Her Only Choice

/ roughwighting

dreams, dreamingIt was an open secret that dreams reveal our innermost worries and joys, fears and, perhaps, even our future.

So when Sue woke up at 3:23 a.m. feeling as if she’d just popped out of a virtual reality show, she knew what she had to do.

She waited impatiently until the bank opened at 9.

“I want to withdraw all of my money, today,” she said as simply as if asking for the recipe of a chocolate dessert. Victorian house, dreams

The teller was bleary-eyed Miriam, the one Sue most disliked. Sue had befriended this bank down the corner from her old New England Victorian house for over three decades. She figured using any bank was the same difference as shopping at any grocery store. Make it easy and convenient.

But Miriam responded: “Oh, you can’t do that,” and Sue wondered what happened to convenience and ease.

“Yes I can,” Sue replied. “It’s my money. I can do whatever I want.”

“But there are forms to fill out, managers to speak to, and delays that are unavoidable.” Miriam rang a little bell by her station and within seconds Joe Tully was at Sue’s side, as if he was ready to take her away to the funny farm.

Sue decided to act naturally as she slowly took her cell phone out of her purse. “Guess what Mr. Tully, big bank manager. I’m going to dial 911 for the robbery about to take place.”

The confusion on Mr. Tully’s face was priceless. “What robbery?”

Sue poked her finger near the “Call” button on her phone. “The one you’re trying to perpetuate. I want my money – now – or I call the police.”

With a frustrated grimace, the bank manager nodded his head toward his office. “I’ll write you a check within 15 minutes. We just need to get the latest numbers and make sure there were no recent withdrawals.”

“My last withdrawal was last week for $200. So I expect $56,005 and 45 cents in cash, within your 15 minutes.”

They all thought she was crazy, the people in this town. Sue knew that. But she also knew what she had to do.

Kauia, Kauai sunset, Hawaiian sunsetHer only choice was to move to a little town on the north side of Maui, making and selling fresh water pearl necklaces and earrings.

She’d seen it all in her dream.

 

Can you guess what “prompted” this post? “Write a story with at least four oxymorons.”  What’s an oxymoron? It’s a figure of speech made up of two or more words that seem to be opposite to each other, or actually are opposite.

I hope you are not clearly confused, now. 🙂 

125 thoughts on “Her Only Choice”

  5. Oh to move to Maui and sell fresh water pearl earrings and to get away from it all…sounds good right now. Except, wait, never mind, I already live about as far away as you can get. And I can’t think of an on-purpose oxymoron on right now. Too early in the morning!

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    • I agree, Andrea. I think living in HI would be a fulfilling dream. In living color. (‘Cause who wants to dream in dead color??) Uh oh, I’m on a roll (better than a baguette). ACK. I’ll let you go now. 🙂

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  9. Clever. Funnily enough I’d been wondering how the bank will react when I ask for all my money in cash. The Bank of England is actually considering negative interest, which means they take some of the money we have in the bank. I’d be better to keep it under my mattress.

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    • ACK! That would be “amazingly awful” if the bank gave my money back, or should I say took away even more of my money, with negative interest.(Um negative interest is an oxymoron!!) Mattress saving looks better and better.

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  10. So good, Pam! I, too, was wondering at the bold characters then figured they were part of a prompt (but not quick enough to pick up the theme – d’oh!)
    After working in law offices, I was always partial to our documents that were original copies… You, of course, being simply original! 😉

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  12. Totally clever, Pam—I loved the way you used the oxymorons and amazed at how often we use them in our everyday-speech! And, that was perfect how Sue was able to withdraw all her savings and made the manager back down. Dreams can not only solve problems but gives you the confidence to follow through. . . . .

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    • I think if more of us followed our dreams, we’d feel more like Oscar Wilde, who said, “I can believe anything, provided that it is quite incredible.” – Oscar Wilde 🙂

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    • I believe that we should always take our dreams seriously, Balroop. I seriously smile (I just made up that oxymoron…) when my dreams send me flying to unknown places, knowing that in some way, in some sense of the word, they are within my scope of consciousness. ❤

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  18. This coronavirus time has created an oxymoron for us all. In our family bubbles we are now “alone together.” But other than that oxymoron, I love wordplay. That was a fun use of morons in your post.

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  21. I’m appreciative of your gift of Friday morning fun. By the time I reached the end of this clever post, I was laughing and giggling. Sue’s a clever girl and her dream a master vision. Thanks for sharing her dream and clever strategy. When are you leaving for Maui?

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    • I think flying off to Maui would be “terribly good” right now, Sherrey. But alas, with “sweet sorrow” I must stay at home, water my garden, and tend to my roots. xo

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    • I would be a “wise fool” to test my readers, my dear Billy Ray, for then I’d lose them all. Except for you, since it was a “minor miracle” that we two Warriors found each other in the blogosphere. ❤

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  28. This bilingual somewhat dyslexic old girl had to read it twice. I open up a cooking shack next to your jewelry and book business. I’ll be serving sweet and sour food.

