommywiz: That was a wonderful compliment. Thank you so much.

Carletta: He does... I don't think Wally ever even let anyone come close after that.
The mini wrote itself in 3 minutes. It's funny how some words just know where to go.
Thank you dear friend.

Snoopmurph: Nice to have you stopping by! I'm glad you enjoyed your time.

Chatty: There's something innocent and true about "puppy love".

Charles: I was waiting for a guy to say something about the car LOL
Chewy? Bwahahahahahahahaha!

Brian: I can't wait to read what you come up with!
Thank goodness this is an orphanage and not a nuthouse!

Well... hmmmmm

Dianne said...

40 years later!! Oh Wally! I felt both sad and happy for him. Talk about dedication

and I loved your use of John Denver and Swinging from a Star in the mini

Great stories Anndi, you're good at this :)

Fortune Cookies said...

Great wordzzles! I really enjoyed reading the first one. And the second made me laugh! Hot women will foil the best laid plans every time :)

Akelamalu said...

Oh I like a love story, pity God got Wally's girl!

Dirty tricks by the opposition eh, the rotters! :)

Christo Gonzales said...

well done....

Anonymous said...

Remind me to never let him work on my car.

You're mission was accomplished! :)

Vinny "Bond" Marini said...

Nice job on both Anndi...I enjoyed the first one a great deal.

Anndi said...

Dianne: Thanks sweetie. Wally really is endearing, isn't he?

FC: Women rule! LOL Glad you liked them.

Akelamalu: I hear Drag racing is a cuthroat sport ;)

DB: Good for stories, not so much for steak ;) Thanks!

Slick: Hire a woman mechanic, problem solved ;)

Bond: Thanks. I enjoyed writing it.