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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Home for Christmas (11/20/08)
"Mom? I have a great idea."

"Yeah?" she said in that long drawn out way. My mother-in-law, a Tennessee transplant into Kansas, had never lost the heavy southern drawl.

"I wondered if ya'll would come to our house this Christmas?" There, it was out. As I learned in my sales training, once the clincher was asked, the first to talk just made the purchase. So while I was acting the part of the salesman, I would wait for her answer. Neither of us talked for a long while.

"Well," she started. She didn't know the sales technique. "I guess I could ask Kathy. We'd have to rent a van; the kids like to watch movies and Dad and I can't take the long trip in our car. I'll have to see how long Kathy can take off from work." She was using her, "Pile on the problems this will create for me" technique. I wasn't going to buy it. They would just have to come to Texas this year. I hadn't put up a tree in 5 years because we were always going to Kansas for Christmas. Before that, I had put a tree up, only to enjoy it for 2 or 3 days and then off to Kansas.

"Okay, Mom," Retreat quickly. "Other phone ringing. Got to go...Love ya. Bye"

The kids will be so excited. I'll call Emily first.

"Hi, Emily..."

"Hi, I'm between classes; what's up? You usually don't call in the middle of the day."

"Great news...Grandpa and Grandma are coming to our house for Christmas this year!"

Silence.

"Emily? Are you still...?"

"Yeah, I'm here. I don't understand. We always go to Grandma's for Christmas.

This was not the response I thought I would get.

"Emily, you can help me decorate the whole house, and we get to put up a tree this year. And oh, we can bake all those Christmas cookies and do the chocolate covered peanut butter balls."

"All by ourselves? We always do that stuff with Aunt Kathy's kids. Mom...I got to go. I'll call you tonight." Click.

Oh, she'll think it over and realize how fun it will be. I'll text Aaron.

I hate texting, but I know answering a text is easier for him at work.

Aaron. It takes me forever to spell anything on the phone. Not going 2 Grandma's 4 Christmas. Send.

What He types so fast. He has to wait for my response.

G-ma coming to our house! I've learned from the kids that you don't use punctuation when texting. Takes too much time. To an old English teacher like me, it just doesn't seem natural, so I put in the exclamation mark.

Why not

Call me That means...I don't want to type it all out to explain it, so when you are free, call me. My kids and I have this understanding that if I write "CALL ME," then there's an emergency; Call right away. But this isn't an emergency...just want to spread the good news.

My phone rings.

"Mom! What do you mean not going to Grandma's?"

"I asked Grandma to come here this year. I thought it would be nice to stay home and decorate our own home for once. The 3 of you kids will be home..."

"It doesn't make sense. We can all be together at Grandma's. It wouldn't be Christmas if we didn't go to Grandma's."

Was I the only one wanting to stay home for Christmas?

"Mom...got another call. We'll talk tonight. Bye." Click.

I never dreamed I would get such a response from him. He's busy all the time-school, work, or fraternity. I thought he would want to have the time in town.

Kyle will go along with my plan. His first year in college; I know he wants to be home with his high school friends.

Wow...our minds are working together. He's calling me.

"Hi, Ky..."

"Mom, what's this about not going to Grandma's for Christmas?" News travels fast.

"I guess Aaron called you."

"Aaron and Emily. Are you crazy? I've already talked with Craig. He's going to be at Grandma's this year." Craig, in college in Missouri, hadn't spent Christmas with this side of the family since his parents divorced 10 years ago. "Isn't Grandpa going to be 80 years old on the 18th? Mom, of all years to pull the plug!"

"Hi, Mom...plans have changed. Hope you haven't rented that van yet."
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Member Comments
Member
Date
Yvonne Blake 
12/01/08
Wow! This is superbly written! I like the "mind game" at the beginning and the comments about texing. You definitely caught the teen characters. WEll DONE!
Sharon Kane
12/02/08
Very cleverly written. Don't most family rows happen when someone makes assumptions about what others will want? You captured that so well! The image of the older lady texting was spot on and made me smile. I did get a bit confused in that bit though as to who was writing what. I understand that putting quotation marks around everything would interefere with the effect of recreating how SMS looks. But I did have to re-read it to work it out. If you can find a way round that dilemma I'd like to see how you do it!
cindy yarger
12/03/08
Cute - well done!