Sisterly Affection - Part Two
Cast:
R- eldest daughter - 22
C- middle daughter - 17
M - delightful, engaging, and intelligent family matriarch
The Scene: Evening at a typical American family home. Light filters down over 3 people playing UNO at a dinner table while waiting for expected guests. Joyous laughter is heard and giddy happiness is evident on their faces.
R: C, it's your turn to shuffle.
C: I hate to shuffle.
R: Okay, it's still your turn to shuffle.C: No. I hate to shuffle.
R (groans in an exaggerated fashion): Oh, please. Give me a break! It's your turn to shuffle!
C: (stubbornly) I hate to shuffle.
M (reaching for cards): Here. I'll do it.
M shuffles the cards in a graceful as well as adroit fashion and deals a hand for each player. Being that R is the next person clockwise from C, it's her turn.
M: R, go ahead. It's your turn.
R: No it isn't. C didn't shuffle, you did. It's C's turn.
C: I'm not going. Mom shuffled for me.
R: It was your turn to shuffle! You didn't. Mom did. Therefore, it's your turn to go first.
C: Mom shuffled for me, therefore it's your turn to go first.
R: No it isn't! You did not shuffle. Since you did not shuffle and mom did, YOU go next!
C: I'm not going to go next.
Let it be clear at this point that there is an innocuous UNO card showing. No "Wild Card Draw Four", no "Skip", no "Reverse" or "Draw Two". There is no harm evident for the player going first.
R: (R has what appears to be a teasing grin on her face, but it is belied by the cool, steely look in her eyes.) Fine. I'm leaving if you're not going to play properly.
C: (shrugging) Okay, go ahead. Whatever. I'm not going first.
M (Calm, collected demeanor starting to crack): What are you two going on about? Someone go next!
R: I'm not going next.
C: I'm not going either.
M:
(M takes a look around the table at her daughters. She looks a bit wild and honestly can't even remember why they wanted to play this foolish game in the first place. She takes a calculated risk and, crossing her fingers behind her back, asks C for her cooperation) C? Why don't you go ahead?
C: (C looks over to her mother and decides to be helpful and gracious) Okay.
Play resumes - finally.
Scene closes (thankfully!!)
2 comments:
I know this family! I can attest to the description of the loving mother as delightful, engaging, and unspeakably intelligent. I have witnessed with my very own eyes that both the mother and the father of these, ahem, ‘spirited’ children have devoted every fiber of their beings towards raising fine progeny. One can only surmise that the children’s uncharacteristic behavior must be due to a recent bad influence. One wonders if the children in question have perhaps been running with the wrong crowd of late? Have these customarily delightful girls recently associated themselves with *gasp* boys? That indeed would explain the sad conduct. Boys are evil. Let us learn from this.
I was right. C was wrong. Obviously. I don't even know why this warranted an entire post.
^_^
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