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    • Aha! Good job, Gerlinde. Sweet and sour is a great oxymoronic food, and I’d LOVE to have you join Amy and me in our Maui jewelry/books/now food endeavors. 🙂

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  30. Oh! I feel like such a dope. I didn’t get it until I looked back over the story and noticed the oxymorons highlighted in the text. lol I’m observant like that.
    Very clever, Ma’am. Very clever indeed. 😀

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      • You’re right. Looking at your story, I was shocked to realise that not one of them raised any alarm bells in my mind, and I’m usually a stickler for things ‘making sense’. Clearly not as much of a stickler as I thought. 😀

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    • “Impulsive decision- haha. I’d never heard that one, and it’s good. “Funny farm” is a phrase (American I presume) used decades ago from the slang use of the word ‘funny’ to mean weird, unusual and the description of mad people as ‘funny in the head’. An early citation of ‘funny farm’ is in John Knowles’ novel, set in New Hampshire, USA – A Separate Peace, 1959:
      “You might start to believe it, then I’d have to make a reservation for you at the Funny Farm.”
      Fortunately, I haven’t heard this phrase in a long time.

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      • Thanks for the description and explanation, Sam. I still don’t get how “funny farm” is an oxymoron (was printed in bold). The term “oxymoron” was new to me, so I studied yours and gave it a try with “impulsive decision”. 🙂 I didn’t realize oxymorons are usually popular phrases, I thought you could make them up.

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  34. Not an oxymoron but I knew an old lady once who used to go into her bank every so often to count her money. The staff put the exact amount in front of her and she carefully counted it before going home quite content.

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    • I have a feeling there are a lot of “old ladies” and old men who do that. These days, I know several “old men” who do the same, only now they can do it virtually thanks to on-line banking. 🙂 I guess it’s “weirdly normal.” 🙂

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  35. Wow. Nicely done, Pam. I’m glad you bolded the oxymorons or I would never have found them! I’m with Sue any day – off to Maui to sell necklaces on the beach. 😀 Great story. Let’s keep dreaming!

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  36. Hi Pam, I agree with many of the comments, “clever!” I have a problem with how she almost has to apologize and jump through many hurdles when requesting access to to her own money. I understand the safety issues, just not the attitudes.

    I think you and I have discussed vivid dreams in the past. I get it.

    Then I became lost in examples of an oxymoron, a paradox and juxtaposition and the differences. Now I am clearly confused.🙂 A fun post!

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    • When I was (much) younger, I had to fight the bank all the time. Wives had to have the signature of their husbands to make deposits/withdrawals, etc. I was horrified, but when I argued against it I was called a “feminist.” Yup, a proud one. Those “amazingly awful” times have improved! 🙂

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      • The banking thing hit a nerve with me, too, Pam. My first job was in a bank when I was fifteen, as a teller. Long banking stories. From both sides. Yes, the inequity. My blood pressure is already rising as I recall many things. Later on I met my husband through the bank, also long story. (A good part of the story). I was also horrified and tried to stand up for myself. Yes, improved a great deal.🙂

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  40. Pam… I applaud you.. Your stories are always well worth reading.. this no exception.. 🙂 I smiled widely at the 911 call.. Day light robbery happens everyday in these institutions lol.. 🙂

    As to the oxymoron… Love it…
    And I had better watch my own dreams… I usually wake up in those twilight hours hahaha… My own though have been on Hollywood, the Sign falling down, A huge wave was sweeping through and knocking people over at first I thought it was a Tsunami, but it wasn’t water it was energy.. .. I dreamt it a few weeks back…. ( I feel something big is about to shock.. ) As the Beach boys were singing just as I woke up and the music was still ringing in my ears as I woke.. the song Good Vibrations.. So while at first it may shock, I feel the long term is Good Vibrations.. 🙂 LOL.. Any way I digress…
    One Dreamer to another 🙂

    Hope you are doing OK Pam…. Sending you special Hugs..
    Much love your way ❤

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  42. Wow, Pam, I was totally confused, but then the light switch flipped. 🙂 This is SO clever and now I get why those words were bold. I kept wondering throughout the story. Amazed again by your creativity. Hope all is well and safe with you. 😍

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  45. The manager wasn’t going to mess around with her! Haha, she knew herself and trusted her dream. We got married on Maui, Pam. We went back several times and Hubby wanted to moved there. I said, no way (because it wasn’t my dream). 🙂

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  46. “Only choice” — I get it because choice implies more than only one. Ha! Never thought about looking at phrasing like this before. I enjoyed the story too! Not sure I could write with oxymorons in mind, but maybe I do and don’t even know it. I’ll be on the look out. Mona

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    • I found an easy way to “purposely” write with oxymoron’s is to make a list of some, then just start a first sentence and see where it goes. Of course, most time we DON’T want oxymorons in our writing. 🙂

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  47. Well, I hope you have another early morning wake up call so we kind find out who ended up in the looney bin…I guess with the way things are today…a good day could seem like a bad day to someone waiting on her money to appear.

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