Would You Trust This Woman?
In my previous post, I prematurely gushed about my high hopes for a grand relationship with my new critique partner, Kath Atwell.
That entry was written in the free wifi-enabled lobby of the Music City Sheraton, before Ms. Atwell and I resumed our travels together back to Kansas City.
Let's just say you learn a lot about a person in crummy airport restaurants.
We both ordered the salad with the fried chicken strips on top, and Kath ordered a Coke. Sounds simple, huh? One check, divide it evenly by two, and be done with it. Even math-challenged word people can handle routine assignments like this.
The bill came and we rummaged through our purses. I didn't spend any money to speak of during the conference, so I knew I had a small wad of twenties left. I knew my cash so well, in fact, that I felt certain I pulled one of those puppies out and plunked it down on top of the bill for $20.10.
"I've only got twenties," I said, thinking we'd cover the basic charge first and then come up with a tip. "Do you have a ten you could give me?"
Kath pulled one out and handed it to me with no apparent reservation. "Sure." Then she hesitated before adding, "But now I've paid $30."
Have I mentioned I don't know her that well?
I pointed at the $20 on the table. "That's mine."
"No, it's mine," she said.
So I added her $10 to the $20 on the table, scooped them both up and handed them to her. What else could I do?
"I don't know what's happened," I said, "but let's just forget the whole thing and start over."
I reached into my purse for another twenty.
"Okay," she said. "Should I say the same thing?"
Man! She's good!
Posted by
Katy on 09/19/05 at 02:55 PM
Fallible Comments...
- Doug just read this and said, "Oh, I get it. She was just pulling your leg." OH, NO, SHE WASN'T! Each of us still believes that we plunked down the original $20. And when she said, "Should I say the same thing?" she was so SINCERE!!! The two of us couldn't stop laughing all the way to KC...
-----
Posted by Katy on 09/19/05 at 09:27 PM
- If Kath kept "saying the same thing," I'd be broke in a KC minute!
Posted by Katy on 09/19/05 at 09:28 PM
- I am still laughing when I read this!!!!!!!! I tell you what - Katy is the most hilarious person I've ever known. Now, in all fairness, don't you think you should hear my view of this event? Here's my side - we were going to pay for the lunch, so I pulled out a $20 to cover the whole bill and I was getting ready to ask Katy for the $10 which would cover her part of the bill, right? Suddenly she's asking me if I have change for a $10 and then she is hanging on tight to that $10, so I'm thinking "Gee, I guess she isn't going to pay for her lunch." Then, she actually asked me for more money! Now I knew that I shouldn't have to pay $30 for this salad lunch.
Suddenly I could tell she thought that my twenty was her twenty. Uh oh. We discussed this briefly and then she suggested we start from the beginning - a fresh start - and I asked her, "Do you want me to say the same thing?" with the thought that if you get confused about something it's always good to replay the whole thing to job your memory. I was serious. She thought I was kidding at first - I think she thought I was trying to con her out of yet another $20 - or is it $30? I still can't remember.
As a matter of fact, I'm getting totally confused just reading my own blog reply here. I think I'll just give it up and call Katy and see if she wants to do lunch today!!!! LOL
Posted by Kath on 09/19/05 at 09:38 PM
- I, too, am totally lost in your ten or twenty or thirty - but so glad we all get to a place where loosing $30 is SO much better than loosing a great friend - and even better when it's funny, too!
So, I was on my way into the study to my computer after I invited my daughter's friend into the house and transacted business with the Schwan's man, and right there, on the floor of my foyer, was a pair of MY panties! NO kidding!!! I had brought the dirty clothes down from upstairs and that one pair of MY panties must have fallen out and I didn't notice it until after I had a guest come into my house and a man transact business in my front door! Oh, well, gotta love those panties! What would we do without panties and great friends and thirty dollar salads for lunch???
Posted by Ame on 09/20/05 at 01:12 AM
- Sounds like you'll make great critique partners...neither of you will remember what either of you said. :)
-M
Posted by Michael Main on 09/20/05 at 01:17 AM
- Uh, how 'bout a snack after our next HACWN meeting? Bring several tens cuz I might need to "make change."
