what you need to know before you read this post: donna rankin is my mom. "the floodies" is her nickname for the last name (flood) of her (and my dad's) best friends. a.j. is the wife in the "floodies." marti is their daughter. nancy (not me) is their other daughter. i've been friends with her since we were itty bitty. my mom writes better than she thinks she does. and so, this is what "i" wrote for "her." ok.........GO!
(donna rankin doesn’t like to use the phone so donna rankin makes nancy rankin use it for her.)
(donna rankin doesn’t like to use the phone so donna rankin makes nancy rankin use it for her.)
“call the floodies, nan, and tell them to be here at 8!”
“I don’t wanna call the “floodies,” mom, YOU call the floodies! they’re YOUR floodies!”
i don’t know how many times i heard that during my growing up years. i probably heard it at least 40 days and 40 nights. (get it? 40 days? 40 nights? floodies? FLOOD? never mind.)
but…….because I heard “call the floodies” so many times in my youth, i really wasn’t too surprised when i heard it again last night…….”NAN! QUICK! write a little thingy about a.j. for me, will ya?”
“a little thingy? what kinda little thingy?”
“marti’s getting a book together for a.j.’s 90th birthday and you’re the writer in the family, not me…..write me up a little thingy, ok?”
“well……”
“oh, come on, nan! just a little thingy about how a.j. and i have been such good friends through the years. through thick and thin. i can’t write……you can write! just write me up a little thingy and then you print it off and i’ll add a little hand-written note at the bottom. you know…….explaining that i can’t write but i am smart enough to ask you to write. and i am also honest enough not to try to pass somebody else’s work off as my own. I don’t want a.j. to think i’m a plagiarizer.”
“i think a.j. knows you well enough, mom, to know you’re not a plagiarizer.”
“well.”
“so……..o.k. I guess i can do that. i hope i can.”
“oh, you can. nothin’ to it. just write about what a wonderful friend a.j. has been to me all these years. you know…….how we’ve been through so much together and we’re just two good friends. just two, good, good friends. you know. ever since you and nancy were little, for heaven’s sake! write about that. write about how a.j. has been my best friend for as long as i can remember, but, i won’t take the credit…..you’ll get the credit!”
“well…….o.k…….this is sorta weird, but………o.k.”
“oh, it’s not weird. just say what a good friend to me a.j. is. i can’t put it into words like you can. you’re the one who’s good with words, not me. just say how she has been my best friend for all these years and how I wouldn’t know what to do without her. it’s not weird at all……… best thing ever, actually.”
hello…….mrs. flood? this is nancy rankin……..
:)
