This is my homework assignment taken from, my Mastering Dialogue Class - which is part of Creative Writing Now Course that I'm currently taking. For this homework we had to write without using subtext 'what' the issue/problem is etc.
If you can't quite get 'what' Peter & Jenny are talking about, the hint is when Peter turns on the radio :) Can you guess what they are talking about?
WORTH IT?
“So, I've arranged for us to go meet with Gill, at 3pm.”
“Oh." Jessy's grip tightened around the broom handle, "Okay, sounds good."
“Do you want to call the sitter and ask her to pick Jack up from school? Peter kicked off his shoes, and set the pile of paperwork on the table.
Jenny rolled her eyes, “Um, sure, I guess so.” She glanced at his dirty shoes laying on her clean floor. Bending down, she swept the pile of crumbs up.
“You guess so? Peter opened the fridge, grabbed a beer, pulled back the tab and took a long swig. “Ah... Just what I needed. You know we don't have all the time in the world to get this sorted out.” He sat down at the table, and spread the paperwork across it.
“Sorry Hun. I've just been so busy with arranging and cleaning the house. I've been at it all day and I'm a little worn out.” She tipped the full dustpan into the trash. “Give me five, then I give the sitter a call.”
“When you have a minute, come take a look at these, we have to take our top three with us, when we meet with Gill.”
Wrapping the telephone cord around her finger, pulling it a little tighter each time, she answered, “Sure Hun.” She hung up the phone, grabbed her glass of water, walked over to the dinner table and sat next to Peter, “SO... What do we have here?” She scanned the numerous printouts, as a sigh escaped her lips.
“This is so exciting, don't you think.” He looked at his wife. Huh, she did look a little tired, maybe she has been working hard lately, he thought. He smiled, “This will change everything for the better, I'd say, don't you agree?” Then he took another long swig of his beer.
She picked up a couple of pictures, scrunched her eyebrows as she scrutinized them,“These look good, don't you think?”
“Nice, but not quite to my liking. We don't have much time before we need to leave.” He shuffled some pictures around, picked up two, “How about these? They look great, don't you think.”
She glanced at the three pictures in his hands, smiled, "Nice." She tilted her head a little, her eyes watched as a squirrel scurried across the grass and ran up the tree.
“How about these two, Jen? They look good, ticks off everything we're looking for, don't you think? Um... Should we just take the first three or take all five?”
Her fingers picked and twisted at the hem of her shirt, “They look wonderful, let's take all five, we can make the final decision at Gills.” Her eyes fell upon the flower beds and how her careful planning last spring had paid off this summer, as the vibrant pops of color encircled the whole garden's edge.
Peter slipped his shoes back on, grabbed the paperwork, “Okay, grab your things,” he scooped up his keys and cell, “If we don't leave now, we'll get stuck in school traffic.” No answer, he spoke louder, "Jenny, are you listening?” He quizzed.
Hearing her name, broke her reverie, “Huh, did you say something?” She glanced in Peter's direction.
“Earth to Mrs. Daydream... Go grab your purse and let's head out.” He chuckled.
Peter looked at Jenny, her eyes did seem a little darker, maybe she should get more sleep he thought. “You go get your shoes on, I'll grab your purse and meet you in the truck.”
Jenny stood up off her chair, put the half empty glass in the sink and gave it a quick swill, leaving it to dry on the side. She then ambled her way down the hallway, glancing at the photographs that hung on the wall. Opening the door to the coat closet, she popped her pumps on and headed outside. Just as she stepped onto the front porch, Peter honked the horn.
“I'ma coming, Geez hold your horses!” She hollered, then followed with a quick smile.
“What took you so long? How long does it take to put a pair of shoes on?” He backed the truck out of the driveway and down the street.
Running her hand across the leather dash, she asked, “Will you miss this?”
With a quick glance at her, he answered, “Nope... I can't wait. This will be amazing, I mean, come on Jen, look at the opportunity were having, no-one get this chance every day.” He grabbed her hand, lifted it to his lips and placed a quick kiss upon it. “You've got to agree, this is a once in a lifetime deal, let's just embrace it.”
Her other hand gripped the side of the seat, her fingernails dug into the leather, “Yeah, you're right. We won't get another chance like this, do you think Jack, will like it?”
“For sure. I mean, who wouldn't like it. This is going to be quite the adventure and well worth it.” Peter turned the radio on then started to sing along with the song that played, “London Calling to the faraway towns...”
Peter was clearly enjoying singing along with the song, so, Jenny turned her head, watched the trees whiz by, as fresh tears quietly trickled down her cheeks.
Copyright 2014 Freckles. All Rights Reserved.
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