character studies

OK, this one brings us up to date. We had to pick from a few options. I chose the one where one character was silent but described and the other had dialogue. Here it is:

Mae was a short, round woman, 4’11” tops and 180lbs, that brought to mind images of a cartoon banty hen; all round, wearing an apron and clucking perpetually about everything and nothing while running in endless circles. In sharp contrast James was tall, 5’11”, slightly built and soft spoken. He went through life with Mae trying not to make a ripple in the fabric of their marriage. Mae did not like ripples, and James would never hear the end of it if one arose.

James sat quietly, reading the papers as he did every Sunday, trying to stay out of the way and pretty much out of sight. It never really worked, but he was persistent. Mae flew in the house from the garage, clacking away before she was even through the door “… is the box that has all of the papers about the appliances that I gave you to put away in a safe place so I could find them easily if I had a question about something because you know you aren’t the one that reads directions I am and if I can’t find the box with all of the booklets I am not going to be able to fix anything that has to work in the house to keep us warm and fed and bathed because…” and she was back through another door and fading from earshot before he could even put the paper down to look at her, let alone answer her. He just shook his head from behind his paper and turned the page.

“…if they don’t start thinking about how it affects other people they are never going to make it in that complex because other people aren’t going to put up with it you know they don’t have to because they aren’t family and family is the only one that has to accept what you are anyway so I told them they better start learning how to act like civilized human being cause it isn’t like I didn’t raise them with manners but it’s also not my fault…” James could hear her coming back around from the other end of the house, her volume increasing with proximity.

He shifted in his seat and readied himself for the arrival. “….did you figure out where you think you put that box so I can look through those books I asked you about because I want to get that taken care of this morning to put my mind at ease about it all…” he lowered his paper and got as far as opening his mouth,“…never mind by the time you spit it out I will have found it myself and read them all since I am at least up and looking at this hour who is sitting around still reading the paper anyway…” and she was again through the door to the garage.

James put down the Chronicle, picked up the Times, and smiled to himself through a sip of black coffee. Far be it for him to cause any ripples in the fabric of their marriage.