Posted by Paul N. on 09/20/05 at 03:15 AM
- -blinks- I'm so confused, my head hurts!
How about, you two are good friends, good partners and we'll go with it...?
Posted by Lynn on 09/20/05 at 06:28 AM
- I'm just plain confused! Whose $20 was it really? Did you two stop at that restaurant that was in the Twilight Zone all the time? By the way, can I go to lunch with you...I've got $20's...I think.. lol
Posted by Bonnie Calhoun on 09/20/05 at 09:43 AM
- Just think of it this way-- how much would you pay for a friendship? $20? $30? 50? 1000? $100,000? You could both just call it even and be thankful for a friend that you would pay far more for. (o:
Posted by Pattie on 09/20/05 at 07:44 PM
- Outstanding site, Katy.
And you've been bookmarked. As a matter of fact, you were bookmarked on my old computer as well. I lost a lot when that computer died.
It was truly a pleasure and an honor to meet you at the conference. I'm ready for the next one, how about you?
Okay, now, I'm ready for my dubbing.
Posted by michael snyder on 09/21/05 at 03:46 AM
- Kath--I believe you, ma'am, are incorrigible! :)
Ame--You are so right! What's a few bucks when a friendship is at stake? Or at steak? Or at salad?
And I'm so glad you brought me back to my senses by mentioning panties--it's been far too long!!
Michael Main (One Of The Soon-To-Be Four Michaels Who Comment Here)--Tee, hee! Yeah, it's going to be pretty hard to take each other's advice too seriously from now on...and that's probably not a bad thing.
Paul N.--Wow! The opportunists are popping out of the workwork, baby! I'm afraid I am an easy mark if math is involved. You may have quite your fill of affordable after-writers-group snacks!
Lynn--Amen, sister. Good friends, it is. :)
Bonnie--That's the thing! We have no idea whose $20 it was! Or which one of us might have come out ahead, and why! It's a math problem neither of us are bright enough to wrap our minds around....but we're smart in other ways, I like to think...
Pattie--Oh, yeah. If we had to pay for our friends, how much would we pony up? In my lifetime, I've had a few that I'd die for. Twenty bucks is a joke in the friend department.
Attention Everybody! It's official! Michael Snyder is now dubbed as "One Of The Four Michaels Who Comment Here."
Michael Snyder--Woo, hoo! You win the prize, which is worth either more or less than $20, depending on if you happen to have a ten on you. I am bookmarking you, too, with the sincere hope that you'll keep those blog entries coming even if you ARE busy finishing your book! (Watch for Michael's name on an upcoming novel one day soon, people. He's a brilliant writer.)
Posted by Katy on 09/21/05 at 05:26 AM
- Okay, I'm working on this thread.
Now, Katy....who do I make that check out to?
Thanks for the vote of confidence. I'm going to copy it down on a sitcky note and post it to my computer screen!
Mike
Posted by michael snyder on 09/22/05 at 01:35 AM
- Note this says there are 12 comments but I see three...
Hmm...
Posted by Michael Main on 09/22/05 at 06:23 AM
- Okay after I posted that comment all the others showed up...
Well Blogback is dying in a few weeks anyway..
-MM
Posted by Michael Main on 09/22/05 at 06:24 AM
- Michaels Number One and Four--It must be a blogback thing. Doug is working on me getting switched over to Expression Engine before the deadline on blogback. I sure wouldn't want to lose all my fabulous comments! I'll tell you what, sometimes you commenters are my lifeline!
Posted by Katy on 09/22/05 at 07:42 AM
- Well, I used to have so many problems with money. Cash in particular. Like one time, I swear the clerk said I put up a five and I know it was a twenty. So, now if I place any money of any kind on a counter (or in this case a table) I very loudly name the currency. For instance, in a store, I put my twenty on the counter and very loudly say, "out of a twenty". I make sure the clerk has eye contact with the twenty. Never had a bit of trouble since. And I used to walk around holding money in my hand in a store. Never do that anymore either.
Posted by Candace Pfau on 09/23/05 at 03:48 AM
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