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「戌年」連載小説 第8章

キャミー・タング著「戌年」連載小説 プロのドッグトレーナーであるマリ・ムトウは、厄年を迎えている。 犬小屋と訓練所の改築をしながら、いつも不服そうにしている家族と同居することになった。母と姉に言わせれば、犬の毛とよだれかけにまみれる仕事は、家族にとって恥ずべきものだという。彼女は元カレを説得し、数ヶ月間犬を預かってもらうことにした。しかし、彼の兄は、数週間前に彼女が誤って車に追突した、怒り狂ったセキュリティ専門家であることが判明する。 アシュウィン・ケイトウは十分な問題を抱えている。叔母が玄関先に現れ、同居を希望している。彼は彼女にすべてを借りているので、断ることができません。母親が家を出て行った後、ネルおばさんはアシュウィンと弟を引き取り、愛のあるキリスト教の家庭で育てた。しかも、弟のダスティもアパートを追い出され、居場所を求めている。しかし、彼は犬を飼っている。そして、その犬の飼い主は誰だと思いますか？ しかし、旧友でオアフ島のノースショアでデイスパを経営する私立探偵のエディサ・ゲレロから依頼を受ける。マリの施設で奇妙な破壊行為があり、3年前に失踪したエディサの妹の財布を発見する。エディサはマリが危険な目に遭っているのではと心配する。警備の専門家であるアシュウィンがすでにマリを知っていることを知ったエディサは、忙しい若い女性を密かに監視することを彼に依頼する。 アシュウィンは、活発でのんびりとしたドッグトレーナーに不本意ながら惹かれていく。彼女は、幸せそうな母親を思い出させる。その母親の裏切りによって、彼は人と距離を置くようになったのだ。マリは、アシュウィンの冷たい外見を見抜き、彼が家族に忠実な男であることを認める。彼は、彼女のキャリア選択を批判するだけの母親や姉とは違う。 マリのバラバラな家庭とアシュウィンのバラバラな家庭の中で、過去を隠そうとする人たちから、彼らの周りに危険が迫ってくるようになる。彼らは、影で動く秘密に光を当てることができるのか？ 過去に発表されたパートへのリンクはこちら。 *** 第8章 - 恐ろしくも真っ白な不動産書類 『みんな仲良くできないのかな？』 マリは無用に力を込めて箱に本を投げ入れた。最近、なぜ彼女は人生の中で全員と言い争いをしているのだろう？もしかすると、これは本当に悪いアイデア
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Phone calls

Captain's Log, Stardate 01.15.2008

I have to admit, I completely suck when it comes to calling friends.

It's not that I don't love them or want to talk to them, I just don't think to call them. I'm not trying to be rude or send a message or anything like that. I'm just clueless.

Luckily, I have wonderful friends who call me. And when they call, we talk for hours. And I have a great time talking to them and catching up.

But a part of me is feeling like a Bad Friend because I didn't think to call them first.

What do you think? Am I breaking a vital rule of Friend Etiquette by not calling my friends occasionally, by letting them call me first? Am I just pathetically thoughtless and ought to be whipped?

And let me say right now, I have awesome friends. They totally put up with me, non-calling as I am.
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Comments

Ausjenny said…
Ok i dont think it makes you a bad friend. Im am the one who tends to do the ringing in australia that is. occasionally my friends ring me but normally i do the ringing. and I am ok with that. So as the ringing friend i dont think my friends are bad. I know if they thought of it they would ring and i sometimes find its easier cos i can talk when i ring.
I also have Skype and my canadian friend is great at calling me when she sees me online.
Tue Jan 15, 04:09:00 AM 2008
Geekwif said…
I'm the same way. I won't usually call unless I have a specific purpose. Even then, I generally prefer email or IMing. My friends seem to put up with me pretty well.
Tue Jan 15, 05:27:00 AM 2008
Tyora Moody said…
I fall into the same category. Even as a teenager, I never really picked up on the talking on the phone bit. I guess because I always had my head in a book. :)

The folks who call me, pretty much know I'm a computer nerd and have a better chance of catching me via email. That's sad, but true.
Tue Jan 15, 07:01:00 AM 2008
PatriciaW said…
When I was younger, I called. And then I realized there were certain friends that never, ever called me. I wondered about whether we were truly friends.

Now it's hard to find time for phone calls. I remember to make them at hours when most folks are asleep. So I rely heavily on email. At least I'm communicating in some form, and with some friends, it's the only way we've talked in ten years!

So I don't think not calling makes you a Bad Friend as long as you find other ways to let those people know that you value the friendship.
Tue Jan 15, 09:43:00 AM 2008
Anonymous said…
I just think some people aren't phone talkers. I'm that way.

It's probably kind of like the love languages. Have you read that book? We each have different things that mean love to us. I suppose if I had a friend who highly valued talking on the phone, I should make it a priority to call her every now and then.

Hm. Now you've got me thinking . . .
Tue Jan 15, 12:14:00 PM 2008
Anonymous said…
You aren't alone.

Jeff is the phone caller among his friends. They just don't think to call him and he strives to speak to them at least once a month. It's admirable.

I hate the phone! So, I'm the opposite extreme.
Tue Jan 15, 05:34:00 PM 2008
Delia said…
I'm such a non-caller. And like you, it's not that I don't want to talk to them, I just don't think about it. Or I do think about it when I'm busy and then forget when I'm not busy.
Tue Jan 15, 05:39:00 PM 2008
Danica Favorite said…
From one non calling friend to another, it's totally okay. I hate calling people, and I almost never do. It has to be really important or I get a God-nudge or whatever for me to pick up the phone.
Tue Jan 15, 09:36:00 PM 2008
Ronie Kendig said…
I'm with you. It takes serious, concerted efforts on my part (read: writing on post-it notes and sticking them to my monitor) to remind myself to call someone. I think it's absurd to equate that to how much your friendship means. I'm just not a phone person. Some people can't get over that and use that to measure friendship, which is just insane! LOL

That said, I have grown to enjoy talking on the phone. I'm like some of the other girls here in that I've never (even as a teen) been a phone person.

Just get that monkey off your back and don't use that as a tool to measure your friendship. some might talk for hours on the hpone but be horrible with email or IM or something else. It's just who we are.
Wed Jan 16, 05:18:00 AM 2008
Myra Johnson said…
I have a serious phone aversion. My kids even get onto me for not calling them. We e-mail a lot, even IM. But to talk on the phone, they usually have to call me.

Part of it is that I think better in writing. I like to be able to back up and edit. Or take time to ponder my response. You can't do that over the phone.

Another factor is that I hate being interrupted by phone calls, so I figure everybody else does, too. I am not a chit-chatter, either--my mind goes blank! So unless I have some specific time-sensitive agenda for making a call, I will find some other way to communicate.
Wed Jan 16, 08:02:00 AM 2008
Pamela J said…
Calling a friend when there is no reason to talk but to connect with a friend is a rare gift. You must not have it, neither do I. Cherish that friendship because they are few. If you have an abundance of those type of friends, you are truely blessed.
Sat Jan 19, 07:43:00 AM 2008
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