6Traits Digest #106 - Thursday, November 18, 1999
Great example of voice
by "Susan Nixon" <susan@desertskyone.com>
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Subject: Great example of voice
From: "Susan Nixon" <susan@desertskyone.com>
Date: Fri, 19 Nov 1999 21:04:50 -0700
Those who were with me last summer for the course will remember the =
article
written by a friend of mine about her cousin, Gila. It was called "The
Great Divide." This is by the same woman. I thought you might enjoy it.
Susan
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>=
>>
LITTLE HAPPINESS TIMES IN BOISE
We had our chimney swept today by an apparition. Well, okay, he was just =
a
teeny-weeny little man from Kosovo, 100 pounds wringing wet, covered with
soot and wearing a beaver top hat, which was smashed to perfection. When I
opened the door to this picturesque person, I happened to be baking, =
wearing
an old-fashioned apron and floury hair. He seemed as startled with my
appearance as I was with his.
He arrived at precisely the scheduled time, pronounced our name correctly,
introduced himself as Gallie, and inquired as to the health of our =
family,
very carefully, with mangled sentences and a thick but charming accent. I
played along with the formalitites since he seemed to have some sort of
routine. It occured to me that if the order of his "act" was upset, he
might
have to start all over at the beginning.
"I am with soot," he said dejectedly, indicating his clothes. "But your =
home
will not be with soot. Gallie is cousin of a swan."
Cousin of a swan! This was getting better and better.
"When you make the fire, where are you standing?" he inquired, still in my
entryway.
"Standing?" I said with confusion. "Usually, I am kneeling."
Gallie's face took on a look of panic, then a light bulb went on over his
head. "Ah, Mrs. Kuraitis makes the joke! Your fire, you are taking me =
there
now, please."
Oh! (Duh.)
So it came to pass that Gallie cleaned out the chimney, and my home was =
not
with soot - Gallie being the cousin of a swan and all.
When he was finished he looked thoughtful and said, hesitating, "In Europe
we have
sweeps who make...little....happiness times with the housewives."
WELL!!! He was charming, but I wasn't going to make any little happiness
times with him! (He was, after all, with a lot of soot.)
Trying not to insult him, but pretty much beyond help at this point, I
choked out an explanation of what he had just said, and he blushed purple
and was horrified. "No, no, no! Your hand I shake, good luck from a
sweep - that kind of little times."
I tried to compose myself. Did he mean "traditions", I wondered? He =
jumped
up and down when he understood. "Yes, yes, yes, yes! Traditions! =
Missing
little
tradition times in America."
So I made up a tradition, out of thin air, for Gallie. "I am
Lithuanian-American, and we have a tradition. The sweep gets a little =
more
money than he asked for (I added $5 to his check) a penny, and a piece of
fruit
from the household." I handed him these things one by one, and he was
delighted, putting each item in his bag of tools, except the penny. "This =
I
will put here all the day," he said, stashing it in his shredded beaver =
top
hat.
"It's your first little happiness times from America," I pointed out.
Gallie looked at me to see if it would be acceptable for the sweep and the
housewife to crack up together, and saw the corner of my mouth starting to
twitch.
All was lost then, and my front porch was with soot.
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