March Challenge|Keeley Schroder|
Gift of the Gab
March Madness Challenge: Day Five: Do you have the gift of the gab?
Response to Keeley Schroder’s March Challenge.
In school, my nickname was ‘motormouth’.
I always had a cheekiness about me, emboldened by other kids laughing. I would tend to say aloud what they would whisper to each other. It’s not that what I said was clever, it wasn’t, most times it was my way of getting approval, and Jenny assures me that trait has never left.
Running off at the mouth is seldom a good thing, it’s like being a gunfighter, there’s always going to be someone quicker. On Medium, that man, for me, is Victor Cardenas. (If you haven’t yet had the privilege to read such a mind, please do so.)
In my head, if you don’t believe you are as smart as others, you make up the difference by talking a good game. But, for me, it was never about trying to be smart, it’s most times just thinking a different way.
Mr. Cox was our Religious Instruction tutor, he also taught us to play the Recorder, a kind of flute which we called the phlegm pipe. Anyway, it was coming up to mid-morning break, our daily bottle of milk, and soccer with a tennis ball, it was 1958.
Mr. Cox decided that he would pose a question to us, and with a good answer, we would be let out one at a time into the playground. He always told me I was the most blasphemous child he’d ever known, which didn’t hurt at all because I had no idea what he meant.
“I will stand here at the door, and I will be Saint Peter standing at the Gates of Heaven, as you leave you will give me a reason to let you into the playground. It will be something that you have done that is kind and considerate. Smith, you lead off…”
I was sat at the back of the class, where naughty boys couldn’t distract other well-behaved children. The class filed out giving their reason to be allowed into the playground. They did dishes for their mum, mowed the lawn for dad, did some shopping for grandma, you know all stuff like that. I was struggling to come up with anything good enough to get out to play. Mr. Cox always imagined I never listened in class and wouldn’t expect me to say anything but lie.
“Hogg, do you not want to go out?”
I was thinking, you fucking pratt. I was nine and had learned that word… pratt, I mean, the other one, well I knew that one at five.
I got out from my desk and walked toward him.
“Do you have a reason I should let you out to play?”
It came to my simple mind that the playground had become the Heaven he always talked about.
I said to him, “you must be the new man on the job.”
“What are you talking about, Hogg? I’m St. Peter standing at the Gates of Heaven.”
“Yeh,” I said, “and I’m God!” and walked straight by him. Since that day I’ve always believed I am God, because Mr. Cox never argued.
March Madness Challenge: Join Keeley and write to each of her daily challenges.
Participants:
Adrienne Beaumon, Autistic Widower (“AJ”), Brett Jenae Tomlin, The Sturg, Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles, Richard Bailey, Marilyn Flower, Trisha Faye, Karen Schwartz, NancyO, Robert G. Longpré — [he/him] — Canadian métis, Katie Michaelson, Bernie Pullen, Laure Dorsemaine, Debika Kumari, Michelle Jimerson Morris, redkitewrites, Celia McKinley, Charisse Tyson, Julie KingGood, Amy Frances, Julia A. Keirns, Ravyne Hawke, Pamela Oglesby, Toni the Talker, Cathy Cremer, Tina, Kayla Tackett, Pat Romito LaPointe, C Cap1, Anna Itzel Cazita, K., Brandon, Misty Rae, Karen Hoffman, Deb Palmer, Susie Winfield, Vincent Pisano, Paari, Marlene Samuels
Here are a few of our entries to enjoy:
Do you like to scribble, or maybe do some serious writing, poems, stories, or anything on your mind. Join up with Medium. If you should do so through my LINK, you’ll be gifting this wretched soul, starving poet, hopeless romantic and drunk, a cup of coffee from your $5 a month at no cost to you! Imagine my joy!
Hey, this might be of some interest. If you would like to join Medium as a Member, giving you access to every story I write, and the whole shebang of talented writers on Medium, and you want to join up, read, or earn yourself a few coins writing, please think about using this LINK to become a member. Cost $5. You’ll be gifting me a cup of coffee, and treating yourself to the wonderland of Medium.com💜✍️
