TINY TUESDAY (m)
Find a Conversation
TINY TUESDAY (m)
| Tue, 01-29-2002 - 10:34am |
TINY TUESDAY (m)
This week, write a scene or short story that takes place in a small town and centers on the town’s gossip.
Have fun,
Mac

Pages
Thanks E,.. for the critique! :)
Thanks Linda....I'm glad you liked it n/t
Waitin for Announcements...
“Hush up, now, everybody,†urges Hal, waving his hands over the assembled farm folk inside Hi-Way Grub. He turns the CO-OP radio up.
“Did you get Sophie’s godmother’s sister on the air for today’s broadcast?†Jane hisses to her husband Jake. He shrugs his orange reversible vest; Jane rolls her eyes.
“I told you, three o’clock is the deadline. You gotta phone it in before three.†Jane glowers. Jake studies the fine print on the sugar packets and ignores his wife.
Lena and Esther in the next booth exchange knowing looks over their steaming mugs of sugared decaf. Lena waves at Jane over the red booth wall and pats the vinyl bench beside her. Jane scuttles over, carrying her diesel-smelling parka.
“Doctor says mother-in-law won’t last till dinner,†Lena confides. “We’re going there straight after announcements.â€
“Oh, Lena, I’m so sorry,†replies Jane. “She looked quite ill yesterday.â€
Esther joins in. “How’s Sophie’s godmother’s sister in Morden?â€
“We lost her in the morning, yesterday,†Jane replies.
“Oh, so sorry, Jane,†Says Lena. “Is she gonna be on announcements today?â€
“I hope so,†Jane sighs. “I told Jake to call it in …†Jane, Lena, and Esther all cluck in tandem like chickens in a henhouse. “Is Sophie still at the bank these days?†asks Esther.
Jane nods. “She was gonna get a promotion until they transferred Billie over from Plum Coulee.†Jane waves the others closer. “They say Billie had relations with the manager.â€
Tut-tuts circle the table like a merry-go-round.
“Billie done that at the Ribs-n-Things place too, didn’t she?†Lena shakes her Toni permed head with care.
“Yeah,†says Esther. “Billie was caught stealin money from the till. Then she had relations to avoid being charged.â€
“She was the minister’s third wife, right?†asks Lena. “Those Orthodox are all alike.â€
“Aye,†the women chorus and sip their coffee.
Jake joins the other men at the counter, armed with a thermos of Ovaltine and a plate of peanut butter cookies each. Chatty Lenny starts it off.
“If the rain holds off, we can get the wheat in this week. That is, unless there’s funerals tomorrow and Friday.†The green UGG hats nod like sunflowers.
“Things are pretty slow at the Ribs-n-Things since they let Billie go, hey?†Jake contributes, pouring nine teaspoons of brown sugar into his mug.
“Yep,†says Edgar. “But they say you can get a good deal on a loan at the bank where Billie and Sophie work. The manager’s pretty cheerful these days.†They nod again.
“Hush, now!†scowls Hal. “Funeral announcements are about to start.â€
My kind of floozie...
I love yellow retrievers. Goose Gathering indeed! Too funny!
Eyewrite
Who Knows...
I'm not even sure the mayor's wife is a lush or is seeing the football coach. You never know with Miss Thelma.
I know Miss Thelma too... she's my grandmother.
Thanks Linda, Glad You Got A Chuckle Out Of Miss Thelma (nt)
Wonderful...
I'd have never guessed the big blonde was a golden retriever. Great job!
Wonderful!!! (m)
You've painted a very realistic picture of the small town beauty shop. Like your characters, those women love to sit around listening to gossip more than the services performed. And I loved your ending about going to Bible study.
As usual, I enjoyed your fantastically entertaining story,
Mac
You sneaky little devil (m)
You got me with the Golden Retriever. I was buying into the "big blonde" thing all the way!!! This was great, Linda, and a ton of fun to read.
Mac
Pages