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Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Ambidexterity

“Very crafty.”
“Craft has nothing to do with it.”
“What would you call it?”
“We call it mano izquierda.”
“When your right hand doesn’t know what your left hand is doing. I call that sneaky.”
“No, not at all. Not underhanded. Like using your less-coordinated hand. Tact, not duplicity.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“You need to approach it from a different angle, you know?”
“You’re going to take his side anyway. I’m always at fault. He never complains, never has a bad word, of course he always gets his way.”
“I’m not taking sides, really I’m not. I want to help. I don’t want to see either of you suffer. If you suffer, my son suffers, that’s the way marriage is.”
“He hardly suffers.”
“Argh. He may not show his feelings – just like his father – but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have them. He’s strong-willed, pig-headed even, when he doesn’t feel he has a choice.”
“A choice. What choice to I have?”
“You both have choices: the choices you would make separately, and the choice you make together. Because that is marriage. Choosing together.”
“Compromising. Exactly. He doesn’t compromise. When it’s his decision, everything is hunky-dory; when I don’t agree, I’m a shrew.”
“A shrew! I don’t mean to laugh. That’s not true, nobody thinks you’re a shrew. Little mouse. Hahaha. I’m sorry.”
“So you want me to just accept his decision? To save our marriage.”
“No. Oy. What I want you to do is use what advantages you have. You’re a smart woman. You know the things he likes to hear. The way he likes to see himself, how he wants to be seen.”
“So I should trick him into agreeing with me. That’s what you’re saying.”
“No. Not trick. Show him why his decision is the right one and, more importantly, show him why it is the same as your decision.”
“Oh, that doesn’t make any sense at all.”
“Just use your left hand, darling. You’ll see. Trust me.”


333 words forincluding CRAFT (noun) :  skill in deceiving to gain an end craft and guile to close the deal>

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32 comments:

  1. Crafty mother-in-law. Good advice! :)

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  2. I love this, Kymm! Clever and well crafted! (A bulls-eye, in my opinion!)

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    1. Haha Thanks for the love, Valerie! And for the well crafted (wink-wink, nudge-nudge).

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  3. Funny conversation! Marriage advice from the mother-in-law, though...I don't know about that :)

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    1. Glad you enjoyed it. I only have girls, so I'm taking a pass on this one! Thanks, Janna!

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  4. Fantastic use of dialogue! This was as usual so, so good.

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    1. Glad to hear the dialogue works. Thank you so much, Jennifer!

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  5. I have to remember this when my own son finds a significant other.

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    1. Whatever it takes, Tara! lol Adolescent girls are the pits, but mother-in-lawing will be easier for me!

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  6. haha, quite a crafty tale indeed, and quite the dubious mother-in-law. i believe her point was exemplified in the manner she posed her tactic to her daughter-in-law. well done.

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    1. Haha I see what you did there : )
      Glad you noticed her teaching by example... lol
      Thanks, Renada!

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  7. Ah,finally a MIL who knows the tricks of the trade,lol!Hope DIL,mousy or not-listens and takes a leaf-make that many -from her Mom-in-law's book and uses it to her benefit;-)Loved the dialogues Kymm-I suck at dialogues and therefore this is like manna to me:-)

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    1. Are there MILs who don't know the tricks of the trade?
      (I have always been hopeless at this. Still, I survive: )
      Thanks so much for the love, Atreyee!

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  8. This rings so true! Realism, strategy, love and pragmatism, all strung together nicely. I loved this, Kymm!

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    1. Nice to hear it traced out like that. Thanks so much for the love, Joanne!

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  9. Awesome bit of dialogue. I have never found mother in laws as helpful and kind in real life...but then this is fiction. In fiction we can make them anyway we want...and that is the beauty of it. ♥

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    1. Well, no one's saying whom the advice is intended to help... lol
      Thanks for the awesome, Kathy! Glad you liked it, and nice to have you visit.

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  10. The dialogue is brilliant, and I love the gentle nod to the left hand path. A woman's craft is more than craft. You've created a delightful work, and I enjoyed reading it.

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    1. I'm so glad you enjoyed this.
      Thanks for the praise, and the love, Cherry. Good to have you visit!

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  11. That sounds like such a believable dialogue between the two generations & even how wisdom with age has a different point of view. Wonderful read!

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    1. Thanks so much, Jody! I'm glad the dialogue was credible, and pleased you enjoyed it.

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  12. This is a very clever piece with good dialogue. nice work.

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  13. Love this exchange. The dialogue is realistic and flows well. I like how we don't really know if she's helping her daughter-in-law to use craft on the son OR if she's using craft on the DIL to benefit the son. Such crafty writing, Kymm! ;)

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    1. Haha MIL's are a wily breed. Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for the love, Ivy!

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  14. Few things frighten me as much as becoming a mother-in-law. Thanks for linking up, Kymm. Don't forget to vote!

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    1. Haha. My best friend from high school has four boys. All but one are married, so far. Let me know when you need her number!
      Thanks for the visit, Tri!

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    2. I agree...but who knows the "wanted" one more than a Mother? I loved this especially the last line!

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    3. Thank you for the visit, and the love, UBU!

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