Wednesday's Words on a Friday

The original Words for Wednesday was begun by Delores and eventually taken over by a moveable feast of participants when Delores had computer troubles.

The aim of the words is to encourage us to write. A story, a poem, whatever comes to mind.

If you are posting an entry on your own blog, please let us know so we can come along and read it.

This month the words are supplied by Lee and can be found here.

This week's words are:

1. attitude
2. uphill
3. insight
4. lessons
5. upheaval
6. canopy

and/or:

1. patience
2. engage
3. humility
4. strategy
5. fortitude
6. forbearance

here is my story: a little trip far into the future:

“Girls!” Miss Sandringham clapped her hands to get their attention, then asked them all to please be quiet and pay attention.

“Allow me to introduce you all to Mrs Trudi Pedersen. She will be conducting your lessons in Home Management and General Deportment within Society. 

During the next two years you are all expected to learn everything you need to know about being a married woman once you leave these four walls. For some of you it will be easy, others will face an uphill battle, but it is hoped you will all gain at least a modicum of insight as quickly as possible. 

I’ve taught you as much as I can about the cooking and cleaning that will be expected of you and now Mrs Pedersen will take you through the strategy you will need to be a proper wife. I would prefer you all to take heed and learn quickly, no one needs to partake in an attitude adjustment class, those aren’t fun, believe me. 

The committees responsible for this ‘House’, have spent the last five years searching the earth for suitable, marriageable men for you all, and even now, those young men are undergoing similar lessons in how to be husbands and good businessmen. I’ll hand you now to Mrs Pedersen, if you would all please follow her to the Rose Garden canopy, where you will have the afternoon to introduce yourselves and get to know each other before lessons begin tomorrow.”

As one, the girls turned towards Trudi Pedersen and followed as she led them to the Rose Garden. Once they were all seated, she asked their names and conversations began. “I’m a little bit scared, Mrs Pedersen, I’ve heard that being married is like being a slave. Will we have to be locked in our houses and only allowed out when our husbands say so?” asked Jemmy.

“No, not at all”, said Trudi. “That did happen for a while in the Dark Days, but things have changed and wives are allowed to live more normal lives now.”

“I’ve read about those Dark Days,” said Lucille. “There’s a couple of books in the Library that tell about the 25^th to 27^th centuries.”

“I’ve read those too,” said Kristen. “They’re pretty scary. Every wife was expected to have at least four babies to help repopulate the earth. I hope that isn’t still expected now.”

“Let me reassure you all on that point right now. Babies are expected, but not immediately, unless you want them right away, and you don’t need to have four, again, unless you want to. In the long ago past, 19^th, 20^th and 21^st centuries, many women had large families, as many as six or eight babies, but that was in unenlightened times and we know better now. If you want to have four it is allowed, but not expected.  We don’t want the same catastrophes that befell the overpopulated past.”

“So what will you be teaching us?” asked Megan.

Trudi said, “We’ll begin with a little sex education, to get that out of the way, you need to know how the babies come along; then there will be lessons in how to engage politely with people from all races, rich and poor alike, you will need to learn forbearance, how to show a little humility when necessary and of course how to invite guests to your own home as well as how to behave in a mannerly fashion when invited to others homes. I must add here that I had hoped there would be more equality now, less of the rich and poor classes, it is the 29^th century after all.”

“Please Mrs Pedersen, what is forbearance?” said Prudence.

“Forbearance is just a fancy word for patience. Fancy words sound more impressive sometimes and that is one more thing we will cover in the next two years. You need to be able to speak them naturally, not as if you had just read them from a dictionary. They need to become part of you, to show that you have been properly educated here at Marsh House.”

“Does that mean we have to sound like the snobs we read about, from the 18^th century I think, going about all uppity and pretentious?” said Alyssa.

“Not at all,” said Trudi. “The whole point of learning them early is so they come naturally into your speech so you don’t sound like you are “showing off” but simply showing knowledge and understanding. Now I know it may be hard for you to leave here after these final lessons are learned, some of you may go out strongly with confidence, others may face more upheaval and will need to develop a little more fortitude. That’s what I’m here for. To see you all through and safely married.