Tuesday 2 April 2013

Snippets of Conversation


Surreal exchange before breakfast.

"Couldn’t get a wink of sleep for elephants.”

“Elephants? Trumpeting, you mean?"

“No, just huge elephants, selfish beasts, taking up every bit of room there was.”

“Indeed? What were you? The zookeeper?”

“ No, not really, I was meant to hold one of them.”

“A bit big for that, surely.”

“Absolutely. Nearly cracked my ribs. Broke my arm, anyway.”


Reaches over to open the fridge door. 

Hm, sausages,” tongue slightly out, clamped between the teeth, voice coming through the nose, like Esther Rantzen’s dog.



Later, in the surgery, I’m waiting for a prescription to be filled. Meryl comes in, sees Kitty already there.

“Hello Kitty, brrr, isn’t it cold. How are you?”

“Not too bad, really.”

“Good, that’s the ticket.”

“Well, I’m not really all that good. Wouldn’t be here otherwise, would I?”  Kitty sniggers hopefully. 

Meryl gives in.

“Sorry to hear that."

“I’m in such a muck-sweat every night, it wakes me up. Like I just come out of the shower. No idea why. Doctor doesn’t know either.

“That’s bad, that is, Our mother had that too, towards the end.”

Kitty is speechless.







PS, added later:  The elephant in the kitchen is an early morning conversation in our house. Weird dreams no longer need an introduction when being recounted.



34 comments:

  1. Good catches on both those snippets!
    Poor Kitty.

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  2. I have admit, I love to overhear stranger's conversations. You got some good ones.

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  3. Good old Meryl. Nice knowing you Kitty.

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  4. Don't we all get them? And hopefully it's not too near the end for me!

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  5. haha toward the end...that is comforting...and carrying elephants i imagine would be rather back breaking...

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  6. I didn't get the first one. Absence from reading anything the last 2 weeks has obviously made me dim.

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  7. I always want to butt in and come up with good solutions that make things sound not as dire. Because of lack of good communication skills, there are so many misunderstanding in this world.

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  8. Well caught snippets of conversation, Friko. I enjoyed pondering them both, wondering about the people involved. :-)

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  9. I did enjoy 'towards the end'....I could just hear that.

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  10. That 'elephant' snippet is going to run through my head all day. Did she mean her hubby, did she mean cats/dogs in the bed, did she mean the metaphorical 'elephant in the room' (worries that kept her awake)??? Curious-er and curious-er??

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  11. Of late, have also had elephants roaming around my bedroom as wedding preparations begin to escalate. Could have easily joined in on the conversation! But poor speechless Kitty....we all know someone who speaks first before the brain is engaged.

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  12. Hi Friko - like Esther Rantzen's dog ... and sausages and elephants .. what a good mix up for a post ... I reckon Kitty is dreaming of elephants ...

    But who knows how cold my toes are tiddleeee pom ...

    The thought of my dreams being caught banded about is a little worrying!! Love the post - cheers Hilary

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  13. dreams are so crazy aren't they. wonder what on earth sparked the elephants. night sweats? not such a mystery.

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  14. Ha, ha, ha :" towards the end" !!!

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  15. I love hearing about weird dreams - they do make a good conversation piece :) (and snippets of conversation in the doctor's surgery)

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  16. Great conversation snippets. Meryl's response to Kitty is one to remember.

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  17. Great conversation bit! I must remember Meryl's response for future reference!

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  18. Oh I'm the dream scrying type in a casual way as well & recognized a fellow spirit here again. 'At the end...speechless' Priceless!:-)


    Aloha

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  19. Friko, my sleep is usually so deep that I am unaware of my dreams. However...every now and then I do find myself in the midst of some amazing dramas, with lots of surrealism and visual puns. How I wish I did have someone with me at the breakfast table with whom I could share these adventures.

    Dream plot lines vanish very quickly.

    xo

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  20. The most tantalizing snippet of conversation I overhead took place as I was waiting for the "down" elevator.
    The "up" elevator arrived at my floor, and the doors opened. I heard a woman say, "Of course that was before he shot his brother-in-law. Anyway, as I said to Monica ... "
    The doors closed and I never heard any more.

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  21. Love your snippets, Friko. "Towards the end" ... too funny. I will make it a challenge to work those words into a conversation tomorrow.

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  22. Ha Friko. I loved your closing comment! :-) - Dave

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  23. "our mother had that too, towards the end"
    hahahahahaha

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  24. I love your ear and memory for dialogue - so accurate and retentive.

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  25. Ein Hoch auf Schlagfertigkeit! Gut gekontert Meryl! :-)

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  26. I wonder if Kitty has had a close encounter with those elephants, whilst on a sleeping safari?

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  27. Yes, weird dreams. I recognize them immediately. The second conversation is a killer. Dianne

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  28. Had me thinking of Hemingway, then of Dorothy Parker. I won't overinterpret, I'll just enjoy.

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  29. Good ol' Meryl - there's a woman to lift your spirits...

    Anna :o]

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  30. That is so funny Friko – you hear the most amusing exchanges. As for dreams, are you on some type of medication? My husband, who is, gets also the weirdest dreams. I unfortunately keep dreaming about work – even though I am retired. After so many years working, I guess it took a toll on my spyche.

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  31. I'm a huge fan of those sorts of micro-conversations. I often listen to my boys talk just to capture them.

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