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This class assignment was to showcase an argument between family members where it doesn’t come to a resolution. This is a prequel piece for the first book I “wrote” (still collecting dust in 1st draft form) starring the book’s protagonist, Mackenzie Porter, and her mother who struggles to figure out who she is.
Lost and Confused By Sara Curto “You’re wearing that?” Mack challenged her mother. “What’s the matter with this?,” she replied looking down at her flannel shirt unbuttoned to show off her ample cleavage, bootcut jeans and cowboy boots, “Harrison is taking me Line dancing, I want to fit in.” “You hate country music.” “I don’t hate it, I never really gave it a chance before. Harrison has really opened my eyes, well maybe I should say my ears, to the heart & soul of it.” Mack rolls her eyes, “so are you going to turn into a Cowgirl for him? Like you turned into a stepford wife for the banker, a motorcycle chick for the ZZ Top lookalike or the bookworm for the librarian?” “Mackenzie Porter, how dare you!” “How dare I? How dare you Mom. I’m so sick of this.” “Well I’m sick of your attitude. You’re 16 years old, you know nothing about love and dating.” “Honestly Mom, I don’t think you know much about it either. Do you really hate your life so much? You already work such long hours at the hospital and then you spend every moment not working with whoever you’ve decided is the flavour of the month, changing yourself to whatever ideal of a woman that they want.” Patricia slumps down onto the couch, her eyes filling with tears, “being a single mom is hard, Mack. I never signed up for this. Your father up and running to the other side of the country with a woman half my age, it shook me. I’m the one responsible for you and your sister while he gets to swoop in during holidays, for all the fun bits. I’m lonely.” “Mom, I want you to be happy, but how can you be happy never being yourself?” “I don’t know who I am anymore, I’m trying to figure it all out. Yes, it’s a bit trial and error,” she smiles through her tears, “but I’m hoping I’ll discover who I am AND love at the same time.” “It seems to me that all the books and stuff say you need to love yourself first before you find love, maybe you need to take some time off from dating.” “I’m not young like you Mack, I don’t have the luxury of waiting. I want to get married again, I want to want to spend more time at home.” “Aren’t Nat and I enough?” “Of course you two are, but spending time with your teenagers it isn’t the same as someone who’s in love with you, besides you shouldn’t want to spend so much time with me,” “I don’t want to spend all my time with you, but some time would be nice,” Mack jumps off the couch to glare at her mother, “why can’t you want to spent time with us? We love you for who you are. Instead of chasing some idea of love from someone who doesn’t even know you because you won’t show them the real you.” “Mack, you’re twisting my words.” “Am I though? You literally just said you want to want to spend more time at home, which implies that right now you don’t want to spend time at home. Plus, that you’ll only want to spend time here once you have a man living here, it won’t be us it’ll be them. How am I supposed to interpret that?” “I’m a woman and a mother, I have wants and desires. Your father took the best years from me and wasted them by throwing them out the window, tossing me aside like I was trash,” her voice cracked but it did nothing to calm Mack down. “And I’m your daughter, who just wants a mom. A mom who cares, who supports, who just wants to spend time with me.” Mack turns her back on her mother and dashes from the house for the woods, hoping that a run will make her feel better.
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You’ve worked hard on getting the interview. Now it’s time to make sure you get that coveted offer! Which is why I’m doing a quickie training this week - my top five tips for acing any interview! Watch it here! This week was a fun writing assignment, the first that doesn’t have a love angle for me!
The goal, it’s a conversation between two individuals who both want different things. In the scene we were supposed to highlight how one single conversation could actually be two individual ones. There were a list of pairs that we could choose from and I chose the Doctor and Party-Goer The goal of each of my characters: Doctor wants to order a drink from the bar Party-Goer wants free medical advice The Gala By Sara Curto Dr. Robert J. Lowell and his wife, Suzanne, walked hand in hand into the Save the Monkeys gala. They were a picture of perfection. Him dapper in his perfectly tailored black tuxedo. Her dripping with jewels over her emerald green gown. He stood slightly behind Suzanne while she gushed with one of the party planners. He didn’t want to be there, was only here because his wife was one of the organizers. From across the room he spotted Fred Dryer. He paniced when they lock eyes, terrified that Fred will come find him and corner him like he does every year asking him question and question about his different medical conditions. He decided he must escape, and quick. A whiskey was exactly what he needs, so he nods at the bar to Suzanne and leaves her to her conversation. Crisis averted. A double whiskey and my seat, that’s all I need, he celebrated to himself. He celebrated too soon. “Doc! I was hoping to see you here,” Fred guffawed as he roughly patted Robert’s shoulder. “Nice to see you Fred, I’m just getting a…” the Doctor tried to sneak past him. “What a year it’s been. Remember last year, I had those hemorrhoids I was telling you about?” “A drink will help me remember…” “This here is a doozy, and I can’t wait to get your professional opinion” “We’re aren’t in my practice, I can’t give you my opinion” “Yes, you’re right, wink, wink” “Would you like a drink, Fred?” “I’ve got one here, so I’m good. Now those hemorrhoids. You see my Doctor thought a cream was all that was needed. But they were becoming the size of golf balls. I couldn’t even sit down without being in agony.” “Hmmhmm,” Robert began inching his way closer to the bar, tuning out the details. He was a podiatrist for Pete’s sake. “So give it to me straight, a second opinion, would you have done the same?” “I’m not the expert on hemorrhoids Fred, but I am on whiskey, just going to…” Robert slinked past Fred, the bar within sneezing distance. Fred interrupted again, trying to jump in front of Robert, “actually if we can just sit, I have a growth on my foot I need to show you,” Robert sighed in defeat. “I’ll take a look Fred, but I need a drink first.” He ordered a triple, and with his head hanging followed Fred to a seat vowing that next year he was definitely going to stay home. |
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